Immune

BionicVet, your first step is getting in touch with a Service Officer if you still have not yet met with one. If you do not feel comfortable with the first you meet with, go to another organization. The main ones I know of with good track records are the DAV and American Legion. I used the American Legion after my own manual claim submission for PTSD was denied. I had only been home for seven months at that point, after coming home from combat in Al Anbar province in 2004-2005. The denial for PTSD as a shock to say the least. Like many others, I have been down many of the VA rabbit holes and doing it on your own is a painful and very frustrating path. The Service Officers work on your behalf and mine was awesome...not much personality, but he sure knew the process! Through a number of appeals, I eventually got PTSD and my migraines covered by the VA, so it is very possible and highly likely...if you get help through the process with a VSO. Folks on forums like these can be helpful, but ultimately you have to take action and file the appropriate paperwork. If you forget a form or fail to include an ailment in your filing, it is all on you to know what you need to do to recover the process. That is where the VSOs are worth their weight in gold. Just as lawyers have to communicate with the judge in a specific language few of us know, the VSO knows how to do the same with the VA.