Med retirement & money woes

M

MarineSO0341

Member
Registered Member
Hello all,

My husband is medically retiring and received his proposed ratings at 100% PDRL DoD and 100% P&T from VA. We put in a request for PLD until July for our special needs son to finish school. I am my husbands caregiver and we also have three kids so I am unable to work now. Money is tight. I am extremely concerned about our transition out of the military for many reasons, but a large part is money. How does everyone survive the first couple months until the VA benefits, CRSC, and caregiver pay kicks in? 75% of his base pay (E-5 at 12yrs) is nothing! We will need to have a home and pay rent/utilities somehow until I can find a job. No one ever speaks about struggling during this time, I'm wondering if it's because they don't want others to know-or no one has a problem financially! I wish we had extra to save, but we cannot spare anything. Does anyone have any advice for us? It's greatly appreciated!
 
All I can really suggest is to plan the best you can and ensure you have applied for and/or are pursuing all available benefits. Have you applied for SSDI?
 
Is he eligible into filling a claim under Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance Traumatic Injury Protection (TSGLI)?
 
Jason- he was denied twice! We are in the process of appealing with an attorney in the state we are moving to. They said it could be up to a year though.

Siesta- Unfortunately no. He had four or five events in 04/05 while deployed that left him with a TBI and permanent damage in his inner ears. He refused help and hid so many symptoms and "muscled it" until last year. We asked his case manager and she stated he didn't qualify bc it was more than 730 days ago.

I'm terrified we will have to take out loans to survive. Do people usually do a better time saving in order to be ok when they get out? I feel defeated.
 
I would utilize a Financial Advisor from the base you are located at, and let them look at your financial situation to help you manage the debt best you can.

I would not be afraid of becoming a member and reaching out to a church or a Veterans organization like Wounded Warrior, VFW, American Legion, DAV, etc.

I know our local American Legion chapter has helped many Veterans out during periods of financial difficulty.
 
MarineSO0341 said:
Hello all,

My husband is medically retiring and received his proposed ratings at 100% PDRL DoD and 100% P&T from VA. We put in a request for PLD until July for our special needs son to finish school. I am my husbands caregiver and we also have three kids so I am unable to work now. Money is tight. I am extremely concerned about our transition out of the military for many reasons, but a large part is money. How does everyone survive the first couple months until the VA benefits, CRSC, and caregiver pay kicks in? 75% of his base pay (E-5 at 12yrs) is nothing! We will need to have a home and pay rent/utilities somehow until I can find a job. No one ever speaks about struggling during this time, I'm wondering if it's because they don't want others to know-or no one has a problem financially! I wish we had extra to save, but we cannot spare anything. Does anyone have any advice for us? It's greatly appreciated!
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MarineSO0341 said:
Jason- he was denied twice! We are in the process of appealing with an attorney in the state we are moving to. They said it could be up to a year though.
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MarineSO0341 said:
I might mention he was denied twice before we got his ratings.
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Welcome to the PEB Forum! :)

Indeed, I am very saddened to hear about your current situation! :(

As such, during your forthcoming meeting with the new SSDI attorney, please inform he/she about the new SSA SSDI initiative for DoVA veterans with a “100% P&T rating” are now authorized expedited processing while being adjudicated in the SSA SSDI disability compensation program.

To that extent, it may not have any bearing on your husband's SSA SSDI case since a denial determination has previous been adjudicated by the SSA albeit every little bit of sound insightful information can only assist your efforts at this point in my opinion. Stay strong and take care!

Thus, I quite often comment that "possessing well-informed knowledge is truly a powerful equalizer."

Best Wishes!
 
MarineSO0341 said:
Hello all,

My husband is medically retiring and received his proposed ratings at 100% PDRL DoD and 100% P&T from VA. We put in a request for PLD until July for our special needs son to finish school. I am my husbands caregiver and we also have three kids so I am unable to work now. Money is tight. I am extremely concerned about our transition out of the military for many reasons, but a large part is money. How does everyone survive the first couple months until the VA benefits, CRSC, and caregiver pay kicks in? 75% of his base pay (E-5 at 12yrs) is nothing! We will need to have a home and pay rent/utilities somehow until I can find a job. No one ever speaks about struggling during this time, I'm wondering if it's because they don't want others to know-or no one has a problem financially! I wish we had extra to save, but we cannot spare anything. Does anyone have any advice for us? It's greatly appreciated!
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I am brand new to this forum--came here because I'm worried about the same thing. I'm very worried about our transition as well--especially since I am reading about last paychecks being held, social security being difficult, and a long wait time for va benefits to kick in. :eek:--feeling very stressed out and worried.
 
dtrme1 said:
I am brand new to this forum--came here because I'm worried about the same thing. I'm very worried about our transition as well--especially since I am reading about last paychecks being held, social security being difficult, and a long wait time for va benefits to kick in. :eek:--feeling very stressed out and worried.
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Have you contacted the Social Workers at the WTU in your area?

They might be able to point you to an agency or two that may be able to assist in your financial transition - utility bills, etc.

Oh. and remember to apply for Unemployment Insurance, too. That can help a bit.

nwlivewire
 
Has you husband contributed to TSP (thrift savings plan). You can do a hardship withdrawal.
 
dtrme1 said:
I am brand new to this forum--came here because I'm worried about the same thing. I'm very worried about our transition as well--especially since I am reading about last paychecks being held, social security being difficult, and a long wait time for va benefits to kick in. :eek:--feeling very stressed out and worried.
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Welcome to the PEB Forum! :)

Indeed, you are definitely amongst friends who can comprehend your current situation(s). We all shall try our best to lend assistance to you for potential stress relief and to aide in minimizing the heighten anxiety levels.

That said, please remain "positively proactive" throughout your journey and favorable actions shall definitively come at the end of the day (i.e., DoD IDES MEB/PEB process) for sure in my opinion! Take care and enjoy life! :D

Thus, I quite often comment that "possessing well-informed knowledge is truly a powerful equalizer."

Best Wishes!
 
I was medically retired from the Army on December 10th 2014, 80% DOD, 100 P&T VA.
Took about two months for the VA to start paying me, was receiving the Army retirement before that. As soon as I got my ratings from the VA went and filed my CRSC. Last month got the letter saying that the Army had approved it at 80%, 1036 a month that will be paid for the first time this month.
I am still waiting for my back pay, have had a nightmare for a landlord that refused to get the water main fixed resulting in the water being shut off and us having to move months before we expected to.
End result is that I have 2 AER loans, have used 3 NGO's for assistance and now live in the country with 16 Acres of land for less than we were paying in the city. I wish that there was a good and happy answer, but it is hard as hell getting out when your disabled.
The upside is that I started Voc Rehab in January, so that was an extra grand a month for a bit to help out, we will have that this payday also, and for Christmas instead of a fight over staying in our house with the landlord, we might have gifts :)
 
Hi and sorry to hear of your predicament.

It took me several months to transition from INCAP to VA income and IM still waiting for CRSC and its been over 6 months since I filed for it.

As far as trying to survive until everything kicks end? All I can say is you have to do the best you can. We got very little help from exactly nobody. And it sucked. We almost lost everything. House. Car. We were going to be homeless and I have 3 kids and a disabled wife. No love from anyone.

We survived by doing the following:
*Credit cards (we are just now refinancing our house to pay that off. Thanks a lot Army).
*Being as cheap on everything as possible. Lots of PBJ and Top Ramen Noodles.
*We got a 4000.00 emergency grant from the state for some house work that needed to be done. My understanding is there are grants like this for various emergency needs in every state.
*Wounded Warrior was absolutely no help to us what so ever. When I told them I was going to lose my house they offered financial counseling. I asked them where all the money went that they collected from people and they just beat around the bush and wouldnt answer me.
*There are nonprofits in your state. Reach out to them and let them know you are in trouble. Its humbling to have to f**king do this when you are a warrior and are used to helping people not asking for help, but you have to do it for your family.
*Learn to pay what you have to pay in full and what you can make payments on. We made our house payment and the one car payment we have mandatory to make somehow, and the utilities we learned how to make deals and pay off later.
*My teenagers got jobs and contributed to the family fund.
*Contact VFW, AM, etc etc and let them know your situation. They may be able to help.
*If you can live with a family member or friend for a bit do it. I didnt have that option but I was close to parting my family out to friends and family, then going to live out of my car until things worked themselves out. Thankfully I didnt have to.
*Also, if your husband can go to school he can draw BAH for your zip code. That can make a great contribution to your income. If he CANT go to school maybe you can under his benefit and draw the BAH. It might help and is good for 36 months and can be waived for longer.
*Call your local veteran service officer or VSO. Often they are turds but sometimes they are of great help. I actually found one the next county over that was awesome and helped us out a lot finding sources of help and filing for benefits etc.
*Since you are on a limited fixed income I highly recommend you choose a region to live in that has a lower cost of living. But at the same time make sure you choose a place that has decent care of make sure youre outside the 50 mile radius of a VA medical center so you dont have to get treated like crap by Hilary care. Of course if you have tricare for life you should be able to pick and chose your provider but they can be difficult if the care theyre paying for is service connected and you live close to a VA. In TX, where I wanted to live due to weather, quality of life, and low cost of living, buddies of mine have told me the VA care is terrible with waits of longer than a year. So youll have to keep this in mind as you decide where to locate.

I wish you well. Be strong-
 
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