Update on my VA adventure so far. Hopefuly some current and future vet will read this and use this information.
Finally retired from the Army as of this month. Moved to TN. A few days after I retired, I called the VA help number from VA.gov "Contact us" phone numbers. They referred me to the Meharry Med college/center in Nashville to enroll into VA Healthcare. After I found the business deskthere, the nice lady informed me that I needed to go to the Vanderbuilt VA center just down the road. After I found that place, (it's a huge building with a monster sign out front), I walked in and was immediately handed off to an admin crazy lady who wanted to see my DDForm 214. She typed nearly all of the information from my 214, gave me a quick brief on VA healthcare, free stuff, copays, etc... handed me a bag of VA trinkets and info, made 6 copies of my 214 for me, and then walked me around the hospital/clinic on a quick tour. It looked very nice to me. She actually walked me to a window and pointed to a parking lot outside. She said, "park there next time!)... it's free. She then walked me to the third floor and said, next Tuesday this is where your appointnent will be with Dr. xxxxx and pointed at the door. So far my VA experience has been pretty good. As far as my claim, I filed for BDD 6 months prior to retirement, completed the exams 3 months before, got a letter apologizing for the delay at 2 months, retired at 0 months. The ebennies website indicates my estimated completion for disability compensation will be Feb or Mar of 2015, and so I wait,