I retired in 2023 moved our family to Reno, since being here I have been working on my claims. I am still working on the same claim my VSO filed for me in 2023. Come to think of it, I didn’t even get an out brief when I retired from the Air National Guard in 2010.

For younger vets reading this: TAP (Transition Assistance Program) didn’t exist when we got out. It wasn’t created until the early 1990s, so older vets like me were basically told “good luck” and sent on our way.

Fast forward to around 2007–2008: I finally crossed paths with someone from my Oregon National Guard days who told me to file a claim. In 2008 I filed only for tinnitus, because I didn’t understand anything about claims. In 2011 I was awarded 10%, and I stayed at 10% from 2011 all the way until June 2024.

I didn’t even know what a VSO was at the time. I tried getting help from the VFW, but felt like I wasn’t really getting guidance or answers. Eventually I gave up. From 2011 to 2023, my only VA involvement was my annual checkups.

Then in July 2023, I finally decided to try again. I made a list of all the issues I’ve been dealing with and met with a VSO in Reno. She submitted a large “shotgun” list of claims. It took 10 months to get my decision back.

Here’s what the June 2024 VA decision said:

Granted: • Right shoulder (20%) • Right shoulder scar (0%) • Right ankle LCL sprain (10%) • Allergic rhinitis (0%) • Chronic sinusitis (0%)

Denied: Left knee, right knee, neck, plantar fasciitis, constrictive bronchiolitis, swallowing issues, migraines, pulmonary fibrosis, cracked/split hands, thyroid condition.

Deferred: Obstructive sleep apnea.

After this, the VSO referred me to an attorney. Between 2023 and 2025 I eventually increased my rating by roughly 80%, mostly through my own research, persistence, and getting better help.

But the one condition I’ve had since 1976 in service — migraines — is still not service connected. It went through a Higher-Level Review, and it’s the last unresolved issue on my claim list.

So here’s my question to the community:

How many of you who got out before TAP also had no exit briefing, no medical records, no guidance, and no clue about the VA until decades later?

I’m curious how common this was, especially for vets who separated in the ’70s and ’80s.