You twisted your ankle during a ruck march last month. It still hurts, but you didn't go to sick call because you had a field exercise coming up. Your knee started bothering you after jumping out of aircraft for three years, but you figure it's just part of the job. Your back hurts every morning, but you don't want medical paperwork in your file before deployment.
Every day you don't document these injuries, you make a future Department of Veterans Affairs disability claim harder to prove.
The Cost of Skipping Sick Call
A Marine veteran filed for VA disability for both knees after eight years of service. He jumped out of aircraft, carried heavy loads and trained on concrete most of his career. The VA denied his claim. No documentation in his service medical records showed knee problems during active duty. He never went to sick call.
He eventually won his claim after getting buddy statements and a medical opinion linking his current knee condition to his service. It took three years and cost him thousands in back pay he’d have received if he'd gone to sick call once.
The VA requires three things for service connection: a current diagnosed disability, evidence the injury occurred during service, and a link between the two. Service medical records make that proof straightforward. Without them, you're fighting an uphill battle.
Read More: Tricare After Active Duty: What Actually Happens to Your Health Insurance
What Needs Documentation
Go to sick call even if the injury seems minor. That rolled ankle might develop into chronic instability. The headaches after that vehicle accident might indicate traumatic brain injury. The sleep problems since your last deployment might be early PTSD symptoms.
Document changes in existing conditions, too. If you had asthma before you joined and it got worse during service, get it documented. The VA can rate aggravated conditions separately.
Environmental exposures need documentation. Burn pit exposure, asbestos, contaminated water, hazardous materials. Write down locations, dates and what you were exposed to. Take photos if possible.
How to Document Properly
- Tell the provider everything at sick call. Don't minimize symptoms to avoid getting pulled from duty. The corpsman writing the note isn't deciding whether you deploy. They're creating a permanent record that might determine your financial security for the rest of your life.
- Request copies of your medical records periodically. You may need to request them through your medical treatment facility or milConnect. Service medical records sometimes disappear or get misfiled. Catching problems while you're still in uniform makes them easier to fix.
- Keep a personal health journal. Document dates, symptoms, treatments and how conditions affect daily activities. Note specific incidents: the date you fell during an obstacle course, the convoy where the IED went off, the training accident that injured your shoulder.
- Get buddy statements before you separate. The contact information for people you served with gets harder to find years later.
Read More: Military Families Finally Get More Money During Deployments
The Math
A 70% VA disability rating pays $1,716 per month. That's $20,592 per year. Over 30 years after separation, that's $617,760 in benefits. Missing documentation can cost you those benefits or reduce your rating significantly.
You can file an Intent to File with the VA up to 180 days before separation. This locks in your effective date. If you file six months after separation, you lose six months of back pay. For a 70% rating, that's $10,296.
The Benefits Delivery at Discharge program lets you file your claim 180 to 90 days before separation so benefits can start immediately after you leave active duty.
The Bottom Line
Military service breaks down your body. Ignoring injuries during service doesn't make them go away. It just makes them harder to prove later. Document everything. Accept short-term inconvenience to protect long-term benefits.
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