Posted on Mar 30, 2016
Non-deployable Soldiers are hampering Army, SMA Dailey says
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Alright RP. Let's talk the truth. The Army is getting itself thin again. Which means people have to go. Simple fact of budgeting. For many of you reading this you've already go the call or you're about to get the call from your PCM to come in for a review. You're getting a MEB.
How do I know this to be true? I am the one who calls(not everyone just people of my clinic). I personally hate this aspect of my job as often times I have to sit with some SSG or SFC who has given year after year and multiple deployments of their lives to this Army and are trying to make their 20. These SM given their very health for this army but now I have to sit down and tell them it's over. If you have a permanent profile or have been on temporary profile now for +30 days. This post is for you. Read it. It's all on you.
NOTE: I am doing this to provide information! Not for people to game the system and attempt to boost their rating. I'm all for you getting what you're owed for breaking your body but don't try to come into your physical and start making things up. We know.
So without further delay. Let's begin.
Where I'm coming from and how I know this? I'm currently working in a position that has me initiating MEBs on SMs almost daily in my area, walking SMs through the entire process. Here is what I've learned from the process with multiple people and I've back checked everything here with regulation and guidance so that what I'm giving you is only going to be no BS beneficial advice.
regardless of whether you want agree or not with your MEB the most important thing there is will be a full, complete, accurate set of medical records. Everything for the rest of your life will revolve around what those records say. Now, if you are under the assumption that 'The Medics Have Them' is good enough for you, then your in for a world of problems. You need to get a copy of your complete records (preferably the original). (Also can be viewed online via tricares website.) Read your records cover to cover regarding everything that has be written since day one in the army. You will find discrepancies. Annotate all these discrepancies and before you move on, get your records in order. That might involve tracking down the medic that treated you, the PA who signed off on it, or the TMC that saw you at sick call.
A small not commonly known fact; Medical Documents can be recreated, although most providers are reluctant to do so. Your best bet is the medic who first saw you for an injury, as we tend to remember them extra well. A DA-7656, SF-600, or similar can be recreated (if lost), added too (if incomplete), or corrected (if erroneous). The reason people are reluctant to recreate something is because of the risk of putting down wrong information. After you have gotten your records to reflect accurately what your condition is, its extent, and any treatments rendered in its history, you should get it reevaluated by a third party. Go to your medical chain of command and have a consult put in to see a third party provider, they usually won't decline if it doesn't interfere with the mission. Make photocopies. Make lots of photocopies, then scan those records to your PC and maintain a digital copy too. (Recommend a clean USB that doesn't remain connected to a network)
* Now that your records are all in order, you can read your regulations. AR 635-40 Physical Evaluation for Retention, Retirement, or Separation is the regulation that the Med-Board will follow to a letter. And you can save yourself time and effort by ensuring that Condition X is documented to the exact specifications as written in the regulation. If it says you need range of motion in your knee of 45 degrees or less, and you have 46, Med-Board will deny your claim. I recommend you read the entire section for every medical condition that you are being recommended for. It will tell you to what degree your injury needs to meet. Know the medical terminology regarding your conditions. Again this is a tool for you to use for your own service connected issue. Not make one up. We will know. Also note that the MEB/PEB will only follow regulations is important in the fact that an Appeal will only draw out the inevitable. If you knee has >45 degrees of motion it wont qualify no matter what you do. This can work for or against you. . An appeal is only useful if you feel that the injury has gotten worse since you started the MEB process/submitted your medical records. You will be submitted for an additional third party physical for the purposes of your injuries, and I implore you to be consistent. If your knee pain is 10% at sick call, but 60% at the third party physical, they are going to investigate. If you are consistent with your symptoms, diagnosis, and prognosis; then you will go through no problem. Also don't go against treatment and fail to follow through with our treatment plans for your problems. Doing so can also hurt your claim.
* The MEB/PEB will make their decision on a Pass/Fail recommendation for your continued military service. You can appeal their recommendation, but they are unlikely to change their minds, as its all written in regulation. Before an appeal to remain active used to normally get approved. Those days are gone. Unless you can prove that you can preform your MOS specific tasks now. It's over. If you agree to the findings of the board, you will be given an estimated disability rating based on an estimated VA disability rating. You can prepare yourself by reading the information on your injury in the VA 38 CFR Book C, Schedule for Rating Disabilities. It will tell you what rating your injury is, and what would increase or decrease it based on symptoms. Using that information, you can Appeal or Agree with the MEB/PEB decision. Usif this information I beg you to start looking at your finances, cutting back spending, and getting ready for that final pay check.
If your disqualifying injury receives an estimated disability rating of 30% or greater, you will be Medically Retired. a rating of 29% and under will be offered Severance Pay. Military Retirement is better than Severance pay in almost every scenario. Military Retirement qualifies you for Tricare Standard/Tricare Prime for the rest of your life, and other benefits afforded Retired Veterans.
This is KEY because if you accept a Severance Package, they will calculate a lump sum payment based of your months of Active Duty service. This is severance pay for them severing your contract early. If you accept a severance package, than you will be ineligible for VA Disability Payments until the severance pay is 'repaid'
If you accepted Military Retirement, then your PEBLO/the MEB process will start a VA Disability Compensation Claim for you. You will not be allowed to ETS on time, and will have new orders cut to allot time for your VA Claim to be completed. You VA Claim will be for every injury you have, not just the one that made you disqualified for service. If your records are in order this can be as short as two-three months. You will need to get a VA Compensation & Pension evaluation to complete this, sometimes with a contractor. Again, consistency is vital.
Lastly now, go get your Blue Retired Army Identification Card, some Retired Army license plates, a Black retired army ball-cap, and a bunch of Dysfunctional Veteran bumper stickers
More links
http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r635_40.pdf
http://www.benefits.va.gov/warms/bookc.asp
https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/homepage
How do I know this to be true? I am the one who calls(not everyone just people of my clinic). I personally hate this aspect of my job as often times I have to sit with some SSG or SFC who has given year after year and multiple deployments of their lives to this Army and are trying to make their 20. These SM given their very health for this army but now I have to sit down and tell them it's over. If you have a permanent profile or have been on temporary profile now for +30 days. This post is for you. Read it. It's all on you.
NOTE: I am doing this to provide information! Not for people to game the system and attempt to boost their rating. I'm all for you getting what you're owed for breaking your body but don't try to come into your physical and start making things up. We know.
So without further delay. Let's begin.
Where I'm coming from and how I know this? I'm currently working in a position that has me initiating MEBs on SMs almost daily in my area, walking SMs through the entire process. Here is what I've learned from the process with multiple people and I've back checked everything here with regulation and guidance so that what I'm giving you is only going to be no BS beneficial advice.
regardless of whether you want agree or not with your MEB the most important thing there is will be a full, complete, accurate set of medical records. Everything for the rest of your life will revolve around what those records say. Now, if you are under the assumption that 'The Medics Have Them' is good enough for you, then your in for a world of problems. You need to get a copy of your complete records (preferably the original). (Also can be viewed online via tricares website.) Read your records cover to cover regarding everything that has be written since day one in the army. You will find discrepancies. Annotate all these discrepancies and before you move on, get your records in order. That might involve tracking down the medic that treated you, the PA who signed off on it, or the TMC that saw you at sick call.
A small not commonly known fact; Medical Documents can be recreated, although most providers are reluctant to do so. Your best bet is the medic who first saw you for an injury, as we tend to remember them extra well. A DA-7656, SF-600, or similar can be recreated (if lost), added too (if incomplete), or corrected (if erroneous). The reason people are reluctant to recreate something is because of the risk of putting down wrong information. After you have gotten your records to reflect accurately what your condition is, its extent, and any treatments rendered in its history, you should get it reevaluated by a third party. Go to your medical chain of command and have a consult put in to see a third party provider, they usually won't decline if it doesn't interfere with the mission. Make photocopies. Make lots of photocopies, then scan those records to your PC and maintain a digital copy too. (Recommend a clean USB that doesn't remain connected to a network)
* Now that your records are all in order, you can read your regulations. AR 635-40 Physical Evaluation for Retention, Retirement, or Separation is the regulation that the Med-Board will follow to a letter. And you can save yourself time and effort by ensuring that Condition X is documented to the exact specifications as written in the regulation. If it says you need range of motion in your knee of 45 degrees or less, and you have 46, Med-Board will deny your claim. I recommend you read the entire section for every medical condition that you are being recommended for. It will tell you to what degree your injury needs to meet. Know the medical terminology regarding your conditions. Again this is a tool for you to use for your own service connected issue. Not make one up. We will know. Also note that the MEB/PEB will only follow regulations is important in the fact that an Appeal will only draw out the inevitable. If you knee has >45 degrees of motion it wont qualify no matter what you do. This can work for or against you. . An appeal is only useful if you feel that the injury has gotten worse since you started the MEB process/submitted your medical records. You will be submitted for an additional third party physical for the purposes of your injuries, and I implore you to be consistent. If your knee pain is 10% at sick call, but 60% at the third party physical, they are going to investigate. If you are consistent with your symptoms, diagnosis, and prognosis; then you will go through no problem. Also don't go against treatment and fail to follow through with our treatment plans for your problems. Doing so can also hurt your claim.
* The MEB/PEB will make their decision on a Pass/Fail recommendation for your continued military service. You can appeal their recommendation, but they are unlikely to change their minds, as its all written in regulation. Before an appeal to remain active used to normally get approved. Those days are gone. Unless you can prove that you can preform your MOS specific tasks now. It's over. If you agree to the findings of the board, you will be given an estimated disability rating based on an estimated VA disability rating. You can prepare yourself by reading the information on your injury in the VA 38 CFR Book C, Schedule for Rating Disabilities. It will tell you what rating your injury is, and what would increase or decrease it based on symptoms. Using that information, you can Appeal or Agree with the MEB/PEB decision. Usif this information I beg you to start looking at your finances, cutting back spending, and getting ready for that final pay check.
If your disqualifying injury receives an estimated disability rating of 30% or greater, you will be Medically Retired. a rating of 29% and under will be offered Severance Pay. Military Retirement is better than Severance pay in almost every scenario. Military Retirement qualifies you for Tricare Standard/Tricare Prime for the rest of your life, and other benefits afforded Retired Veterans.
This is KEY because if you accept a Severance Package, they will calculate a lump sum payment based of your months of Active Duty service. This is severance pay for them severing your contract early. If you accept a severance package, than you will be ineligible for VA Disability Payments until the severance pay is 'repaid'
If you accepted Military Retirement, then your PEBLO/the MEB process will start a VA Disability Compensation Claim for you. You will not be allowed to ETS on time, and will have new orders cut to allot time for your VA Claim to be completed. You VA Claim will be for every injury you have, not just the one that made you disqualified for service. If your records are in order this can be as short as two-three months. You will need to get a VA Compensation & Pension evaluation to complete this, sometimes with a contractor. Again, consistency is vital.
Lastly now, go get your Blue Retired Army Identification Card, some Retired Army license plates, a Black retired army ball-cap, and a bunch of Dysfunctional Veteran bumper stickers
More links
http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r635_40.pdf
http://www.benefits.va.gov/warms/bookc.asp
https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/homepage
Non-deployable Soldiers are hampering Army, SMA Dailey says
Posted from ncojournal.dodlive.mil
Medical Board
SSG
SFC
Advice
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 18
7
7
0
SPC (Join to see)
Get after it SFC. Start getting seen time now on all your pains and problems. Your body isn't going to get any younger as much as you attempt to wish it so.
But that on again, off again sore knee, or painful shoulder etc might turn into a big problem in the later years. Save yourself a world of headaches by simply bringing it up now. Then down the road when it starts to really be an issue and prevent you from working etc, you can get treatment for it.
Again I can't stress enough. I'm not putting this out to encourage folks to try and game the system. Thosewon't work because it's whatever comes out of their mouths also needs to be supported with evidence the body shows us but if all this prevents even just one veteran getting the full run around by the VA. Then it's a good day in my book.
But that on again, off again sore knee, or painful shoulder etc might turn into a big problem in the later years. Save yourself a world of headaches by simply bringing it up now. Then down the road when it starts to really be an issue and prevent you from working etc, you can get treatment for it.
Again I can't stress enough. I'm not putting this out to encourage folks to try and game the system. Thosewon't work because it's whatever comes out of their mouths also needs to be supported with evidence the body shows us but if all this prevents even just one veteran getting the full run around by the VA. Then it's a good day in my book.
(1)
(0)
SPC (Join to see)
SFC Jr Gonzalez yep. Which is why the continuation of the stigma kills me to see.
Even if it's going to sick call for a knee pain(just using knees as example because airborne) and getting a 30 day profile and some Motrin can be all the difference later down the road.
Like I tell people every day. Time and a place to suck up the pain, to suck the injury, and drive on. Yet I haven't found one single bit of training we do in our army while in Garrison that comes higher on the totem pole than a soldiers health.
Even if it's going to sick call for a knee pain(just using knees as example because airborne) and getting a 30 day profile and some Motrin can be all the difference later down the road.
Like I tell people every day. Time and a place to suck up the pain, to suck the injury, and drive on. Yet I haven't found one single bit of training we do in our army while in Garrison that comes higher on the totem pole than a soldiers health.
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6
6
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Great information to a lot of Soldiers that are walking into this situation blindly.
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5
5
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Sounds pretty spot on. I am fortunate to have made the 20 year mark. Many haven't gotten there. Like one person mentioned 19.5 and got a severance check. Dirty bean counters.
(5)
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SSG (Join to see)
Wow. Sad. Unless a Soldier's out there being a gangster or assaulting his/her spouse or kids or using/selling illegal substances, there's no reason not to let them 'make the finish'.
It grieves to me to hear this.
It grieves to me to hear this.
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