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

I was medically discharged. As soon as I was out and back home, I went to the VA and began the process. Actually, I guess it’s possible I started some of the paperwork before separating? All I know is I did not wait long, I got right to it, because my career was ended by the medical issues.

I made my claim about 1 and 1/2 years ago. My last activ duty post was Reserve in 1997.

I waited for about three years before I submitted my first claim.

I was diagnosed with a cervical spine injury, I was told by my unit PA that it was "soft tissue damage" and that it would take time for it to heal.

During my REFRAD I mentioned the pain in my neck and shoulder had not gone away and had actually gotten worse. The doctor there diagnosed me with "traumatic arthritis". He said I should follow up with the VA.

I was released in 05. By 2008, the pain was such that I could no longer manage it with over the counter drugs. I went to to the VA and submitted my claim. i did not get fully rated for the cervical spine injury till 2012. I was lucky in the fact that I was rated for other things, i have an amputation of the left small finger, and of course PTSD, tinnitus, etc. And was able to get treatment for the cervical spine injury before I was completely rated, as it interferes with my ability to work within my civilian field. Turns out i have a fracture of the lamina , and some other damage to the C7 vertebrae, with ruptured disks and C6 and C7 and C7 and C8, and further damage at T11/T12.

This is i what happens when no one takes an X ray.

I received one rating when I got out. Years later after getting married and having kids, I wanted to claim them as well. The VA reversed my rating to under 30% which stopped me from being able to claim them. Long story short, this situation is in dispute

When I was leaving the marines, my 1st Sgt. advised me to go to the VA for medical physical.

I did my paperwork while I was in the process of retiring. I later upgraded sometime after. Bottom line, file your claim before you get out. It may be easier for you to do.

When doing my discharge physical after 8 years in the Navy I was put on medical hold. I was told to go home a call in each Monday. This went on for 4 months past my discharge date. I kept complaining but nothing happened. I had to call my states senator and asked him to look into what was the hold up. I got a call from the Navy on a Friday told to report Monday am for discharge. I showed they discharged me to the VA and given 30% and later upped to 70. Still confused how it happened thought I should have been at least med boarded. Still wonder if I got screwed. I've tried to get those medical documents from the VA but they say they don't have them. Has Any body else been discharged to the VA. This occurred 1986.

I filed in 2013 while I was being MEB'd out. The Army gave me 10% for a spinal cord injury I recieved in Iraq. The VA has me at 90% with 100% unemployability. And I was Awarded Social Security Disability. The sooner you file the better off you will be. Usually long line of claims in front of yours.

No, you want to file while in service; immediately after you take your ETS physical!!!!!!

Get with a VSO (various veterans organizations like VFW,etc... has them) to Filemón your behalf.

I started making sure my entire medical packet was ready to go 5 years out after I got my first TBI. I did everything I could before I got out, including going through both my retirement and VA physicals. I dropped my packet about three months before my final out. It took almost a year for them to rate me 100(+)%. Military only gave me 50%. Make sure, when you go to your physical, IF something hurts, when you move it, use it, etc, that when the doc has you go through your range of motion tests, that the second your arm, leg, body, whatever, starts to even twinge when you move, that you let the doc know. He's going to measure your range of motion, and if your pain is consistent when you hit a certain point, then that is a good indication, though not a guarantee, that you have a legitimate issue with movement for whatever part of your body is injured/damaged. Make sure you keep COMPLETE and ACCURATE records of your medical issues. I have about a dozen consistent ones - though they don't honestly bother me for the most part yet. Make sure that you also keep copies of ALL surgical proceedings you have had. The BIGGEST gotcha that gets 70% of all vets, is that they either didn't bother documenting - esp. towards the end of their careers, or they tried to act tough during their physical by saying during the ROM test "Yeah, it hurts, but it's not bad" and kept moving past the point of that first twinge of pain.