I played this game the long and hard way. I left the military at 25 and didn't file my first claim until I was 38 for the same reasons as mentioned. I didn't feel like I deserved it. Then over time I started hurting in more and more ways.
Filed the first claim myself and got a 20% for the slam dunk stuff. I had my ankle plated back on to my leg after a training accident.
Had a friend help on my second claim and got to 30%.
Hired a firm that assists vets in filing and they got me up to 50%. That firm was highly recommended at the time, but has gone way downhill.
I finally reached out to a legal firm who represents veterans for claims. That process was as simple as can be and I had an interview with them, they submitted me for about 20 different injuries. I went to medical for each one which was a time consuming process, but worth it. Ended up at 98% which is rounded to 100%. But one thing to know is that the PTSD part can be evaluated by the VA periodically.
One of the biggest changes was that my PTSD evaluation doctor was outsourced from the VA hospital to a private doctor based in California. When I gave her a rundown of all the things I've been through and seen while serving, she was visibly horrified by what I was saying. She gave me a very high rating on PTSD. I feel like when you tell your war stories to the VA doctors they've heard it all before and probably minimize it as much as a civilian doctor might overstate it.
Bottom line: Get a lawyer, they know the correct way to proceed and pay for themselves after a couple months. Get a civilian doctor as often as possible.
