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

As an 11 Charlie it comes with the MOS.

I waited about 18 yrs. I just thought my problems were normal except for the pain. My hearing got worse and so I went to file. My service officer asked about "Any" thing else that happened while in. Since I was in the Navy, then Army, and Air Force reserves plenty had happened. Over the years I had received a 40% disability but I brought up my nightmares and after the VA tested me for PTSD they said I had severe depression and anxiety but of course not military related. I have been fighting for 10 yrs and finally received a granted from Wash. DC. Then a 50% rating for PTSD. I am working on TDIU now. I was terminated from the VA hospital as a Police Dispatcher because they said due to my physical and mental disability they could not find me a position. Which is bull c rap. I'm 61 and have been disability retired from the VA for 9 years now. I will continue to fight for TDIU. its true the path to any compensation is a long one. Their main reason was I never reported anything while in. But in their own words PTSD can happen years after so its a contradiction. My advice keep fighting never give up. For those that are still serving document every tiny incident, even if its just a cut finger or pulled muscle. They get precise and so should you. God Bless.

My recommendation to everyone is that they go through the process with a Veteran Service Organization (VSO) prior to leaving the military. You can file prior to leaving the military and a VSO can file for you-meaning they can handle all the paperwork.

I know there can be a lot of stigma around filing for disability. I had a number of friends who felt that way and didn't do it on their way out. They are now suffering but either don't have time in their careers to go through the process or they are too far removed from their time in service.

Better to go through the process and get anything documented, and not receive any compensation, than not go through it all.

At the urging of members in my Marine Corps League Detachment I filed for VA disability again after being retired for 30 years. When I first retired since I had not gone to Viet Nam (2 sets of orders canceled) and I did not meet the financial threshold I was denied. When I again applied the same was true but I the VA councilor instructed me to have the American Legion representative assist me in the application. I took almost a year but I was given 60% for a back injury I sustained in an aircraft crash.

I was a reservist who ended up with 15 years active duty due to deployments and mobilizations. I was assigned to a WTB while on active duty. I was denied the MEB because I was “too close to retirement.” I retired 01 March 2016 and started doing the disability process. By October of 2016 I was at 70%. I utilized a state VSO initially but switched to the DAV after a budget cut. It’s a hard process. If you have documentation it is easier. I had paper documents going back 30 years which helped. As I get older it gets harder to do certain activities. I know I will have to go a second round to get upgraded as the injuries and surgeries really catch up and overtake me. I’ve had 10 surgeries thus far- the last three through the VA hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I can’t argue with the care I have received through the VA. Fighting for the disability ratings is the grind.

Are you Reserve or Active Duty?

I made my initial claim (Sleep Apnea) while I was still in. But didn't request an award/payment… since I didn't qualify yet due to still being in (I just wanted it on file to streamline the process). When I got out I made my next claim and was done with the process in about 6-7 months with 6-7 months of back pay. It was surprisingly painless. I didn't have to resubmit, appeal... The key is to have all your records and be detailed as possible during your interviews with the VA Dr.'s and Nurses examining you during the evaluation phase, since they will determine if you qualify or not. My 3rd claim came when I did my entry physical to the VA system at Truman VA Hospital. They discovered I have cancer (The Army missed it). So that claim was super easy since they discovered it and it was in their system and already verified by their Dr.'s. That process to about a month or two to update my profile and increase my Disability Rating.

You should complete your VA claim as part of outprocessing. Make sure you have the cover sheet for your medical records. This lists anything you were medically treated for while in the army. Simply transcribe this onto your VA disability request... even 0% is a percentage.

I waited 50 years. I didn't realize that “Everyone” doesn't have ringing in their ears all the time. They ran me through a series of tests. They said if I'd reported this when I got out, they probably would have awarded me 50% disability. They said they were sure it was traceable to an IRT incident involving practice grenades going off within about 3’ from my head. Now, both of the other Marines involved had passed away. They both had hearing loss, both their spouses said they complained about lifelong, constant ringing in their heads, but neither had reported it to the VA. After our D.I’s at the time told us to quit complaining! “Suck it up, Buttercup!” we just figured for years, that a little ringing was normal, in ‘69, when we got out, we just figured everyone had some degree of ringing. So, in the end, I wound up getting 25%. It all really didn't matter, I was just glad that after 50 years, I was finally validated.

For my husband, his exit physical was a tuning fork against his ears. The doc asked if he could hear it. And also had him touch his toes. That was all he got. Now, we are trying to get his disability set for the problems he had from the service to include hearing loss from flightline work and shoulders shot from dragging 90 lbs radios up aircraft ladders. Went to one Vet rep that got us NO where and he was with the American Legion. So, now we are trying to get some action with a different vet rep. For hearing he was set up with a hearing exam at a VA, and the audiologist did not like my husband's response. She not only told him to press the button if he hears something, which he did when he heard it. She also took her hands and placed them on each side of his face. She said to have people look straight at him when talking to him. He told her not to touch his face. So, with that he got a DENIAL of hearing loss after flighline work for 8 years. My husband did have a comprehensive doc visit in July 2020 for a few other items that occurred to him when he was active. More than 120 days has passed with no comment or reason or disability rating yet from the VA. Guess that the VA meant 120 MONTHS for the status. Another thing, is that my husband was told that records were lost, and they were still trying to find them, and that are some of the excuses he has received.