Advice Needed, Starting Claim

[trnich]

I intend to make a service-connected disability claim for depression.

I was discharged form the U.S. Army honorably with "personality disorder" on the DD-214, in 1986. I served 3 1/2 years of a 4 year term.

During service in Central America in 1989, suffering from severe depression, I was sent to the psychiatric ward of a military hospital in Panama, and subsequently prescribed medicine, before being returned to duty. I was also sent to psychiatric evaluations in Fort Bragg.

After being discharged early with the "personality disorder" disposition, I went on to receive treatment many times, over several years, from VA hospitals for depression. Treatments sporadically occurred from about 1994 to 2007.

I made a claim for service-connected disability due to the depression once, in 1994, and was rejected.

Now I feel I must make the claim again, or appeal the rejected claim, as I have suffered with the depression since being discharged in 1989.

My questions are:

What is my first step?

Will I need to get documentation of my treatment in 1988 in Panama?

Will I need to get documentation of my treatment since discharge at several VA hospitals?

Can I do make the application for the claim online at Vonapp?

Is there a VA, or veterans, representative that can assist me? I live in NE Florida.

Is there any other advice, guidance that can be offered?

I hope I have not piled too many questions on here, since I realize these answers may be within the forum -- but if anyone has answers, I thank you in advance.

[Veldrina]

and i meant to ad that lawyers have not always been effective re VA claims that i have seen, mostly because they are arguing the criteria of the regulation itself, which is something only BVA & Congress can change,.

before you go spending $ on lawyers...let me see if i understand. You were denied because your personality disorder was considered congenital, yes? does it show you entered service with a pre-existing mental condition? if you were treated during service, you should still be considered for aggravation. If you didn;t have a pre-existing disorder, def. put in as a re-open claim. Yes, you can do a Vonapp 526 or a 4138 but you must also submit new & material evidence. You dont need to go crazy getting VA hospital records unless you happen to have very old ones (earlie than 1990) with you, and that you can submit copies of. otherwise, VA is responsible for getting the records from our own hospitals. If you have private records though, i would send that, or make sure to fill out the 4142s with the priv. dr. info. And i always suggest having a POA (reps like American legion or Disabled american veterans) that can help with your claims process and keep an eye on it.