Do your BDD before getting out!
I wanted to share my full BDD experience for anyone still in or getting close to ETS because I was stressing hard about this process and it ended up working out better than I expected. I did a little over 7 years active duty and started my BDD claim within that 90–180 day window before separation. I made sure to claim everything that was actually documented in my records, physical issues from wear and tear, as well as mental health stuff like anxiety that built up over time from deployments and the overall stress of service. I went to every C&P exam they scheduled, answered everything honestly, and didn’t try to downplay anything (which I know a lot of us tend to do). Even doing everything right, I was still anxious the entire time, checking VA.gov constantly, worrying if I forgot something, wondering if they were going to lowball my rating or delay it.
My claim was received while I was still in, and after I separated it still sat in the early stages for a bit, which had me thinking something was wrong. Then it finally moved through review and decision, and not long after that I got rated at 100% P&T. My first payment hit pretty quickly after, and it completely changed my transition. Instead of stressing about finding a job immediately or how I was going to cover bills, I had stable income right away. That allowed me to focus on school, planning my career, and taking care of personal stuff like getting married and setting up my future.
If you’re on the fence about BDD, do it. Start early, go through your medical records, claim what’s actually there, and show up to every appointment. The anxiety during the process is real, but it’s worth it. Doing BDD basically removed that gap between military pay and civilian life for me, and I can honestly say it set me up in a way I didn’t fully understand until everything finalized.