Chapter 12: Writing Successful VA Claims
Setting Expectations
I won’t sugarcoat it: filing a disability claim with the VA can be rough.
First, there’s the reality check that something actually wounded us. For a lot of us, that’s hard to admit.
I didn’t want to believe “invisible wounds” were real, and I sure didn’t want that on the record.
Then there’s the VA bureaucracy: the forms, the medical jargon, the rating criteria hoops, the appointments, the waiting.
I’m going to share a few things that can make the process smoother.
First, here are the steps you’ll go through:
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Basic steps for a PTSD or MST claim:
• Step 1: File VA Form 21-526EZ
• Step 2: Provide stressor statement(s) on VA Form 21-0781 (or 21-0781a for MST).
• Step 3: Submit supporting evidence (service records, “markers,” buddy statements)
• Step 4: Attend your C&P exam
• Step 5: Receive the VA decision
• Optional Step 6: Appeal if denied or underrated
I’m not going to walk you through every step. There are already really solid blogs and videos online that do that. Instead, I’m focusing on two things most resources skip:
1. How to write your stressor statement and personal statement so the VA can understand and empathize.
2. Mindset for working with the VA system: what to expect and how to make it work with you.
Part 1: Apply Sensory Detail to Your Stressor Statement
Your stressor statement has one main job:
Show how what you’re dealing with now connects to what happened in service.
Stressor statements are past-focused. Give just enough backstory to set the scene, then zero in on the most intense moments.
Keep it tight. Too many side details can tire out or distract the reader.
Step 1: Identify the key moments you need to describe. Thanks to the work you’ve done in this book, this should be quick. You may only need to trim a few paragraphs to keep the focus strong.
Step 2: Use the Eight Sensory Recall Questions (Chapter 9) to name the emotions and body sensations you felt in accurate, concrete terms.
Many vets skip these details because dissociation blurs body awareness. You don’t always know what your body felt in the moment. But these details help the rater “step into your shoes,” which can make all the difference.
Getting out of our heads and into our bodies helps the rater do the same, at least for a moment.
Step 3: Get a second set of skilled eyes before you submit.
Good options:
• Veterans Service Officers (VSOs): DAV, VFW, American Legion, AMVETS, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and your state or county Veterans Service Office. VSOs are trained to review stressor statements, spot missing “markers,” and make sure your narrative matches the evidence.
• VA-accredited attorneys or claims agents: Especially helpful for complex cases or appeals.
• Vet Centers: Counselors keep records separate from the VA. They won’t file your claim, but they can help you narrow down to the key moments and trim extra backstory. They can also help you swap vague wording (“felt bad”) for concrete lines (“ears ringing, heart pounding, hands numb”). A great pre-review before a VSO looks at it.
Note: If your claim involves MST, find a reviewer with MST-specific experience.
Quick self-check (stressor statement):
• Did I clearly describe the event (who/what/where/when)?
• Did I include 1–3 immediate body reactions (sensory details)?
• If MST, did I note “markers”?
• Optional: Add one short line linking then to now, e.g., “Since then, sudden bangs make me jump and I scan for threats,” or “Since then, unexpected touch, even friendly, locks my shoulders and I shut down.”
Save the longer symptom list for your personal statement and the C&P.
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Example Stressor Statement Excerpt (from my actual VA claim)
A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) hit the wall of the room I was in. I was in a chair and got knocked to the floor. A few seconds, or maybe a minute later, I woke up to chalky dust all over me, and more falling from the ceiling. I remember seeing the particles floating in the air like they were moving in slow motion. My head was throbbing like I’d been punched. Suddenly, I could hear again. People were yelling. I got to my feet and went outside to find someone from my platoon.
I ran into my friend, Sergeant Herrera (he was later killed by an IED). He grabbed me by the shoulders and said, “Where the fuck you been? Get in the truck.” I thought about telling him I’d just been knocked out by the blast, but I shook my head and climbed in. He had that look in his eyes like the mission was the only thing that existed.
We took off like madmen through the streets trying to track down whoever had driven by and fired the RPG at us. We smashed through parked cars, dodged people and goats, and eventually the adrenaline wore off. We made our way back to the bus depot. I slumped in my seat, drained and dizzy, waiting for the next orders.
Now it’s your turn.
Put your stressor statement on paper the same way you’d tell it to a trusted friend. Straight, specific, no fluff.
Let the rater meet you there.
Once that’s down, we’ll get to the other half of the picture: your life now.
Writing About Your Current Daily Struggles
This is where many claims fall short. Most veterans don’t include enough detail about how daily life is affected.
The VA needs to see the now as clearly as the then.
Start by listing what you struggle with day to day:
• Work
• Social life
• Family life
• Self-care
This is where frequency, duration, and impact belong.
• Frequency: how often (e.g., “panic 3–4 times a week”)
• Duration: how long (e.g., “10–20 minutes,” “most of the workday”)
• Impact: what it costs you (e.g., “leave early twice a week,” “avoid stores,” “forget tasks,” “skip seeing my kids when I’m spun up”)
Use plain language and specific examples. Keep it to one to three sentences per issue.
Once you’ve got that daily description, run it through the Seven Sensory Recall Questions. Fill in the details around sounds, sights, body sensations, thoughts, tastes, and smells.
Then write it all into VA Form 21-4138 (Personal Statement).
Be raw and accurate so the examiner can understand your reality. Don’t exaggerate. Don’t minimize or downplay. Help them see your world.
Truth recognizes truth.
Quick self-check (personal statement):
• For each symptom, did I state how often, how long, and what it costs me?
• Did I cover work, family, social, and self-care with 1–2 examples each?
• Did I use embodied language (gritty sensory details), not just labels?
• Tip: Bring a printed copy of this write-up to your C&P exam so you can refer to it if you freeze or go blank.
Putting It together
Your personal statement can be one long piece, or several short statements like this:
Short example (present-day, personal statement):
“Most nights I wake up 3–4 times to sudden noises. Heart racing and sweating, I recheck the doors and lie back down. By morning my head is pounding, and I call in late twice a week.”
Part 2: Working With the VA Medical System
Whatever your situation, you’ll need other people to get this done.
A lot of us (me included) have been frustrated with VA providers.
What helped me was noticing when I was asking the system for something it wasn’t built to deliver.
What the VA is good at:
Like the rest of the U.S. medical system, the VA is strong at acute care: sudden, severe, or life-threatening conditions. Its strengths are surgery, injury treatment, and short-term symptom relief.
Where it could improve:
Long-term, root-cause healing for PTSD, MST, moral injury, or chronic health issues. If you expect your provider to be your therapist, savior, or total-body healer, you’ll both end up frustrated.
How to work with VA providers:
• Go in with one or two clear goals per visit. If you bring twenty concerns, chances are only some, or none, will get addressed because the provider won’t know where to focus.
• Know the time limits the system has for appointments (often 20–30 minutes).
• Bring your info organized: lab results, notes, personal observations.
• Expect treatment to focus on symptom reduction through medication and procedures.
• Ask questions until your next steps are clear.
• Avoid “one-upping” your doctor’s knowledge, even if you know more about parts of PTSD or your condition. Offer your perspective respectfully; it helps keep them on your side.
• Remember: you have the final say. Research anything you’re prescribed.
A note on medication:
Meds can help with pain, anxiety, or insomnia. Be cautious, especially with narcotics or benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin). They can be habit-forming. Learn the side effects before starting. Consider using them sparingly and intentionally.
Final Word
Embodied statements won’t just help you get a fair rating; they’ll help you see your own life as it is.
Combine that truth with a realistic understanding of how the VA works, and you give yourself the best chance of being heard and the best chance at the outcome you deserve.
Using the Eight Questions gets us out of our heads and into our bodies, and helps the examiner do the same. That makes empathy and a more accurate rating more likely.
When you write your statements, don’t worry about style or matching me or anyone else. Your real experience is what matters.
This isn’t about getting it “right” or gaming the system.
Put the raw truth on the table so clearly it can’t be ignored.