What You Will Build Today
By the end of this workshop, you will have created a professional, multi-page VA Appeal Letter in Microsoft Word. Here is what you will accomplish:
- A properly structured document using Title and Heading styles
- Professional tables for service history and medical evidence
- Headers, footers, and automatic page numbers
- A polished, spell-checked document ready to print or submit
Goal: Create a VA Appeal Letter using Title and Heading styles with the Navigation Pane.
Create Your Document Structure
Follow along with your instructor to build the foundation of your appeal letter using Word's built-in styles.
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Open Microsoft Word and create a new blank document
Start menu → type "Word" → click "Blank document"
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Type the document title: "Appeal for Benefits Reconsideration"
Just type it as regular text for now — we will style it in the next step
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Select the title text, go to Home tab → Styles group
Click and drag to highlight all the title text, then look for the Styles section on the ribbon
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Click the "Title" style — text becomes large and formatted
The Title style is in the Styles gallery on the Home tab. Your text will change size and font automatically.
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Press Enter, then type: "Section 1: Service History"
This will be your first major section heading
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Select this text and apply the "Heading 1" style
Find "Heading 1" in the Styles gallery — it is right next to the Title style
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Below that, type a brief paragraph:
"I served in the United States [Branch] from [Year] to [Year], stationed at [Location]." — Replace the brackets with your own information.
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Press Enter twice, then type: "Section 2: Medical Evidence"
Pressing Enter twice creates a blank line between sections for readability
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Apply "Heading 1" style to this line
Select the text first, then click Heading 1 in the Styles gallery
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Add paragraph: "The following medical records support my claim for disability benefits."
Press Enter after the heading and type this sentence as normal body text
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Open the Navigation Pane: View tab → check "Navigation Pane"
Click the View tab at the top, then check the Navigation Pane box in the Show group
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Verify both headings appear in the Navigation Pane — click one to jump to it
You should see "Section 1: Service History" and "Section 2: Medical Evidence" listed on the left side. Click either one to jump directly to that section.
Tip: Styles are not just about looks — they create a document outline that makes long documents easy to navigate. The Navigation Pane uses your headings to build a clickable table of contents.
Checkpoint — Raise your hand when done:
- ☐ Document has Title style applied to "Appeal for Benefits Reconsideration"
- ☐ Two Heading 1 sections visible (Service History and Medical Evidence)
- ☐ Navigation Pane shows both headings on the left side
Goal: Build service history and medical evidence tables to organize your supporting data.
Table 1: Service History
Tables are the best way to present organized data in a professional document. Follow these steps to create your first table.
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Click below the Section 1 paragraph text
Place your cursor on the line after your service history paragraph
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Go to Insert tab → Table → drag to select 3 columns x 4 rows
Click Insert, then Table, and use the grid to highlight 3 across and 4 down
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Fill in the header row: Duty Station | Dates | MOS/Role
Click in the first cell and type "Duty Station", press Tab to move to the next cell
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Fill in 3 rows with your service data
Use your own information or the sample data below
Sample data you can use:
| Duty Station | Dates | MOS/Role |
|---|
| Fort Bragg, NC | 2001 - 2004 | 11B Infantry |
| Camp Lejeune, NC | 2004 - 2007 | 11B Infantry |
| Fort Hood, TX | 2007 - 2010 | 11B Senior NCO |
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Click anywhere in the table → Table Design tab appears
A new "Table Design" tab will show up on the ribbon when your cursor is inside the table
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Choose a table style from the gallery
Try "Grid Table 4 - Accent 1" for a clean, professional blue look. Hover over styles to preview them.
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Check the "Header Row" checkbox to bold the first row
This option is in the Table Style Options group on the Table Design tab
Table 2: Medical Evidence
Now create a second table to list your supporting medical documents.
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Click below the Section 2 paragraph text
Place your cursor after the medical evidence paragraph
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Insert a table: 2 columns x 3 rows
Insert tab → Table → drag to select 2 across and 3 down
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Header row: Document | Date
Type "Document" in the first cell, Tab to the second cell, type "Date"
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Fill in the evidence rows
Use your own records or the sample data below
Sample medical evidence data:
| Document | Date |
|---|
| VA Disability Exam Report | Jan 2025 |
| Primary Care Records | 2024 |
| Specialist Referral | Dec 2024 |
Checkpoint — Raise your hand when done:
- ☐ Service history table has 3 columns and header formatting
- ☐ Medical evidence table has 2 columns with data filled in
- ☐ Both tables have a professional style applied
Goal: Add a header with your name and date, page numbers, and a page break to create a multi-page document.
Add a Header
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Go to Insert tab → Header → choose "Blank" (first option)
This opens the header area at the top of your page for editing
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Type your name on the left side
Your cursor should already be on the left. Type your full name.
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Press Tab twice to move to the right side, type today's date
The first Tab moves to center, the second Tab moves to the right. Type today's date.
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Click "Close Header and Footer"
Click the "Close Header and Footer" button on the ribbon, or double-click in the main document area
Add Page Numbers
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Go to Insert tab → Page Number → Bottom of Page → "Plain Number 2" (centered)
This places a centered page number at the bottom of every page automatically
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Click "Close Header and Footer"
Return to your document by clicking the button or double-clicking in the main text area
Create a Page Break
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Place your cursor at the end of your document
Click after the last line of text and press End on your keyboard, or press Ctrl+End
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Insert a page break: Insert tab → Page Break
Or use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Enter
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On the new page, type: "Section 3: Supporting Statement"
You should now be on page 2 of your document
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Apply "Heading 1" style to this new section title
Select the text and click Heading 1 in the Styles gallery on the Home tab
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Verify the Navigation Pane now shows 3 sections
Look at the Navigation Pane on the left — you should see all three section headings listed
Tip: Headers and footers appear on EVERY page automatically. This is perfect for your name, date, and page numbers on multi-page documents like appeal letters and medical requests.
Common Mistake: Do not press Enter many times to get to a new page. Always use Insert → Page Break (or Ctrl+Enter). Pressing Enter creates blank lines that shift when you edit the document.
Checkpoint — Raise your hand when done:
- ☐ Header shows your name (left) and date (right)
- ☐ Page numbers appear centered at the bottom of each page
- ☐ Document has at least 2 pages separated by a page break
Goal: Complete the document with spell check, formatting, bullet lists, and print preview. Work through these steps on your own.
Spell Check Your Document
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Go to Review tab → click "Spelling & Grammar"
Or press F7 on your keyboard. Word will scan your entire document for errors.
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Fix any highlighted errors — click "Accept" or type the correction
Word will highlight each error and suggest a fix. Review each one carefully before accepting.
Add a Bullet List
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Click below the "Section 3: Supporting Statement" heading
Place your cursor on the blank line under the heading on page 2
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Go to Home tab → click the Bullets button, then type these items:
Press Enter after each item to create the next bullet point
Type these three bullet points:
• Documented injury during active duty service
• Consistent medical treatment since discharge
• Impact on daily activities and employment
Final Formatting
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Bold key terms: select important words → press Ctrl+B
Try bolding words like "disability," "active duty," and "medical evidence" throughout your document
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Adjust margins: Layout tab → Margins → choose "Normal" (1 inch all sides)
Normal margins give your document a clean, professional look with equal spacing on all sides
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Print Preview: File → Print (or press Ctrl+P)
Review how your document will look on paper. Check that headers, page numbers, and tables look correct. Press Escape to go back without printing.
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Save your document: press Ctrl+S
Name it "VA_Appeal_Letter_[YourName]" (example: VA_Appeal_Letter_Smith). Save it to your Desktop or Documents folder.
Important: Save your work frequently! Press Ctrl+S every few minutes. If Word or your computer crashes, unsaved work is lost.
Bonus Challenges (Done Early? Try These!)
- Add a "Respectfully submitted," closing with your signature block (name, branch, date) at the bottom of the document
- Change the font of the body text to Times New Roman, 12pt (select all body text → Home tab → Font dropdown)
- Add a horizontal line between sections (place cursor between sections → Home tab → Borders dropdown → Horizontal Line)
Final Checkpoint — Review your work:
- ☐ Spell check complete with no errors remaining
- ☐ Bullet list created under Section 3 with three items
- ☐ Key terms are bolded throughout the document
- ☐ Document saved with proper filename (VA_Appeal_Letter_YourName)
Workshop Complete!
Outstanding work! You have built a professional, multi-page VA Appeal Letter from scratch. Here is what you accomplished today:
- Applied Title and Heading styles to create a structured document
- Used the Navigation Pane to browse sections like a table of contents
- Built and formatted two professional data tables
- Added headers, footers, and automatic page numbers
- Created a page break for a multi-page document
- Ran spell check, added bullet lists, and saved with a professional filename
This Week's Challenge: Use these same skills to create a one-page resume or a letter requesting your military service records. Practice makes permanent!