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

I filed a few weeks before my retirement (27 years of federal service, and 21 active). It took a while, but not as long as it could have. I was rated as 100% P&T after about 6 and a half months. Don’t wait. If you’re not out yet, go get help. It’s much harder to find the help you need on the outside. The VA actually cares, despite how much they are maligned. Of your service caused you any disability, you earned the support. Go get whatever you deserve.

DO not wait! Plan ahead! Before you start your new job, before your settled! I foolishly blew it off. After 11 moves in 10 years and the blessings of cockroach infested housing. Best place we lived it was illegal to heat while sleeping. Record snowfall those years. Sadly my current wife made too much money. Vet Nam was one country I never went to in Asia so I didn't even have that. A lot of the stuff never made it into my records for the convince of the government. Nuf said. On your way home stop at the VA and get it done.

I waited over 20 years to file a claim as I thought that the VA was only for combat veterans. I have PTSD from sexual trauma in the military and various other medical issues. When I was in, the VA was a dirty word.
It took 3 years, countless trips to the local DVA and finally a friendly old salt told me to go to the VSO.
After my trip to the VSO, I had my C&P 2 weeks later, and my rating of 90% (upped to100% for unemployability) 2 months later.
That was 10 years ago. I now advise all of the young service members I meet to make sure they have copies of their med records and file for ANY issues before they get out.
God Bless.

I was diagnosed (when looking for something else) with scar tissue in my lungs in the 1980's. Didn't bother me so I just passed on claiming. Served (Navy) 66 to 1970. Engineman and spent most of my four years at sea and down in the engine rooms. Probable contact with asbestos. Come Oct. of 2022 it caught up with me and hospitalized for a couple days. That's when I filed. When it hit like a rock. COPD, Asthma, low score Pulmonary function test and of course, the lung scarring from the asbestos. Filed a claim and the VA was great! All the help I could ask for. I'm 75 and most appreciative of the VA's assistance. The way I see it, I played fair and they came across.

40 yrs

After. Long story short: VA process in 1968 was so adversarial that I quickly quit claim for injury incurred in jungle training prior to Vietnam deployment. Short-tempered and a bit deranged at the time, I just did not have the capacity to endure the hassle. For myself, it was 'fuck it' and I just moved on.

When to initiating the claim is not important as a service member go over his/her record to ensure that all the injuries and illness are recorded and are on file. That's what is important. However, it is better to have all the claim done before one leaves the service. It is, afterall, part of the out-processing procedure. If I recalled correctly, a service member must visit on-base VA representative and mark of their to-do lists (Out-Processing Checklist). This is where you can and should input on the questionnaire of all the injuries, surgeries, and illness while on duty or deployment. Even if it's 0% rating, it is still a precursor to later claim. The reason behind this is because when we get older, all those injuries and illness will come and haunt us. Trust me, I am living through it now. For example, fracture C and L spine can and will give you more pain the older one gets. Exposing to toxic fume, especially, burning vehicles, dead bodies, burning pit, etc., can lead to pulmonary problems like asthma or sleep apnea later.

HOWEVER, if an individual could not even complete a basic training and AIT, that person is not even a prior service member. Furthermore, all service members have six months probation, Uncle Sam can release an individual without any liability to US. It's in UCMJ.

I applied within 30 days.

Hi All My Fellow Veterans
I had a P-3 profile the last 2 years in the US Army, but had it upgraded to a P-2 the last three months as I had applied through the Bear Program to go to EOD School. The reenlistment NCO at Brigade HQ flubbed the paperwork and it arrived at the EOD School a day late so my application was returned. The Reenlistment NCO was removed as The Brigade wanted and needed an applicant for the Bear Program (1981) for a special award for filling a slot. It would not have mattered if I flunked out they would have received a Division award for meeting a special goal. As I did not receive the slot I decided to ETS which upset the tea kettle so to speak. I left the US Army in June 1981 and joined the US Air Force Reserve in Sacramento, California. I retained my full rank but without knowing anything about the Air Force in the process. I sent the next two years as a Reservist doing electronic work on F-111, A-10, and F-4 aircraft. It was interesting work and the hours were not all that long. (one weekend a month and 2-weeks a year). It was during one of the weekend drills that I had a run in with another Staff Sgt that just did not like that I had returned from lunch late. The lateness was due to a packed chow hall and most of the Reservists had returned late as well. I was singled out as I was a Staff Sgt and as punishment I was detailed to unload a truck load of tool boxes by myself. After moving the first twenty tool boxes I grabbed out and tossed it about five feet to allow it to slide closer to the tool room. There was only one difference with this tool box; it weighed 86 pounds and I was about worn out from all the labor. As soon as I tossed the tool box I felt a extreme pain in my back. All I remember is the extreme pain and everything turned yellow brown. Those around me said that I screamed and I fell to the pavement. I had to drive myself to the base dispensary as there were no ambulances available. I was driving a stick shift and it was all I could manage to get there. Once I walked in I was informed that as it was Sunday there were no Doctors available and I would have to go to Mather AFB which was about 10 miles away. I searched around for anyone to drive me and found one super nice Sgt that offered me a ride to Mather AFB to the Hospital. I don't remember a lot as I was in extreme pain. I do recall seeing a Doctor and getting some pain pills. I took one of the pills and could not deal with the side effects so I flushed them away. I was placed on Continuation of Pay and after two years I was severed from service. I was sent to another AFB to be evaluated and they gave me a 10 percent rating. After 20 years and returning to the VA several times my rating was increased to 60 percent. During the rating they looked at my records and included my knees and ankles as well as my back issues. I still need to include a shoulder issue that was overlooked and considered part of my back issue. I recently have had two surgeries to repair damage that I have been living with for the past 50 years. I go for a annual physical next week and I will find out what my next step is going to be. So in answer to your original question I guess my claim was submitted after I was out of the service for part and in service for most. I know that this is about as clear as mud but this is just how my claim worked out for me. I SALUTE All My Fellow Veterans!!! GOD Bless America!!!

I served 4 years getting out of the Navy in 1973. I used the GI Bill for college and briefly checked other benefits and received the Veterans exemption for my drivers license. Over the decades I would check out of curiosity but never applied because our salary prohibited medical which was my main interest. November 2019 we both retired and when eligible because of low salary I applied for medical not knowing what to expect. I was mainly curious. The VA pretty much insisted on having me give them anything that was wrong with me whether I thought it was Navy related or not. What sold me was they said they would do all the paper work (I am a man). I didn’t think I should take away what others deserved more than me but they insisted. Short story is I have 30% disability and receive $329.00 a month.