From 0% to 100%: Why I Pulled Over and Sobbed on the Road

The Call from Combat

I made one of the most important calls of my VA disability journey outside of an MWR in the Middle East during Operation Inherent Resolve. While my unit focused on the mission at hand, I made time to call the Seattle VA Regional Office regarding my stalled disability claim.

The representative was professional, even sympathetic. But as we talked, I could feel the weight of the bureaucratic machine between us. She wanted to help—I could hear it in her voice—but layers of regulations, evidence requirements, and administrative protocols constrained her. My rating sat at 30%, and I knew it didn't reflect the reality of what I was living with every day.

That call didn't solve everything. But it led to a Higher Level Review that bumped me to 40%. A small victory in what would become a 15-year campaign.

The Brutal Truth About the Journey

Let me be clear: I didn't go from 0% to 100% overnight. My progression looked like this:

0% → 10% → 30% → 40% → 50% → 100%

Each increase required fighting through denials, attending C&P exams that felt like interrogations, and persisting when even family members suggested I was wasting my time. "Just let it go," they'd say. "Focus on moving forward."

But here's what they didn't understand: This wasn't about dwelling on the past. It was about securing the compensation I'd earned through service and sacrifice. It was about financial security for my family. It was about the VA acknowledging what happened to me in service.

The Examiner Who Almost Broke Me

The worst moment came at Fort Hood. The mental health examiner barely looked up from his computer. His questions were perfunctory, checking boxes rather than understanding. I tried to tell him about our first KIA—shot in the face by a sniper. About driving a Stryker with IEDs threatening every route. About searching vehicles for bombs. About FOB Marez in Mosul, where a suicide bomber had blown up the DFAC just before we arrived.

His conclusion? Because I was married, educated, and served as an Army chaplain, I must be "okay."

He gave me 10% for mental health. Are you fre@k*n] kidding me?

Years later, I would receive 100% P&T for the same conditions he dismissed. The gap between his assessment and my reality was so vast it felt like we'd been in different rooms.

The Doctor Who Changed Everything

The turning point came in a small VA clinic in Tennessee. After years of fighting, a mental health doctor did something revolutionary: She listened. Really listened. And then she did something even more remarkable—she cut through the bureaucratic nonsense.

"I'm recommending 100% for PTSD and anxiety," she said, looking me straight in the eye. "This is what you should have received years ago." I won't say her name for confidentiality reasons, but she is an ang

The day that rating appeared in my app, I pulled over on the side of the road and sobbed. For the first time in years, I let it all out. Not just relief about the financial security, but validation. After 15 years, the VA finally saw me.

What This Journey Taught Me

1. Knowledge is Power

I became a student of the system. I learned to speak the VA's language, understand their rating criteria, and document everything. You don't need to become an expert overnight, but you do need to understand the basics of how decisions are made.

2. Persistence Isn't Optional

There were gaps in my journey—times when I gave up, walked away, let years pass. Looking back, those gaps cost me thousands in back pay and years of appropriate care. Stay in the fight, even when it feels hopeless.

3. Your Story Matters, But Evidence Wins

The VA operates on evidence, not emotion. That Fort Hood examiner didn't care about my story. But medical records, treatment notes, and that Tennessee doctor's detailed evaluation? Those carried weight.

4. Find Your Advocate

Whether it's a VSO, an accredited attorney, or that one doctor who actually sees you, you need someone in your corner who understands both your condition and the system.

5. The Financial Impact is Generational

My 100% rating isn't just monthly compensation. It's tax-free income equivalent to a salary of $70,000 per year. It's healthcare for life. Its educational benefits are transferred to my children. It's property tax exemptions. Over the course of my lifetime, we're talking about millions in value.

Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It

Immediate Actions:

1. File an intent to file TODAY (this locks in your potential back pay date)
2. Request your complete C-file to see what the VA has
3. Get current treatment for all your conditions
4. Start a symptom journal documenting daily impacts

Evidence Gathering:

• Buddy statements from people who've witnessed your struggles
• Private medical opinions if VA exams have failed you
• Employment records showing impact on work
• Personal statement connecting your service to current conditions

Exam Preparation:

• Write down your worst day symptoms, not your best
• Bring a trusted person for support (they can't speak but provide accountability)
• Don't minimize—that military bearing that served you in combat works against you here
• Document everything immediately after the exam

The Larger War We're Fighting

Your claim isn't about working the system or getting something you don't deserve. It's about the contract America made with you when you raised your right hand. You upheld your end in places like Mosul, Kandahar, or Fallujah. Now it's time for the nation to uphold its end.

Get ready to nod your head to the beat of financial literacy! We're about to drop some knowledge that'll make your wallet as fat as Biggie's rhymes. Coming soon to an inbox near you: freestyle finance raps that'll have you spitting bars about compound interest and diversification.

Imagine Tupac schooling you on asset allocation, or Jay-Z breaking down the finer points of real estate investment. We're talking Wu-Tang Financial, but with actual, actionable advice. You'll learn to protect your neck (and your nest egg) while expanding your financial empire.

From "Mo Money, Mo Problems" to "C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)," we're flipping hip-hop classics into financial lessons you can't ignore. Think of it as your personal mixtape for monetary success, with tracks like:

• "99 Problems (But Debt Ain't One)"
• "Straight Outta Credit Card Debt"
• "The Real Slim Savings"
• "In Da Portfolio"

So get ready to tune in, turn up, and level up your financial game. These beats and rhymes aren't just catchy – they're the soundtrack to your financial freedom. Stay tuned, because when it comes to making your money move, we're about to go platinum.​
​

A Personal Promise

I share my story not as a template but as proof that persistence pays. Fifteen years is too long—you can and should move faster than I did. But whether it takes you one year or ten, don't quit.

That day you see your proper rating in the app, when the VA finally acknowledges what service cost you, when financial security for your family becomes reality—that day is worth every frustrating exam, every denial letter, every appeal.

The VA didn't give me anything. I earned it in Iraq, fighting through the bureaucracy was just the second war I had to win to claim it.

Stay in the fight. Your brothers and sisters who made it through are pulling for you.

​

For bi-monthly strategies on navigating VA benefits and building financial security after service, subscribe to Exponential Purpose. Written by a 100% P&T veteran who's been where you are.