How to Bulk Upload Clients from a Spreadsheet

Step 1: Open Bulk Upload

From the Clients page, click the menu on the Add New Client button and select Bulk Upload.

Step 2: Download the Template

Click Download Template to get a pre-formatted CSV file with the correct column headers. Using the template is strongly encouraged to ensure your data maps correctly.

Step 3: Prepare Your Spreadsheet

Fill in your client data. Supported file formats are CSV, XLS, and XLSX.

Required fields:

• First Name

• Last Name

Optional fields:

• Middle Initial

• Email

• Phone

• VA File Number

• Date of Birth

• Branch of Service (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Space Force, NOAA, USPHS)

• Service Number

• Veteran SSN

• Mailing Address (Street, Apt/Unit, City, State, Country, Zip)

• Notes

If you don't use the template, your columns don't need to match exactly — Vala will auto-detect common column names and let you manually map any it doesn't recognize.

Step 4: Upload Your File

Click the upload area or drag and drop your file. Vala will parse it and show you a preview of the detected data.

Step 5: Map Your Columns

Review the column mapping screen. Vala auto-maps columns it recognizes. For any unmatched columns, use the dropdown to assign them to the correct field. Required fields (First Name, Last Name) must be mapped before you can proceed.

Step 6: Review and Submit

Check the preview for any warnings or errors, then click Upload. Vala will show a progress bar and a summary when complete, including how many clients were created successfully and any rows that failed.