Kyle M. was not chasing a big check. He had a daughter. He knew his back and knees were going. He wanted VA healthcare coverage so that when the day came he would not lose everything paying for surgery the Army caused.
He came to Your VA Benefits with a single 10% ankle rating and $166 a month. He left at 70%.
The Veteran
Kyle served as an All-Source Intelligence Analyst with the 1st Special Forces Group Airborne. Thirty airborne jumps. Hard landings. A unit culture where you do not go to sick call. Where you do not complain. Where you keep moving no matter what your body is telling you.
By the time he separated, his back was deteriorating and his mental health was following. None of it was documented because that was not what you did in that environment.
The VA gave him 10% for his ankle. $166 a month.
What Your VA Benefits Built
Our team built the claim around the documentation that existed and the people who knew what Kyle had been through.
We pulled his official airborne jump logs showing the number and nature of his jumps. We gathered buddy statements from a fellow soldier and his former partner. We helped him write a stressor statement that included the suicide of a fellow soldier from his unit.
From there we built the medical case connecting his back, his radiculopathy, and his right shoulder to his documented service history.
The VA went from 10% to 70%.
The Result
| Before | After | |
| VA Rating | 10% | 70% Service Connected |
| Monthly Benefit | $166 | $1,808 |
| Monthly Increase | — | +$1,633 |
| Annual Increase | — | +$19,596 |
Conditions granted: Lumbosacral strain and intervertebral disc syndrome at 40%, right lower extremity radiculopathy at 20%, right shoulder strain at 20%.
In His Own Words
“I appreciate all of you so much. You have done more for me than I ever could have probably done for myself and have helped me open up so many possibilities.”
— Kyle, 2025
What Veterans Can Take Away From Kyle’s Case
Unit culture can work against your claim. In high-tempo units, going to sick call is not something people do. That means conditions accumulate without documentation. If you served in a unit where that pressure existed, your file likely underrepresents what you actually went through. Buddy statements and personal records can fill those gaps.
Jump logs and service records are evidence. Official documentation of physical demands, like airborne jump records, can directly support musculoskeletal claims. If the paperwork exists, it belongs in your file.
You do not have to be chasing 100% for this to be worth doing. Kyle’s goal was healthcare coverage and protection against future medical bills. A rating increase can serve practical, long-term purposes beyond the monthly payment.
