VA Claims: Expectations, Stigmas, & Santa Claus

Welcome back, everyone!?After a much-needed 2-month hiatus to tend to my considerable introverted tendencies, I am back and ready to talk about VA Disability Claims!?This process is often one of the most overlooked aspects for many Veterans.?Yet, while it’s not nearly as a convoluted process as finding employment after military service, it can often be a very confusing one that can hold considerable lifelong consequences if it’s not done properly.

Now, you should have received a lot of this information during your time in TAP (A.K.A. Soldier for Life, Transition Readiness Program, etc., based on your service).?However, TAP is often a bombardment of info that leaves you with data overload, and you’re lucky if you retain 50% of what they tell you.?Not to mention, not all TAP experiences are the same.?Some are much more informative about the VA claims process than others.?However, I will dive much deeper into topics that your TAP briefing never touched upon, so I encourage all of you to read through these weekly articles, as there’s likely to be something you weren’t aware of or had missed during your TAP briefings.

Expectation Management & Stigmas

So let's establish something up front: I am not here to tell you how to get 100% disability.?If that’s your goal, then I would ask you to do some introspective soul searching about what your motives are and where your integrity falls within that.?However, what I am here to do is tell you how to get your claims filed thoroughly and in a timely manner while being assessed fairly.?If you get 100% so be it, but I’m here to help you properly prepare so that the chips fall where they may, and presumably where they should fall based on your legitimate ailments.?If you don’t get a fair assessment, then there is an appeals process to address that, but my articles will only advocate for how to get a solid fair assessment, not how to attain 100% disability.

So, let me give this statement its own paragraph:?

I AM NOT, IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FASHION ADVOCATING FOR OR CONDONING LYING OR EXAGGERATIONS.?

If you lie/exaggerate in your claims or during your evaluations to try and get a higher rating, then all I can say is, shame on you, and what goes around comes around.

Conversely, for those of you that feel you don’t deserve any sort of rating or compensation because you “rode a desk” or weren’t severely wounded in combat.?You folks need to heed my words throughout this article – just as I thankfully did from those who spoke them to me during my transition – because you’ll likely one day regret that sentiment if you don’t give credence to what I’m telling you.?Right now, you’re probably still relatively young and in decent shape, and those ailments aren’t that bad.?That’s great.?However, you won’t stay young forever.?One day those ailments are going to worsen and become more restrictive or even debilitating towards your overall quality of life.?

So, get over the stigma that you don’t deserve to be properly cared for by the VA just because you didn’t earn a Silver Star for valor in combat.?You served your country, you sacrificed countless hours and often your body, and you should be able to receive the necessary care for all those things that happened to you under Uncle Sam’s purview. Don’t feel ashamed for making legitimate claims for legitimate ailments or conditions, and don’t feel guilty if you receive some sort of rating or even financial compensation.?File claims for all your validated issues, and let the VA decide from there.?If it’s a genuine issue and if you follow the things that I’m encouraging in this series of articles, then you’re likely to get a fair assessment and the chips will fall where they may.

Make a List, Check it Twice: Documenting Ailments

As the article title implies, it's time to put on your jolliest red suit, grab some cookies and milk, and put on that thinking cap, because this is my first advisement for this series regarding the VA Claims process:?Make a list.?Again, do not lie.?However, you need to make sure you put in some time and self-evaluate your conditions.?Regardless if it’s been seen 100 times over by military doctors or something you’ve ignored your entire career, write it down.?Start at the top of your head and work your way down.?Don’t forget about the “invisible” wounds either, like PTSD or sleep apnea.?Then, working from top to bottom, think of every spot, joint, muscle, tendon, ligament, organ, etc., and if it pops, swells, reddens, aches, stings, grinds, hurts, tingles, throbs, twinges, itches, twitches, or needs stitches, list it!?This goes for repaired injuries as well.?If you’ve had any surgical repairs, list them!?Even scar tissue can be a claimable ailment.

If it pops, swells, reddens, aches, stings, grinds, hurts, tingles, throbs, twinges, itches, twitches, or needs stitches: list it.

Now, depending on how many ailments you’ve just written down, it’s time to get them addressed.?Things that are already in your records don’t necessarily need a complete workover, but it would be good to get them checked out to make sure things issues still exist and haven’t gotten worse.?If you’re not sure if it’s in your records, go to Tricare Online and look at your records.?If it’s not listed as Active/Inactive, then you need to get it addressed/readdressed so that it’s showing as still ongoing!?For all of those ailments that you have on your list and know that you’ve been too proud or stubborn to go to the doctor about; it’s time to swallow that pride and go get them looked at.

This also brings us to our first mention of the timeline.?Depending on how large and/or significant your list is, it may take some considerable time to get these issues looked at.?This is why all of us mentors can’t stress enough that you need to start considering your transition up to 2 years in advance!?I began my journey about 9 months prior to my retirement, and I barely got everything assessed and addressed in time.?Now, if you’re closer to your separation than you are to your enlistment date, don’t fret.?Even if issues are still be assessed/addressed/fixed after you’ve had to submit your VA Claims, you can file supplemental claims to your initial claims.?Case in point, I was still undergoing shoulder surgeries and treatment after I had my initial VA claim submitted, but I was able to submit final outcomes after the fact.?All that to say, if you’re within two years of separation, it’s time to do it now.

Even if issues are still be addressed after you’ve had to submit your VA Claims, you can file supplemental claims to your initial claims.

And that brings us to the conclusion of week one and our first article on VA claims! Hopefully, this will get the ball rolling for you to start gathering your thoughts and even begin writing them down, and join me next week as we talk about meeting with your Primary Care Manager. Until then, be safe, stay healthy, and remember that you're not in this alone!