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Editor’s note: This Army veteran case study is based on a real VA Claims Insider Elite Member experience. The veteran’s name is withheld to protect his privacy while sharing his story.
Overview
After years of putting his health and wellness second, Army veteran Brian finally decided it was time to work on himself. Less than three months after joining the VA Claims Insider Elite Program, he increased his VA disability rating to 90% and started reclaiming the parts of himself that he’d lost along the way.
“I’d been neglecting my family and my personal, physical, and mental health for over two decades,” Brian said. “It was time to work on myself.”
While the higher rating brought meaningful financial relief, what mattered most to Brian was the emotional healing that came with it, the clarity, community, and renewed sense of peace.
Case Summary
- Army veteran Brian increased his VA disability rating to 90% less than three months after joining the Elite Program.
- Brian overcame decades of physical injuries and untreated PTSD.
- He reported significant improvement through structured coaching, education, and peer support.
- Brian credits his transformation to his Veteran Coach, who educated him about the VA system and connected him to a network of peers who “get it.”
Table of Contents
The Challenge: Injuries, Burnout, and Years of Neglect
Brian’s military career began in 1997, when he enlisted in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP) at age 17. He went on to complete the U.S. Army Military Police School, then located at Fort McClellan, Alabama, graduating second in his class as an honor grad. The future looked bright.
That changed when he was assigned to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Despite his drive, the challenges of working in a high-stress garrison unit began to wear him down.
For a change of pace, Brian volunteered for a tour in South Korea and poured himself into training. He was lifting weights six days a week, in an effort to increase his physical fitness and, hopefully, represent the Army in powerlifting competitions. But then he got hurt.
“I still remember the sound and the feeling when I blew out both of my shoulders simultaneously,” Brian said.
The situation worsened when his injuries weren’t taken seriously. He was prescribed Motrin and told to push through.
Even after MRIs revealed clear shoulder and back damage, military doctors dismissed his condition as “hyper-ligamentous laxity,” a genetic issue that didn’t run in his family.
He was medically discharged from the Army in 2002. Two years after filing his first VA Disability Compensation claims, he received a VA Decision Letter that revealed 9 of the disabilities he claimed were denied, including the claim for his bilateral shoulder condition. He was granted a service connection for his lower back, but a 0% rating was assigned, even though evidence of a herniated disc with sciatic nerve pain existed.
Brian gave up, feeling like it was a waste of time. With no knowledge of anyone or any organization to turn to for support, he had no hope.
The Road After Service: Career Success, Personal Strain
After his discharge from the Army, Brian began a career in law enforcement, eventually retiring in 2022 due to severe mental health symptoms.
But the discipline that fueled his career also masked deeper problems. The Army taught Brian to have a “duty first” mindset, always driven to complete the mission, no matter the consequences.
Brian struggled with chronic pain, sleeplessness, and anger, along with nightmares and hypervigilance, which are classic symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that he couldn’t recognize at the time.
“I was always on edge,” he said, “checking doors, watching cameras, jumping every time a car backfired.”
In 2009, culminating stress triggered atrial fibrillation, or AFib, an irregular and rapid heartbeat. Over the next several years, his body continued to break down, undergoing numerous surgeries, including bilateral shoulder surgeries, a spinal fusion, and multiple knee surgeries.
Through all of this, his mental health continued to spiral. In 2018, he was diagnosed with PTSD, nearly two decades after leaving service.
When his law enforcement career ended abruptly after an angry outburst at work, Brian was finally forced to face what was happening.
“It was a shock,” he said. “For the first time, I was forced to reflect on myself. I didn’t like what I saw. It was a path of self-destruction that family, friends, and co-workers were exposed to. Something wasn’t right.”
The Solution: Discovering VA Claims Insider and Rebuilding from Within
Brian found VA Claims Insider through YouTube, where he began learning how the VA disability system actually works. What started as curiosity soon turned into determination.
“With all of my documentation, I thought there’s no way the VA could deny my claims,” Brian said. “As Veterans, we don’t know what we don’t know. I never understood how the VA rates decisions for disability claims.”
After testing the waters in the VA Claims Insider Mastery Program, Brian realized he needed more personalized support. He joined the Elite Program in June 2022 and immediately felt the difference.
Through one-on-one coaching, education sessions, and Coffee with the Coaches, Brian found something he hadn’t expected: community and emotional healing.
“I expected to get help with my VA disability,” he said. “I didn’t expect to get the best therapy I’ve ever had. There’s so much more with VA Claims Insider that you can’t get anywhere else. They truly care. The one-on-one sessions with my Veteran Coach (who was also a Veteran) and the community of Coffee with the Coaches changed my outlook in many ways. VA Claims Insider pulled me out of the deepest, darkest hole I have ever been in. To me, that alone was priceless.”
For the first time, Brian could talk openly with people who understood — other veterans walking the same road. The Elite program produced measurable improvements in his ability to manage mental health symptoms and the outlook for his future.
The Results: 90% VA Rating & Renewed Purpose
Within just three months of joining the Elite Program, Brian’s VA disability rating increased to 90%. But for him, the true impact went beyond numbers.
He noted better family relationships, reduced stress, and greater balance. He began seeing himself not as broken, but as part of a brotherhood.
“I finally realized what I’d been missing all this time about who I am as a person,” Brian said. “That is what makes VA Claims Insider special.”
The Final Outcome: 100% P&T VA Rating
Knowledge is power. With detailed, intimate discussions and education provided by VA Claims Insider, Brian learned the pathway to success.
“I know I will never be the person I once was, but I have become comfortable with that. My hope is that all Veterans will be afforded the same support and education that I’ve had, which will help them live a happier, healthier life.”
Through the education Brian obtained from VA Claims Insider and the use of high-quality medical evidence provided by Telemedica (an independent company that provides access to VA Claims Insider’s Preferred Provider Network), Brian was able to overcome the barriers to his VA claims that were often created by a broken Compensation and Pension (C&P) Exam process.
By having a simple, high-quality review of his records that already existed, Brian was able to successfully file Fully Developed Claims that led to his current 100% Permanent & Total (P&T) rating.
To sum it up, Brian said, “In the end, I received exactly what I believed I should have gotten from the VA and all of the VSO’s I had worked with all along. Instead, I got it from the support of VA Claims Insider and Telemedica.”
Note: Certain identifying details have been withheld to respect the privacy of the veteran and their family.
Key Takeaways for Other Veterans
- Don’t wait: Every day you delay your claim or your healing, you lose time you can’t get back.
- Knowledge changes everything: Understanding the VA claims process helps you take control of your outcome.
- You’re not alone: Veteran Coaching and community can be the difference between surviving and thriving.
- It’s about more than benefits: The Elite Program isn’t just about increased ratings; it’s about recovery, community, and purpose.
About the VA Claims Insider Elite Program
The Elite Membership Program supports veterans in building stronger VA disability claims through education, expert coaching, and access to medical evidence through our preferred provider network. More than 25,000 veterans have successfully increased their VA ratings and secured the VA compensation and benefits they earned through service. Learn more and start your own success story
- VA Claims Insider is the #1 most trusted name in VA disability claims.
- Work directly with a VA claims coach who can educate throughout the claims process.
- 25,000+ disabled veterans have served in our membership programs since 2016.
- 30% average rating increase for veterans who complete our #1-rated Elite program.
- 4.7/5.0 average rating out of 5,500+ total reviews; over 4,500 5-star reviews.
Author
Eric Webb
Eric has written and worked in the field of Veterans Disability since 2020 and enjoys writing educational content for the veteran population. His prior work has been published in the Official Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). He holds a Degree in Health and Exercise Science.
