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after the service and whether or not anything could have caused this hearing loss. No loud concerts, no noisy jobs (I'm in IT), no anything. I kept thinking back to my time on the submarine as a nuclear mechanic. The constant noise of the engines and the turbine generators kept reverberating in my head. Whuuub, Whuuub, Whuuub over and over again on a continuous basis.

By the time I reached home I had decided to file a disability claim, some 7 years after I got out of the Navy. I went to www.va.gov and looked through the application process, which seemed simple enough. A few clicks later and I was at the Veteran's Online Application site or VONAPP for short. I clicked on the start VONAPP button and that's when the confusion started.

I understand there are tons of veterans out there needing to apply for disability but the VONAPP site is anything from perfect. So in the end the VA got my application via this site. The only problem was now it appeared I was losing my hearing due to asbestos exposure which, of course was incorrect but it was to late now.

The next day I found a Veteran's Representative in an adjacent town and went to visit him to tell him of my botched application process. This was by far the smartest move I made. For any veterans out there heed my advice: DO NOT APPLY FOR DISABILITY COMPENSATION WITHOUT A VETERANS REPRESENTATIVE. My rep was a disabled vet and after signing a few forms he was ready to fight on my behalf.

The whole process took close to a year and a half, but in the end I got rated for hearing loss and tinnunitis (which I didn't even know what it was). Tinnunitis is a ringing in the ear that occurs way too much, that I took as normal. There is a bunch of paperwork involved and much interaction with people you'll never meet via email and snail mail.

The VA rep told me straight out that no matter how good a job we do filing the paperwork, it comes down to the person who reviews your case. If that person is a Marine with little sympathy for sailors with hearing losses then you'll get denied. But the trump card comes by getting representation. If you are denied, the VA rep will immediately appeal the decision. This triggers a real live in person interview in which the Veteran's Representatives have a great record in winning cases. My case never came to that, but the whole process is amazingly confusing. I highly recommend anyone seeking to claim disability to get representation first.

Learn more about this author, Erik M. Dell.
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