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

Retired 1993, but not until I was unable to work in 2016 .
I did a lot of overseas contract that required me to 'pass muster'.

I never filed a claim when I got out. About 4 months after discharge the VA sent me a letter with an appointment to the VA medical center. After receiving my rating and back payment since discharge, I was floored as I never knew or expected anything after discharge. That was 1970, I filed my actual first VA disability claim 27 years later for re-evaluation for worsening conditions.
The rating and backpay was a godsend as making minimum wage of $1.60 at the time with a pregnant wife was making for some pretty tough times.

The day the "Man" gives you your discharge, you head over to the VA. You find yourself a rep (American Legion, DAV, VFW, etc.) my personal favorite is the DAV. Don't procrastinate and always remember the worst lawyer is yourself. The C&P guys will eat you alive, but they don't scew around with the DAV Rep. You can receive compensation for injuries and illnesses before you entered the military if such service aggravated the condition. Also, this is no time to be "Sgt Rock" chomping on a cigar and claiming to have defeated all known illnesses, injuries, and malicious intent by the enemy on your person, save that for the VFW Hall. You let the DAV Rep know every ache, pain, twitch, limp, cut, bruise, infestation of some kind of jungle creature upon your anus, or some kind of crawly critter in the desert that went in your left ear and existed out your right ear. Let the C&P exam do it's job. Oh, yeah, remember many VA folks are Vets so they work on the "Hurry up and Wait" theory, but the wait is worth it.

I filed a year after ETSing and received my rating within 5 months and it was back dated to when I got out. I was back paid for about 16 months.

I waited 25 years to file, figured there were a lot of people that needed a lot more than I did.
When I finally did file, I just filed for the major things that were an issue for me, and made sure I went to the two appointments they set up for me in less than 2 weeks. They denied 2 out of the 5 conditions I filed for, and I got a 50% rating in 4 months. One of the conditions was related to my shoulder which I dislocated in an accident in which I also broke one of my big toes. They said they could not find a record. They also found the record of the broken toe, that I did not mention, and said I should file for that. I did not. I did, however, file a new intent to file as soon as I got my initial award.

I made sure to go to the VAMC to get all of my conditions, and conditions secondary to my primary rated conditions documented, and after almost a year, I filed for the "new" list. The VA scheduled me for two more appointments within a couple of weeks, and after attending, and waiting about 3 months, the VA increased my total rating to 90%, granted me 100% UI, marked me Total & Permanent, and sent me a deposit for the years difference between 50 & 100 a few days before the end of the month and my first check at 100%.

Even though my experience was as fairly uncomplicated, there were the 2 issues that were denied, one because of apparent lack of documentation and one apparently because the VA did not read past the cover sheet from my last duty station for a summary. Therefore, I recommend getting it all documented now, and filing a complete claim, sooner rather than later.

I waited 11 years to file. I cracked my hip in basic. Got 20%

When I got out there was no mention of going to the VA, much less benefits. I did however get connected to a VSO through an outreach seminar they were putting on. And 23 years after exit I started getting some benefits for injuries received while in.

When I ACAPed (6 months before I ETSd) the DAV was on hand to assist me in filling a claim. I got my decision letter the same month I left. Do it before you leave, you'll regret it if you don't. Having that rating came in handy when some lingering issues came up from my service.

I was told nothing was wrong with me. At that time I had suffered burns, trauma and MST, along with other things.

I Enlisted in the US Army July 1976 I completed basic training Baltimore Maryland for my schooling as a 63 foxtrot tank recovery specialist got orders and was shipped off to camp red cloud South Korea 2nd 71st Air Defense artillery improve hawk missiles after five months and country I was sent on a training exercise which was not yet sanctioned by the US Army they were starting this program it was called hawk air mobile training I was a second cycle it went through after our training was complete they stop the program because several of us had gotten injured we were taught repelling from Huey helicopters replling in the mountains and so fourth I injured my back long story short we were given a patch only to be worn in country Korea state side it hade to be removed I still have the patch to this day since it was not approved by the Army it’s not on my DD214 I was seen by a medic from 8th Army he noted my SS # name rank and where I was station at Camp Red Cloud it was never turned in to our Medics so there’s no record when I Processed out of the army I told the doctor what it happened to me and I was still having some back problems they looked in my DD 214 said we can do nothing for you because there’s no record of it I went back with the patch I was given showed the Doc was told basically to pound sand I have talked to VSO and the same go pound sand