01 / Occupational profile
Your 91S occupational profile
Engine, shop tool, and generator noise
Common occupational factor
Diesel engine diagnostics, pneumatic and power tools, and motor-pool generators create sustained noise during Stryker maintenance.
Underside and confined-space work
Common occupational factor
Working under the chassis and inside the crew compartment to access brakes, suspension, and drivetrain components involves awkward postures and heavy lifting.
Fuel, hydraulic fluid, and refrigerant contact
Common occupational factor
Servicing fuel, hydraulic, and air-conditioning systems involves repeated skin and inhalation contact with fuel, hydraulic fluid, and refrigerants.
02 / Your service
What did you actually do?
Your MOS is the starting point. Your actual assignment, era, equipment, location, and duties determine which parts of the occupational history are relevant. Use the Evidence Builder below to select your actual duties and see records that may corroborate them.
91Ss learn how each Stryker automotive system works, then troubleshoot it using test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment (TMDE), technical publications, and specialty tools. Work includes diagnosing and repairing air, fuel, electrical, hydraulic, brake, steering, pneumatic, powertrain, climate-control, suspension, and remote-weapon-station systems, and replacing components using precision hand tools. Maintenance happens in motor pool bays and in the field supporting Stryker Brigade Combat Team operations, with soldiers often working under the vehicle's eight-wheel chassis or inside its crew compartment.
Duties that may vary by assignment
- Diagnosing and repairing Stryker air, fuel, and electrical systems
- Maintaining hydraulic, brake, steering, and pneumatic systems
- Powertrain and suspension repair across the Stryker vehicle family
- Servicing climate-control (air conditioning) systems
- Maintaining remote weapon station and armament-related systems
- Using test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment (TMDE)
- Working under the vehicle chassis and inside crew compartments
- Field maintenance supporting Stryker Brigade Combat Team operations
Private, on this page only
Military Occupational Evidence Builder
Based on what you actually did in the military, what records might document it? Select only what applied to you. No name, file number, contact details, free text, or upload. Nothing is saved or sent.
Military service
Army · 91S Stryker Systems Maintainer
For another specialty, open its guide from the MOS library. A job code alone does not establish individual duties or exposure.
Era(s) of service
Deployments
Already have a VA decision?
Your Evidence Builder identifies records that may document your service history. If VA has already decided your claim, the next question is different: what did VA accept, what did VA reject, and why?
Request a free decision review03 / Corroboration
Building your occupational history
Records matter because they can connect a job title to an individual's actual work and circumstances.
Engine, shop tool, and generator noise
Records that may corroborate it
- · Hearing-conservation audiograms (DD 2215/2216) and DOEHRS-HC records
- · Assignment records placing you in a Stryker maintenance unit
- · Evaluations describing maintenance-bay or field duties
Limit: Documented noise supports the in-service event only. A current hearing disability under 38 CFR § 3.385 or a tinnitus complaint, and a medical link, are still required.
Underside and confined-space work
Records that may corroborate it
- · Sick call and physical therapy entries during the assignment
- · Line-of-duty or incident reports for a documented injury
- · Evaluations describing maintenance duties
Limit: Typical vehicle-maintenance demands do not by themselves establish that a specific joint was injured in service; a current diagnosis and medical opinion are required.
Fuel, hydraulic fluid, and refrigerant contact
Records that may corroborate it
- · Occupational health or hazmat-program records, if enrolled
- · EPA 609 refrigerant-handling certification records, if issued
- · Evaluations describing maintenance duties
Limit: The MOS does not establish contact with any specific product or exposure level. Era, tasks, a current diagnosis, and a medical opinion all still matter.
04 / Evidence standard
What your MOS can — and cannot — establish
May help document
Work performed, circumstances of service, consistency of an alleged exposure, and the nature or duration of duties where supported by individual records.
Does not automatically establish
A diagnosis, medical causation, severity, percentage, presumption, or entitlement to service connection.
05 / Medical evidence
Conditions that may be relevant to the occupational history
This is not a list of conditions to claim. A veteran's actual diagnosis and individual service record determine relevance; occupational evidence is not medical causation.
Hearing +
Tinnitus and hearing loss
Why the occupation may matter: Engine diagnostics and shop tool noise are sustained features of Stryker maintenance.
Records and clinical evidence: Audiometry meeting 38 CFR § 3.385, service audiograms, and a medical opinion.
Occupational history alone does not establish this diagnosis or its medical relationship to service.
Spine / joints +
Back, shoulder, and knee conditions
Why the occupation may matter: Under-chassis and confined-compartment work load the back and joints repeatedly.
Records and clinical evidence: Current diagnosis, in-service treatment or duty records, and a medical opinion.
Occupational history alone does not establish this diagnosis or its medical relationship to service.
Skin +
Skin conditions from fuel and fluid contact
Why the occupation may matter: Repeated skin contact with fuel, hydraulic fluid, and refrigerants is part of routine maintenance tasks.
Records and clinical evidence: Current dermatology diagnosis, duty records, and a medical opinion.
Occupational history alone does not establish this diagnosis or its medical relationship to service.
06 / Exposure record
ILER and toxic exposure
For applicable exposure-related claims, VA may review the Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record (ILER) and a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) memorandum along with deployment and occupational records. An ILER entry does not automatically establish exposure or service connection.
07 / After a decision
Why a 91S claim may still be denied
An exposure finding is not the same as a grant. These are examples from the researched guide, not predictions about a particular case.
VA may accept
A duty or event consistent with the service record
But may deny
A diagnosis, medical relationship, or rating element
Record to examine
Decision findings, service and private treatment records, examination rationale, and medical opinions.
Exposure described too generally
Statements like "I worked on Strykers" without the system and setting are hard for VA to evaluate; MOS school records and evaluations may add the specifics.
No in-service complaint for joint pain
Mechanics often worked through strains from under-chassis work without a sick-call visit; buddy statements and duty records may help fill that gap.
Hearing claim rejected on a normal separation audiogram
A normal exit audiogram alone does not decide a hearing claim, but examiners sometimes rely on it without addressing the full in-service noise history.
Oakridge Claims / Appeals Focused
Already have a VA decision?
The important question is what VA accepted, what it rejected, and why. A decision review considers the decision, examinations, and the complete record — including private and VA records that may need development. Oakridge is appeals-focused — core work is post-decision, but initial and new claims are accepted on a case-by-case basis (no fee for pre-decision work).
Fees for eligible post-decision representation are governed by a written agreement. See fee details. No outcome is guaranteed.
91S questions
Does my 91S MOS prove I worked on a specific Stryker variant?
No. The MOS covers the whole Stryker family; which variants (ICV, MCV, FSV, ATGM, command) you actually maintained depended on your unit. Evaluations and assignment records may help clarify.
What records show which systems I actually serviced?
MOS school and OJT certification records, EPA 609 certification if issued, and evaluations describing your duties are the usual starting points.
I never reported my back pain in service. Is there anything to look for?
Possibly. Evaluations, maintenance logs, and statements from soldiers you served with may help document the duty demands, though none of them guarantees an outcome.
Sources and legal references
General education only; not legal or medical advice. Oakridge Claims is a private business, not affiliated with or endorsed by VA. Nothing here establishes a representative-client relationship or guarantees a result. Free accredited VSO help is available.