I thought the same, but told by more than one person that service is service and your injury during service is no different other than theirs. Theirs is just more severe. The VA WANTS to pay you for your service and injuries. I'd start the process now. My wife got VA payments while still a part-time serving reservist. They just deduct the VA amount from your drill pay at what would be a VA daily rate. Go in to the VA and talk to a service representative. I used the VFW rep and he's great. I tracked down paperwork and he took care of the rest. No charge to you. Do it!!