You're Never Going to Win Anything if You Give Up

Retold by VA Disability Hub from VA Claims Insider. Quoted passages are David Barry's own words as published by VA Claims Insider. David Barry is the subject of this story, not its author.

Decades of denials

David Barry served in the U.S. Navy and left with injuries he knew were connected to his service. But knowing something and proving it to the VA turned out to be two very different things.

“I didn’t know how to communicate with the VA to prove my injuries were service-connected.”

For years — decades, in fact — David’s claims were denied. Not because his conditions were not real or not service-connected, but because the evidence was not presented in the way the VA needed to see it. This is one of the most common reasons veterans receive denials: the disconnect between what you know happened during your service and what the VA requires as documentation.

The moment it changed

When David finally got the support he needed to properly document and present his claims, his rating was improved to 60%. After so many years of denials, the emotional impact was overwhelming.

“It was tears of joy to finally get my rating improved.”

That moment — the one where years of frustration finally turn into recognition — is something every veteran who has fought through the process understands. It is not just about the compensation. It is about being believed.

His message to other veterans

David’s advice is the kind that only comes from someone who has been through the worst of the process and come out the other side:

“You’re never going to win anything if you give up.”

The VA claims process is designed to be thorough, but it can feel like it is designed to wear you down. Veterans who have been denied — once, twice, or dozens of times — need to hear what David learned the hard way: persistence matters, and getting help with how you present your evidence can change everything.

What this story shows about the VA claims process

This section is VA Disability Hub’s own summary for readers, not part of David’s account. It describes general VA rules, not a prediction for any one claim.

• Read why VA denied the claim. A decision letter states what was missing. When the finding is that there is no link to service, a medical opinion on that link (a nexus letter) speaks directly to it, as our Supplemental Claim guide explains.
• Match the review option to the problem. New evidence goes in a Supplemental Claim. If you think VA misread evidence it already had, a Higher-Level Review may fit better.
• Deadlines affect back pay. Filing the next review within one year of a decision keeps continuous pursuit, which can preserve an earlier effective date.
• Check who is helping you. VA Claims Insider is a commercial company. Only VA-accredited representatives can formally represent you before VA and charge for claims help, and VSOs help for free. See how to verify accreditation and the red flags to watch for.

Correction — October 21, 2026: Replaced an excerpt that joined two separate quotes with a single quote from the source.

Update — October 21, 2026: Added our own summary of what this story shows about the VA claims process and credited this page to VA Disability Hub, which retold the story from VA Claims Insider.

David’s story was originally shared through VA Claims Insider. Quoted with attribution for educational purposes.