So you’re ready to leave the military…
Although overwhelming, the preparation you make now can have a tremendous impact
on the rest of your life. Whether you are leaving voluntarily, retiring, or due
to a medical condition – I want to help you avoid the same costly mistakes
I once made. While preparing for honorable discharge from the Marine Corp in 1996,
I absorbed all of the well-meant advice given. At the time, I felt ready to begin
the next chapter of my life; now, ten years later, I realize that I hadn’t
a clue. Below are some tips I want to pass along to you, my fellow military, to
help make this transition in your life as smooth as possible.
TIP #1
It’s never too early to prepare. Take advantage
of any and all transitional assistance programs
offered. While many are available ninety days before your discharge, some can be
taken up to two years prior. The information provided can give you great advice
on job searches, career guidance, educational opportunities, retirement assistance,
veterans’ benefits, and more. Because
I left with a medical condition, I attended the VAAP class offered and found the
information on veterans’ benefits a helpful start on my long journey ahead.
I highly recommend checking with your local command to find out which apply and
are available to you.
TIP #2
Don’t leave the military without your medical records.
At one point or another, the chances are great that you had to receive medical care
while in service. Maybe you were injured or maybe you received vaccinations required
to all military members during your time in service. Either way, get a copy of your
records before you leave. Immediately after discharge, I submitted a claim
for service-connected disability compensation with the Veterans Affairs. It was
denied for over a year because the military had “misplaced” my medical
records during transit to their storage location. If they can lose my records within
a month after discharge, imagine what can happen five, ten, or twenty years later.
Even if it doesn’t seem important to you now, you never know when your military
medical history will become an issue later.
No proof = no claim.
TIP #3
Don’t leave the military without your service
records. Your service records are the only
evidence you have to show where, when, and how you served. Let’s say in 2025
the VA decides that anyone who served in Iraq during 2005 and develops a specific
medical condition is eligible for service-connected disability compensation. You
discover that you have this ailment; however, your service records can not be located
because so much time has passed since your discharge. Once again, no proof = no
claim. You have just lost your opportunity to receive valuable benefits you deserve
and may especially need - monthly compensation, free medical care and more.
TIP #4
Don’t “suck it up” to be “the good soldier”.
As anyone in the military knows, it is not favorably looked upon to visit sick bay.
Although this may be right for you while serving your command, it can hurt you when
you get out. When I was leaving the USMC, I was told to document all military injuries
received during my exiting medical exam. This would be considered my proof of service
connection for future disability claims. Although I followed the well-meant advice
given by my VAAP instructor, the reality is much different. According to the VA,
if injury is not documented by a sick call visit, it didn’t happen. So, the
lesson here is quite simple – if you have a true medical condition and have
not yet seen a doctor for treatment – do so now before you get out!
Otherwise, you may have trouble proving the service connection at a later date.
TIP #5
Always trust your natural instincts. You are asked to
sign a tremendous amount of documents when exiting military life. Most are self-explanatory
and seem repetitious; however, if and when you run across a document that seems
to be “wrong”, trust your natural instincts and ask questions. If the
answer doesn’t seem right – ask again!
For example, when signing discharge papers, I was told it didn’t matter what
disability rating you receive from the military, it is the one assigned by the VA
that counts. Now, with a 70% service-connected disability rating from the VA, I
realize (a little too late) that I should have asked more questions and not accepted
what I was told until it made sense to me.
If you are granted with a 30% or more disability rating prior to exiting the military,
you may qualify for retirement benefits, even without serving the 20+ years
typically required. When it doesn’t make perfect sense, trust your natural
instincts and dig a little deeper before it’s too late.
Top of Page
Copyright ©2006 The Military Veteran