Did you wait till you were out to get your disability rating? If so, how long before you made your first claim?

only 30years

only 30 years

SPC. Jessee T., contact American Legion to sponsor you they will do it because for them it is a duty not a "source of income" DO NOT contact a lawyer.

Have a full copy of your medical records, if you have current civilian medical reviews copy those as well..keep copies of everything. Have your significant other, family members, co-workers, and friends who may have witnessed and or understand your service related condition and how it impacts your life all write a short letter corroborating your condition.

Te VA is like an insurance company and their sole motivation is "how not to pay" they are predominantly civilian political animal employees and don't give a rats ass about you or veterans only their own advancement towards the next pay grade and $$$. They will not look at anything with an eye to validate your claim yet only look for ways to reject it or reduce it.

Do yourself a favor and contact American Legion for sponsorship, that organization is made up of US and they care about us and will help you more than any lawyer ever will because all that lawyer sees is 33% PLUS cost of filing your claim.

You owe it to yourself to contact American Legion, trust me as one who has experienced this degrading situation with the VA.

I waited more than 25 years after I got out of the ARMY to file a disability claim for my hearing loss and Tinnitus. I also injured my back, but the VA said it was due to my age. I felt for the longest time that I had not sacrificed enough to make a claim. I still had all of my limbs, and did not want to dishonor those who gave so much more than I did. I only received a 10% disability rating, but it does help and I don't feel so bad now for being a disabled veteran.

It took me 20 years to get a rating, even though I could not reenlist because of my hearing loss.

The sooner the better. Once the military is done and you get your records. Start making your claims as soon as you're allowed to.
However, making claims is an uphill battle. You are your own best advocate for that. Drag your feet and it adds more time. The government got theirs out of you but you have to fight to get yours out of them. Go through your records and make sure everything is there. Secondly anything and everything that is wrong with you, it's highly recommended you get it documented or have proof such claims. Otherwise you're in for a really not so fun time.

I filed after one month of retirement and initially received a rating of 30% and after several more Comp and Pension visits got rated at 80%. I was very surprised that all this took only six months to happen. I guess having medical documents available to substantiate my injuries really made the process move rather quickly.

Many years later I filed a claim.

I waited many years. Parkinson's disease appeared about the age of 70, and I filed a claim with the VA about four years later. After several physical exams and back-and-forths with those folks, my service-connected disability rating has gradually increased until it finally hit 100% about four months ago. I'm now a month away from the age of 79.

I waited many years before filing. Only when Parkinson's disease appeared, at about the age of 70. I initially didn't even know what it was! My wife knew something was amiss, and suggested I ask our primary care physician if she had noticed anything regarding my sense of balance, or appearance when walking. She said she thought I might be showing signs of Parkinson's and suggested I consult a neurologist. I did that, and after an exam, he confirmed it and prescribed a medication, carbodopa/levodopa to be taken every few hours. I've been on it ever since, and am now taking 200 mg every eight hours. In the mean time, an old friend, a retired Army chaplain suggested I contact the VA and ask if they could assist. That led me to file a claim, and after several physical exams and back-and-forths with those folks, I'm now judged to be 100% disabled, and it is service-connected. I'll be 79 next month (if I live that long), and only reached the 100% level about four months ago.