The Toughest Mistake Many Service Members Make: Skipping Sick Call

Service members have been taught to push through pain. Whether it's a twisted knee during a field exercise, recurring headaches after a hard landing, chronic back pain from carrying heavy loads, or ringing in the ears after years around aircraft and weapons systems, many military members choose to keep working instead of seeking medical treatment.

The decision to "tough it out" doesn't just affect your health today, it can affect your ability to obtain VA disability benefits after you leave the military.

To receive VA disability compensation, veterans generally must establish three things:

• A current diagnosed condition

• An event, injury, illness, or exposure that occurred during military service

• A connection between the current condition and military service

Medical documentation created while serving can become some of the strongest evidence available when filing a future claim. Every visit to sick call, physical therapy appointment, specialist referral, imaging study, or behavioral health consultation creates a record that may later help demonstrate that a condition began during service. When those records do not exist, proving service connection often becomes significantly more difficult.

Many service members avoid medical appointments for understandable reasons.

Some worry about appearing weak. Others don't want to let down their unit or miss training opportunities. Many assume that minor aches and pains are simply part of military life.

Unfortunately, today's "minor issue" can become tomorrow's chronic disability.

That sore knee may become arthritis. Those occasional headaches may become migraines. That ringing in your ears may become permanent tinnitus. That back pain may eventually require surgery. The military culture of resilience is valuable, but resilience should not come at the expense of long-term health or future benefits.

A big misconception among active-duty personnel is that seeking treatment somehow means they are trying to build a disability claim. In reality, documenting injuries and illnesses is simply responsible healthcare. If military service causes or aggravates a condition, the purpose of VA disability compensation is to recognize that sacrifice and provide support when those conditions continue after service. VA disability benefits exist specifically for service-connected conditions. Seeking treatment is not taking advantage of the system. It is ensuring the system has accurate information.

What should be documented?

If a condition repeatedly affects daily life, the ability to perform duties, sleep, physical fitness, or mental health, it deserves documentation.

Common examples include:

• Joint pain and mobility issues

• Back and neck problems

• Hearing loss and tinnitus

• Chronic sinus problems

• Headaches and migraines

• Sleep disturbances

• Respiratory conditions

• Mental health concerns

• Repetitive-use injuries

• Exposure-related symptoms

• Traumatic brain injuries

• Chronic dizziness or balance issues

Many veterans later discover that conditions they dismissed during service became some of their most significant health challenges after separation.

Document conditions while you are still serving. Waiting until after separation often means relying on memory rather than medical evidence. If something hurts, get it evaluated. If symptoms persist, follow up. If a condition worsens, return for additional treatment. If a specialist referral is recommended, attend the appointment. Medical records created today may become critical evidence years from now.

Service members spend years taking care of their unit, their mission, and the people around them. Few spend enough time thinking about the veteran they will become.

The reality is that military service places extraordinary demands on the body and mind. There is no weakness in acknowledging that reality. Seeking medical care is not quitting. It is not complaining. It is not avoiding responsibility. It is protecting your health, preserving an accurate record of your service, and ensuring that if service-related conditions follow you into civilian life, you have the evidence needed to receive the benefits you earned.

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