🏆 Community Success Stories

Lung Cancer/COPD 10% Low Back Strain 20% Radiculopathy Lt & RT 20% Tinnitus 10%

I've been to 4 C&P exams to date for my lung cancer/COPD claim. I was initially service connected with a 0% rating after my first C&P due to the fact I couldn't complete the pulmonary function test (PFT) due to dizziness. I went to my private doctor and completed a PFT which clearly showed I should be rated at 60%. I went to my second C&P and it was a telephone call with Q&A. I was rated at 10% after the second C&P. I challenged that rating because my private PFT clearly showed I should have been rated at 60%. I went to my third C&P and the VA had me do another PFT test. It showed a level of disability at 10%. The problem was the VA never corrected my PFT results for my high hemoglobin which artificially inflated their test numbers. The VA chose to use their invalid PFT numbers versus my private PFT and kept me at 10%. I went to a fourth C&P and was asked more questions and the VA kept me at 10%. I now have a higher level review with a senior rater to explain a clear error with their rating. I'm hoping after almost 2 years of pursuing this claim, the VA will make it right and give me my 60% rating.

70% PTSD, 40% Peripheral Neuropathy, 10% Tinnitus, 10% GERD, 30% Migraines

For over 20 years I never filed a claim. I convinced myself I hadn't earned the benefits, that they were meant for someone more deserving than me. My wife saw things differently. She kept after me, gently but persistently, until I finally agreed to just apply and see what came of it. The past two years have been a whirlwind of C&P exams, and honestly, the whole process has changed my life. For so long I assumed the way I felt was just "normal" — that everyone carried the same weight I did. Going through this showed me that a lot of what I'd been living with wasn't normal at all, and it didn't have to be. Now, for the first time, I'm actually getting the help I need to work through things I spent decades pushing down. None of it would have happened without my wife. She's the reason I finally picked up the phone, and I owe this whole chapter to her.

PTSD 70%, tinnitus 10%, back pain 20%

Filed my claim after 10 years of putting it off. Used a VSO and got all my medical records together. The C&P exam was nerve-wracking but being honest about my worst days made the difference. Got my rating in 3 months.