Yes, you can file a claim decades after discharge, and the length of your service or the passage of time does not by itself bar you from doing so. There is no statute of limitations on filing an initial VA disability compensation claim. What matters is whether you can establish the three basic elements the VA requires: (1) a current diagnosis of a disability, (2) an in-service event, injury, or stressor, and (3) a medical nexus linking the current condition to that in-service event.
The fact that you only had one interview with a mental health provider in service, with no formal diagnosis or follow-up treatment records, makes this harder but not impossible. The VA does not require that a condition be diagnosed while you were still in uniform. Many veterans are diagnosed years or decades later and still successfully connect that diagnosis back to service. What helps most is any evidence you can gather now: a current diagnosis from a private or VA mental health provider, a written statement (buddy statement) from anyone who noticed changes in your behavior during or shortly after that deployment, personnel records showing the abrupt reassignment and early return to the states, and your own detailed statement describing the events in the Strait of Hormuz and the psychological impact.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
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Analyze my claim free →For claims involving mental health conditions tied to a specific stressor, if the claimed stressor is related to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity and is consistent with the places, types, and circumstances of your service, the VA may concede the stressor without requiring extensive corroborating evidence, which can work in your favor here given your deployment to a combat zone during Operation Enduring Freedom.
You should file a claim using VA Form 21-526EZ for an initial disability compensation claim. Given the lack of contemporaneous diagnosis, a current psychiatric or psychological evaluation is critical, and requesting a Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam through your claim is often the most direct way to get the formal evaluation you are describing wanting. An exam that results in a diagnosis and a favorable nexus opinion is generally what turns a claim from denied to service-connected.
The concrete next step is to file VA Form 21-526EZ now, gather any available buddy statements and personnel records documenting the deployment and early return, and pursue a current mental health evaluation, ideally through a VSO who can help develop the record before submission.
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