The Social VETwork

Before retirement or discharge from the service, it is crucial that you obtain copies of ALL medical records at least 6 months prior to retirement or discharge. I cant stress this enough. In addition, you need to have every single deployment order, training paperwork, TDY (temporary duty) orders--basically your whole military life story, from Basic Training to the very end. This also includes medals, training certs, award citations, and the actual medal order itself from the approving command authority.
No military record is trivial when applying for Veteran's benefits, especially medical and disability benefits. I must add on a personal note however, that honesty and integrity should reside when applying for VA disability compensation.
Many deserving Veterans aren't successful the first go-around and have to appeal their rating decision, because so much money is already tied up on paying benefits to those who feign mental illness, and have served less than 6 months to a year, (with no deployment history, combat exposure).
Take away: Get all your paperwork together, get all of your medical C&P (Compensation and Medical), have all your ducks lined up in a row, and apply for what you deserve using a moral compass. . Many do, but unfortunately many don't, and make funding hard for the chronically disabled and those who truly need it.
Seeing a wounded, paralyzed amputee Veteran, or who is severely mentally inflicted, would be enough for me to make my decision. It's called Integrity, which is one of the VA's core values. It's also a Veteran core value that should be instilled in us all. Otherwise the system will never work and function as it should--to serve our nation's Veterans who truly need it. Hoooaah!!

My uncle, who is a Vietnam Vet, passed away last weekend. His wife has terminal cancer, and things are bleak, to say the least. While the VA provides burial at a National VA cemetery, they do not help much along the lines of funeral expenses, which at this point will cost at least $4000.00 It's a shame it has to be this way. Veterans and their survivors deserve better.