M.O.S.T. · Sovereign Adjudicative Core · Dossier Format
30-Year Forensic Chronology
The reference layout for a complete C-File adjudication. Severity index, regulatory strike audit against 38 CFR 4.127, evidence-mass distribution, and the SMC-L ADL matrix — all in one view.
Diagnostic Severity Index
GAF & Rating % over 30 years
Continuity of symptomatology — the spine of any earlier-effective-date claim. GAF descends as rating ascends; the gap between them is where the case lives.
Adjudicative Strike Radar
Rating decision vs. 38 CFR 4.127
What the regulation requires versus what the rating decision actually addressed. Every gap is a CUE candidate.
- Continuity of symptomatology35% / 100%
- Lay evidence weighed20% / 100%
- Buddy statements considered0% / 100%
- 38 CFR 4.127 applied40% / 100%
- Caluza elements addressed60% / 100%
- Benefit-of-doubt invoked15% / 100%
Case Weight Distribution
Evidence mass by source
Structural mass of the file. Heavy on records, light on lay evidence is the typical denial pattern.
- Service Medical Records412
- Post-service VA records1284
- Private treatment187
- Lay / buddy statements23
- Forensic reconstructions41
SMC-L ADL Matrix
Activities of daily living
38 CFR 3.352 aid-and-attendance criteria. Five of seven impaired typically supports SMC-L.
Impaired ADLs
5 / 7
SMC-L threshold
MET
- Bathing / hygieneOT eval 2022; spouse statement
- DressingC&P exam 2023
- FeedingIndependent per chart
- ToiletingAdaptive equipment Rx
- TransferringPT note 2024
- ContinenceNo documentation
- Protection from hazardsCognitive testing 2024
Adjudicative Strike Process
Path to vacatur
The five-step path from CUE identification to a decision being vacated and re-rated with retroactive backpay.
STEP 01
Identify CUE
Pinpoint the rating decision that failed 38 CFR 3.105(a).
›STEP 02
Build provenance chain
Cite STR, C&P exam, and post-service evidence the rater missed.
›STEP 03
File 21-526EZ + 21-4138
Statement in support of claim with regulatory citations.
›STEP 04
BVA / CAVC if denied
Escalate through Board of Veterans Appeals to federal court.
›STEP 05
Vacatur + retroactive backpay
Original effective date restored; back-payment calculated.
Why this layout
One screen, one case. A VSO has 15 minutes per veteran on intake day. If the case file’s structural problems aren’t visible in one scroll, they don’t make it into the brief.
Strike radar, not narrative. The regulatory gap chart is intentionally adversarial — it shows where the rating decision failed to engage the regulation, which is the textbook CUE definition under 38 CFR 3.105.
No real veteran data on this page. Numbers shown are illustrative. Real case ingest happens through authenticated intake with PHI staying inside the trust boundary per CLAUDE.md hard rule #6.