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You are setting sail from Home Port. The course from here to your decision is well charted. Follow the islands in order and you will not get lost.
This locks your effective date. Your back pay counts from today, not from the day you finish gathering everything. It gives you up to a year to file the full claim.
You need three things: a current diagnosis, proof of the in-service event or exposure, and a nexus (a medical link between the two). Buddy statements and a symptom log help.
The VA schedules a Compensation & Pension exam to take your measure. Know what the examiner is grading, and report your worst days honestly and completely.
Submit your claim with your evidence. A free VSO can file the whole thing for you and make sure nothing is missing.
The VA reviews your file. This usually takes a few months. You can watch the status on VA.gov, and the presumptive lanes (PACT Act) tend to move faster.
You get your rating and your back pay. If it is not right, you have not run aground for good. You can re-plot through the appeal channels.
Every veteran feels adrift in this process at some point. A free accredited VSO is your harbor pilot: they have sailed these waters a thousand times and will chart the whole course with you, at no cost. Never pay a fee or a percentage of your back pay for claim help.
This is general education, not legal advice or a promise of any outcome. Report your symptoms and history accurately and completely, and never exaggerate. A free accredited VSO can file any of these for you at no cost.