"I don't know anything about your problem with the military but you're wrong to blame the military for it" yeah, checks out as a typical response - lol.
My buddy is trying to get me to go to the VA to see if they'll pay for my CPAP machine until the recent burn pit bill which I definitely qualify for. I just really don't want to deal with the VA.
It fucking sucks, dude, but I do think it's worth the fight. Getting back pay for any rating you might get plus a monthly check is hard to turn down.
I don't know much about the new bill because I was never around those pits, so I don't have any specific information. A guy I work with just hired an advocate/consultant and he got a 100% rating. Granted, he had to pay them like $12k for their work, but it seemed worth it. Maybe try that route?