I wish someone had told me these before I filed. A few of them cost me time I didn't need to lose.
Document everything, as it happens. Don't wait until the year before your EAS to suddenly remember a list of issues. An IED incident, hearing loss from a loud environment, get it written down close to when it happened. I ended up needing a buddy letter years later just to confirm my own hearing loss was service-connected, because I didn't document it in the moment.
Get buddy letters when there's no paper trail. A letter from someone who was there with you can verify an incident that never made it into a medical record at the time. Reach out to old teammates. It matters more than you'd think.
Claim the secondary issues too, not just the obvious injury. I only claimed back pain at first, and missed that the numbness in my legs was connected to it. Follow the injury all the way down.
Actually learn the claims process. VA.gov has it laid out. Look up "38 CFR Book C," it's what the VA uses to rate disabilities, and understanding it helps you describe your own symptoms in the terms they're actually looking for.
File before your EAS. Meet the deadline and your rating is often processed within a month of discharge. File late and you'll still get back pay, but you'll wait months for it, and you'll need that income sooner than that.
Find a Veterans Service Officer. They're free, and they know what to look for in your own records that you might miss entirely.
Consider a paid claims professional if you're overwhelmed. Some charge a fee, but the right one is worth it for navigating the bureaucracy without losing months to it.
Or use a tool built for exactly this. ValorAI helps organize your records, flags evidence gaps before you file, and walks you through the PACT Act's presumptive conditions, so you show up to a VSO or accredited rep already prepared instead of starting from zero. It doesn't file the claim for you or guarantee a rating, it just means you're not guessing.
One last thing: aim to claim what you actually earned, not the highest number you can reach. Be thorough, be honest, and you'll get what you're owed.
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