Proud Veteran-Owned Business Partner to The Purple Heart Foundation
The short answer? Yesterday.
The second-best time? Right now.
If you are a veteran wrestling with the invisible wounds of service—Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), crushing depression, or relentless anxiety—you might be asking yourself one question: “Is it the right time to file?”
Maybe you just left the service and feel like you should “tough it out” for a while. Maybe you have been out for twenty years and think that ship has sailed. Or perhaps you are worried that you don’t have enough medical evidence yet.
At VMHA, we hear these concerns every day. We know that the decision to file a VA disability claim is deeply personal. But we also know that hesitation has a high price. Every month you wait is a month of financial stability you are effectively donating back to the government.
We built our organization to help veterans navigate this complex system with uncompromising quality and absolute transparency. This guide will break down the financial reality of waiting, the “Golden Window” you shouldn’t miss, and why it is never truly “too late” to get the benefits you earned.
If you have recently separated from the military, you are in the most advantageous position possible. The VA offers a special period known as the “Golden Window” for claims filed within one year of your discharge date.
Why is this window so critical?
If you file your claim within this one-year timeframe and are granted service connection, the VA will effectively backdate your benefits to the day after you left the military. This means you get paid for every single day since you took off the uniform, regardless of how long the VA takes to process the paperwork.
Furthermore, during this period, the burden of proof is lower. The VA “presumes” that certain chronic conditions manifesting within this year are related to your service. This makes it significantly easier to establish the all-important link between your service and your current symptoms.
Many veterans wait because they feel they can “handle it” on their own. While that resilience is admirable, it often leads to a significant financial loss that can never be recovered.
Unlike a civil lawsuit, where you can sue for past damages, the VA generally does not pay for the time you waited to file. Your Effective Date—the day your pay starts ticking—is usually the date they receive your claim, not the date your injury happened.
Consider the math:
As of 2025, a veteran with a 100% disability rating (with no dependents) receives approximately $3,700+ per month tax-free.
This money is not a handout; it is compensation for the economic potential you lost due to your service-connected disability. By waiting, you are sitting on the sidelines while millions of your peers are securing their futures.
According to the National Center for PTSD, approximately 15% of Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF) veterans have PTSD in a given year. Many delay treatment, leading to a surge in claims filed years later. You are not alone—but you must act now to stop the financial bleeding.
If you are reading this and thinking, “I’m not ready yet, I still need to get my doctor’s records,” stop right there. You do not need a perfect claim to start the clock.
You can submit a form called an “Intent to File” (VA Form 21-0966) today.
Here is how it works:
If you submit your Intent to File today, spend 11 months gathering evidence, and finally submit your claim next year, the VA will pay you back pay starting from today. Taking 5 minutes to submit this form can be worth thousands of dollars.
One of the most common myths we fight is the idea that if you didn’t file when you got out, you can’t file now. This is 100% false. There is no statute of limitations on VA disability claims.
Whether you served in Vietnam, the Gulf War, or post-9/11, you can file a claim today. However, filing years later does require a different strategy because you lose the “benefit of the doubt” that the Golden Window provides.
Mental health conditions like PTSD often have a “delayed onset.” You might have functioned well for years by burying your trauma in work or self-medicating, only to have symptoms explode when you retired.
To win a claim filed years after service, you need three things:
Without a strong nexus letter providing the medical rationale, the VA will likely say your condition is due to post-service life, not your time in uniform.
If you are filing after your discharge date, you cannot rely on service records alone. You need high-quality medical evidence. This is where VMHA excels.
If you search online, you will find “nexus letter mills” that offer cheap, copy-paste documents. The VA knows who these companies are, and they often reject their letters. We are different.
VMHA does not farm your case out to random contractors. We have an internal team of providers. This ensures consistency, reliability, and strict quality control. When you work with us, you are working with a licensed psychologist who is part of our team, not a freelancer.
We charge a flat, upfront fee with no hidden costs, and we never take a percentage of your back pay. Many “claim sharks” will try to take 20-30% of your retroactive check. We believe that money belongs to you.
We use specialized software with built-in Quality Assurance (QA) to minimize errors. This ensures our comprehensive evaluations capture the full severity of your symptoms, giving you the best chance at a favorable claim outcome.
Check out our transparent pricing on our Services page.
We can tell you about our quality, but hearing it from a fellow veteran is better. Here is a verified review from a veteran who trusted us with their claim:
“VMHA helped me get my mental health rating increased from 30% to 70%. I didn’t feel like it was an interrogation, and the process wasn’t a game. They are there to help veterans through what can be an emotionally stressful process for some. I recommend them to any veteran.”
— Tomas W. (U.S. Army Veteran)
Yes, and you absolutely should. Through the Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) program, you can file your claim between 180 and 90 days before your discharge date. This is the “platinum standard” of filing. It often delivers your rating decision the very day you become a veteran, eliminating any gap in coverage.
No. The VA knows that military culture stigmatizes mental health. The lack of “sick call” slips does not mean you don’t have a case. Instead of medical records, you can use “Lay Evidence” (Buddy Letters) combined with a strong Independent Medical Opinion from VMHA to fill the gap.
Yes. This is very common. For example, if you are service-connected for chronic pain or tinnitus, and those conditions eventually cause depression or insomnia, you can file a new claim for those secondary conditions. A nexus letter is essential here to prove the physical injury caused the mental health issue.
If you are already rated (e.g., 30% for PTSD) but your condition has deteriorated, do not file a new claim. You should file for a rating increase. The timing is crucial: file as soon as your medical evidence shows a sustained worsening of symptoms. Do not wait for it to “get better” on its own.
There is never a “perfect” time to file. You will never feel 100% ready to discuss your trauma. But the math is clear: The best time to file was the day you left the service. The second-best time is today.
Don’t let fear, stigma, or paperwork stand between you and the stability you need. Your service earned you these benefits. Claiming them is the final step in your mission to take care of yourself and your family.
VMHA specializes in providing Independent Medical Opinions that bridge the gap between your past service and your current struggle.
Contact us today to book your consultation and stop the clock on your lost benefits.
Ready to book your IMO with VMHA? Click Here
Want more information? Email us at info@vmhaforvets.com or call us at 214-307-2198
VMHA
