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

As long as you file within 12 months of discharge, you will be back paid to the date you were discharged. Do not wait any longer than that or you will only be back paid to the date you filed.

Other than that, financially there is not a huge difference in when you file. You will still not receive any disability payments until you pay back any severance pay, and you will end up with the same amount of money whether it is paid out monthly for the first year or all at once as back pay.

I did it the same month i got out. I had appointments within a month. One warning if you got a lump sum when you got out and had to do Reserve/Guard they will take it back from your disability until they get every penny.

I finally filed 26 years after I retired because I couldn't take my wife bringing it up any longer. After I gathered all the records necessary I went to the VA Hospital and got the military liaison there to help me submit the request. As it turned out, I received a 50% disability rating and started receiving my disability check a month later. That was 26 years of lost disability checks, just around $250,000.00. I had to swallow my pride and tell my wife she was right once in 26 years.

The moral of this story is, don't wait, this is not a retro-active program. I just submitted a second request for ischemic heart disease which can be linked to Agent Orange exposure. There are other things that are showing up which the government has admitted are caused by exposure to Agent Orange.

Submit your request!

This is a good question.
When I was discharged in '77, It was mentioned to me that I had to be missing arms and/or legs to get any VA benefits. Even though the exit exam spread sheet listed: Migraines, concussion, frozen feet, damaged wrist, shoulder damage.
The all knowing Capt. Nurse Practitioner was compliant and knew exactly what the VA wanted to see: No Comp.
Because of what I was told, I never applied for any VA benefits for 22 years after DOS.
Just a side note, the VA finally recognized TBI's in 1984.
Today, I'm at SMC K, S because of my in the line of duty accidents.
So, don't listen to anyone else. File for your VA benefits before one year has passed since your DOS.

40 years

I think about 10yrs after I retired, when I started having health issues. The American Legion helped me with the paper work for free. The VA said you need to hire a Lawyer.

I was out a year and living in CO. My uncle was a stand up military guy and drove to to get evaluated. It took 6-8 months before I finally was giving my percent disability.

I never have been evaluated, well not by the VA, I did have one for Social Security last year, but that was denied.

LUCKY YOU I DID NOT HAVE A PHYSICAL, WAS GAVE A BUS TICKET AND SEND HOME.
73/75.

Rated on terminal leave. Rated 50% from a picket fence at entrance 28 years prior. No combat injuries, all training and fair wear and tear from hearing loss, tenitus, a torn ACL, a broken septum, torn rotator cuff, sleep apnea, ect. Even if you are rated, but no allocation is approved at this threshold, future physical deterioration could change your allocated status.