Al E.

This will sound naive, but I retired in 2006, and have never filed a claim. A guy I work with said I was nuts and to do so. The amount of info online is staggering -- I'm not stupid, but the big question is: start with a VONAPP? Paper? VA office? VSO? State veterans office? I'm in Virginia (Lynchburg area). Is it worth the trouble? I don't think the TAMP classes I went to before retirement did much in explaining benefits and disability compensation options. That said, I take responsibility and now am looking for the best advice on HOW TO START. A specific question is: do I need to have current medical history for my claim? (for example, I had back surgery when on active duty, but that was 12 years before I retired...I suffer with back pain now, and don't have a doctor who I see for this...do I need to establish a current history? Or will the surgery be enough?) Is post-retirement prostate cancer an eligible claim? What about other ortho issues (shoulder impingement, foot problems)...? Like I said, this is pretty dang naive, but with your help, I at least can get pointed in the right direction. Thanks a million, Al