What is a ‘100% disability’ rating and what does that actually mean for veterans

Ya' it's a real bear to get though. I had a friend of mine who was 100% but it took him years to get properly rated.

Same. I had way too many issues and everything with the VA was an uphill battle for me until the PACT Act was eventually passed! I finally had a solid claim because I was already receiving SSDI for Chronic Fatigue and some other problems, and Social Security is “all or none,” i.e. 100% or 0%. I served in the included zone(s) in the Persian Gulf, namely in OSW. I met all of the requirements for “presumption.” My VA medical records had over a thousand pages backing everything up. All of the “buzzwords” were peppered throughout many years, if not decades of notes! And, did I mention that this was after TWO DECADES?!

I guess to be certain, the VA sent me to get a fairly quick rheumatological evaluation that lasted about 25 to 35 minutes. It basically consisted of the provider confirming that I met enough of the VA accepted symptom criteria and making note of exactly how severe the effects ultimately are on me. Every listed disease has a very specific set of symptoms that must be included to arrive at it being recognized by VA standards. So, I think a minimum of 6 out of 10 symptoms must be present in my history for them to confirm, yup, it’s definitely CFS. You should reference the Public DBQs to verify that you qualify without any question!

As the Chronic Fatigue completely precludes me from working and that I could barely function most days of any given month, I thought that I would rate high [sic], but I wasn’t prepared to see that they arrived at 100% P&T on my very first try [under the PACT Act]!

Some important things that I have learned that should make any bona fide VA Disability claim go far smoother:

1. DON’T focus on numerous diagnoses!
2. DO focus on your worst diagnosis!
3. DO use the PACT Act to your advantage if at all possible!
4. DON’T focus on Behavioral Health if at all possible, the evaluation process will be FAR MORE DIFFICULT than with a claim for a physical disability! It’s also virtually guaranteed that they will request a LENGTHY EVALUATION when Behavioral Health is the claimed disability! These evaluations could be quite difficult, emotionally draining, cause anxiety, trigger PTSD, and easily go 2 to 3 hours, or sometimes longer! On the other hand, a typical medical evaluation, will generally only take between 15 and 45 minutes!
5. Ensure that the selected diagnosis prevents you from being able to do “normal” activities!
6. And, the more “basic” that those activities are, the more helpful they will be!
7. ALWAYS be 100% honest and fully transparent throughout the entire process!
8. ALWAYS be as SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE regarding dates, places, and the like! (This is especially vital concerning claims filed under the PACT Act!)
7. Verify that you have an accepted diagnosis and use the Public DBQs to confirm that your symptoms align!
9. ALWAYS include signed letters from family and friends that will clearly support that you have a bona fide disability that profoundly affects your life!
10. ALWAYS bring a family member or friend with you to an in-person evaluation, if one is requested of you (as this seems to be the norm lately)!

The bottomline is that I wanted my claim to be “airtight” and the PACT Act gave me the best possible chance after 2+ decades! I followed some simple guidelines that I had learned along the way, and this ensured that my evidence and claim was literally undeniable! I essentially did the work for them as per their very own guidelines. Just take your time and prepare it right. It’s much harder to “fix it” later! Ultimately, I was approved at 100% P&T for JUST A SINGLE CONDITION, GULF WAR RELATED CFS! I don’t have the exact timeframe at hand right now, but I WON MY CLAIM IN RIGHT AROUND 47 DAYS! Yes, from start to finish, including my in-person medical evaluation AND a subsequent next level review (probably because of the extremely fast approval)!

Just one more thing, always start your claim early on to get the backpay from the day it’s started as this will give you an entire year to ensure that you too have an “airtight” VA Disability claim!