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

I am 60 now and I have degenerative disk disease now and I filed a few months ago.

I was never informed by anyone before or during my SEPs physical. Subsequently 26 years later I was awarded 10%.. I served twenty years straight active duty and retired. I remain ever so grateful for that 10% because it very, very difficult even with medical/health records and subsequent post health care documentation.

I got out on April 2005. Filed a claim through AMVETS. They lost my paperwork. Fought with them for five years and nothing. I was a bit naive and was under the impression that I had to stick with them. Finally in 2010 I walked in to the VA with my claim. Lost my job in 2012 due to PTSD. VA gave me 10% for tinnitus but denied all my other claims. I was rated for 50% PTSD in 2013, 70% in 2019. Additional secondary claims pushed me to 90% then eventually 100%. Still waiting to get Total & Permanent.

Key to focus on is what was documented in service. Second is current diagnosis with VHA establishing a in service stressor. Last but not least is frequency, severity and duration.

Close that claim by submitting a buddy/lay statement and making a personal statement on how it affects you today for each claim, (back, knees, headaches, etc.) Do not write a blanket statement for all claims as the VA Rater could overlook it as the observations have noted that they spend 10-15 minutes on a claim then decide and move on.

If you have been denied a claim, do not reopen or appeal (like I did and wait 7+ years) file a supplemental claim with new evidence and list the dates of previous denials. If approved, claim will be backdated to original file date.

Having worked at the VA Benefits Office in Salt Lake City, you can file before you separate or retire, but the claim will not be worked on until you are out of the military.

I was on terminal leave and joined the US Foreign Service a month before my official retirement date in 1982, so I didn't get rated by VA. Because I was sent overseas for several years right away, I thought I'd missed out on it and thought that was that. I retired from the Foreign Service in 2012 and in 2019 an army colonel moved next door to me and informed me that there was no expiration date and that I should apply. I did and was given a 20% disability rating in December 2020. I'm registered with the VA health system but because I'm a retiree I can use active duty health clinics which are still easier and give quicker appointment times and access.

In 1969 they told me nothing about anything just you can't re-enlist. Then in 2007 was talking to retired Master Chief Gary Freedman and he asked how I lost my hearing and told him that ruptured my ear drums in diver training dive well in the CG. He said good then the CG is paying for them. I said no they are not. I explained to him what had happened. He said get you butt down to the VFW and turn in a claim. I followed the Master Chiefs advice (always a good thing to follow Master Chiefs' advice). Took 8 months to get authorized for hearing aids. Wish I had known a lot sooner, would have saved me a lot of money in hearing aids over the decades, but thankful that it is resolved now!

I went to the VA 4 years after retiring. I only wanted them to cover the medications I had been issues while on active duty. They rejected my claim, said I made to much money. Got with a Veterans Rep and filed foe disability and was rated 30%. After refiling 4 times I am now up to 100%. Main advice is have copies of all medical.and personnel records before you file. Do jot give up when they Raye you too low or reject your claim. When you finally get what you deserve they have to back pay you to the date your claim was filed.

For me I was in patient for 9 months before my temporary disability retirement (TDRL) took place, they sent me home for a year, then called me back, during my TDRL time I was told to seek help with the Temp. discharge thru the DAV, they in hand told me to apply for disability from the VA, coming back for a physical evaluation, I was informed that they will be discharging me permanently, with the paper work for my disability already started it took 2 months for the VA to kick in, during my TDRL time I was still receiving my E5 pay. have had no problems since then

I rceived a rating prior to discharge but was told not to worry about it because the VA is going to do it any way so long as I have a a rating prior to discharge. The Army game me 30% and the VA raised it up to 80% and applied for the Yellow Program. I am totally satisfied with the work the VA did.

I waited 55 years until my VA Rep realized that I was eligible for disability !! I joined the Military when I was 17 years old, yet I was using my ears to perform my duties. 55 years later I started losing my hearing, then a very wise and caring VA Rep noticed I started out using my ability in a classified, top-Secret Crypto (three clearances above Top-Secret) security clearance!! The FBI came to my hometown and interviewed, in my behalf, every person I hung with, AND their parents as well!! Make and Female!! I passed the test!! For five years after being Honorably Discharged, I could not talk to ANYONE about what I did while Active!!