Derrick C. deployed to Balad, Iraq as an Air Force firefighter. His job put him on scene at a helicopter crash with fatalities. At a police compound fire where stored ammunition was exploding around him. Through mortar attacks. Alongside burn pits he worked near regularly.
He came home, kept working, and ended up as a contractor in Saudi Arabia with a 10% tinnitus rating and $178 a month.
He did not think his PTSD was that bad. He was wrong.
The Veteran
Derrick served in Air Force fire protection at Balad, Iraq, also known as LSA Anaconda. The nature of his job meant he was not just near danger. He was the first person sent into it.
A helicopter crash with fatalities. A police compound fire with live ammunition going off around him. Mortar attacks. Burn pit exposure that came with the territory of being stationed there.
He came back functional. He was still working. What he did not connect to his service was the hypervigilance that never turned off, the OCD rituals he had developed, the emotional distance that ended his marriage, and the nightmares that had become routine.
He had a 10% tinnitus rating. That was it.
What Your VA Benefits Built
Our team focused the entire first claim on PTSD. We worked with a private psychiatrist to produce a nexus letter and a DBQ documenting Derrick’s diagnosis and its connection to his service. We helped him build a detailed stressor statement covering the specific events from his deployment.
His ex-wife wrote a lay statement. She documented what she watched happen to him over the years of their marriage. What she saw change. What she tried to address. That statement put his daily experience on paper in a way that medical records alone could not.
Then came the C&P exam. Derrick was prepared. He had notes. He brought up his OCD symptoms himself when the examiner did not ask about them. The examiner confirmed the connection.
70% PTSD. Combined rating went from 10% to 70%.
He also received $10,969.87 in retroactive back pay.
The Result
| Before | After | |
| VA Rating | 10% | 70% Service Connected |
| Monthly Benefit | $178 | $1,759 |
| Monthly Increase | — | +$1,581 |
| Back Pay | — | $10,969 retroactive |
Condition granted: PTSD newly rated at 70%.
Existing rating unchanged: tinnitus at 10%.
In His Own Words
“Hey so I just checked my bank account, received a payment of 10,969.87 from VA Benefits.”
— Derrick, 2025
What Veterans Can Take Away From Derrick’s Case
Being functional does not mean you do not have a ratable condition. Derrick was working. He was managing. The VA does not rate whether you are surviving. It rates the severity of the condition and its connection to service. Veterans who are functional can still have legitimate high-percentage claims.
C&P exam preparation changes outcomes. Derrick brought notes to his exam. He raised symptoms himself when the examiner did not ask. That kind of preparation is not gaming the system. It is making sure the examiner has the full picture in the time they have with you.
A lay statement from someone who lived with you is evidence. Derrick’s ex-wife wrote about what she observed during their marriage. Not assumptions. Not interpretations. What she actually witnessed. That firsthand account gave the rater context that no medical record could provide.
