Posted on Apr 23, 2021
SPC Infantryman
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Hello, to make a long story short I enlisted in the army back on July of 2019 and got an ELS on August of 2019. I also Received an Uncharacterised Discharge because i was diagnosed with “Arthritis pain” in basic. Went to a private rheumatologist after 1 month when i got home and came out negative for Arthritis. The pain I was feeling in basic was neck pain, not “Arthritis pain”. Rheumatologist said I was miss diagnosed and I have all the medical documentation for the miss diagnosis to begin my discharge upgrade but, what are my chances that the Discharge Review Board, with all my private medical records, upgrade my Discharge do to this miss diagnosis?
P.S. after almost 1 year and 4 months since Discharge, I still have neck pain and now lower back pain related to the back pain.
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SFC Retention Operations Nco
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What are you hoping to have it upgraded to? It's an Entry level Separation, no matter what the reason it's almost always an uncharacterized discharge. You didn't get injured in IET so your issue was pre-existing, meaning you don't qualify for a medical discharge
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SPC Infantryman
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SFC (Join to see) I went to a private Rheumatologist 1 month after IET and was told and medically certified that I never had Arthritis in the first place. How is my Arthritis “pre-existing” if it never existed in the first place? The only condition that does exist is the one that I developed during IET which is neck pain (which the P.A. thought to be Arthritis)...all I want is a general discharge to start a VA claim for my neck and back pain which is getting worse.
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SPC Infantryman
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P.S. SFC (Join to see) “Entry level Separation, no matter what the reason it’s almost always an uncharacterized discharge” How does the reason not matter when I got hurt (neck and back) during IET? And it’s also getting worse by the day?
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SFC Retention Operations Nco
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SPC (Join to see) Rheumatology Arthritis and Arthritic pain are completely different. RA is an autoimmune disorder where your immune system attacks your joints. Arthritis means "joint inflammation". Arthritis is a symptom not a disease, there are several types of Arthritis. "Arthritis pain" means pain from inflammation of the joints.

You went to a Rheumatologist to see if you have Rheumatoid Arthritis. You don't and the Army PA didn't say you did. That's not a misdiagnosis. That doesn't mean you don't have Osteoarthritis or ankylosing spondylitis. As for it continuing to get worse, unless you were injured in the Army and that injury caused your arthritis, your arthritic pain won't be covered by the VA.

You don't automatically get full Coverage for everything from the VA just because you were in the Army. If your injury isn't service connected then you don't qualify
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Lt Col Charlie Brown
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You have nothing to lose by trying. Contact a VSO to help you.
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CPT Advisor
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Just FYI, a "misdiagnosis" is when you get the incorrect diagnosis for your condition. For example, you come in to the ER with hand pain and the provider gives you a diagnosis of arthritis. It turns out your hand pain is actually caused by a fracture, not arthritis.

A "missed diagnosis" is a failure to diagnose or a delayed diagnosis. For example, you come in to the ER with hand pain. The provider diagnoses you with ICD-10 code M25.54 "pain in the joints of the hand" when you have multiple fractured fingers. Technically, you do have pain in the joints of your hand, but the provider missed the diagnosis S52.64 "nondisplaced fracture of proximal phalanx of finger."
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