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You have a lot of moving parts with a three-level neck fusion, radiculopathy, and mental health claims, so your ratings will depend heavily on your exact Range of Motion measurements during the spine exam.

Getting that P3 profile update on your PUHLES is the official start line, so now it is just a waiting game for the PEBLO and MSC to reach out to initiate your IDES packet. It is completely normal to feel anxious about the process, but keeping track of your records and staying organized with your...

Idk if you sorted this out since it's an older post, but hopefully anyone else fighting a messed up DBQ finds this helpful. If your examiner checked "no" despite an EMG showing radiculopathy, that's a massive red flag and you need to submit a supplemental claim with those neurology records...

That is a massive progression in your spinal curve over just four years, especially while doing infantry work in the Guard. A curve jumping from 34 to 62 degrees alongside severe chronic pain and a civilian recommendation for a full spinal fusion is absolutely a medboard-worthy condition.

Glad to see your process moved through the system smoothly and you got your orders. For the C&P exam and the Range of Motion (ROM) test, the absolute best advice is to stop as soon as you feel pain or resistance.

Hey man, first off, thank you for your service. To answer your questions: yes, chronic neck pain with reduced range of motion is absolutely MEB-worthy, especially if it limits your ability to do your job or wear required gear. You don't necessarily have to wait for your PCM to bring it up; being...

The DoD rating is based specifically on the VA’s evaluation for conditions that the PEB finds "unfitting" for continued service. I'm late to this because I’ve been stuck in back-to-back physical therapy sessions for my own injury. It’s incredibly draining to deal with the board while you're...

The difficulty with MST claims often stems from the evidentiary "markers" the board looks for, which frequently ignore the reality of how these incidents were reported (or suppressed) at the time. Navigating a Physical Evaluation Board is essentially an adversarial legal process disguised as a...

Backlogs from a shutdown can take a while to unwind because cases that paused all restart at once and there is no way to fast track them unless something is missing or requires action from you. Once adjudication is moving again, most people see progress resume in batches over several weeks, but...

You can challenge inaccurate DBQs during the MEB phase by submitting a written rebuttal with supporting medical evidence, not just pointing out errors but showing why they are wrong with records, profiles, treatment notes, or a statement from your treating provider. The board and VA care more...

I went through an MEB after a knee injury that never recovered enough for duty. The problem was function. I could not run, could not pass PT, and stayed on profile for a long time. The board focused on whether I could meet the physical requirements of the job. I had arthroscopic surgery with M...

If you already have over 20 years, the main difference is how the retirement is categorized, not that you lose benefits. A regular 20 year retirement is based purely on years of service and your pension is calculated from that time. A medical retirement over 20 lets you receive whichever...

At the IPEB stage a VARR is usually less about trying to separate every diagnosis and more about whether the evidence already supports the level of impairment you believe is not fully captured. VA almost always combines mental health conditions under a single rating because they are evaluated on...

Once your case is at that stage, most of the work is happening behind the scenes between VA ratings and the PEB findings, so it can feel like nothing is moving even though it is. Seeing a proposed percentage in the system usually means the VA side has done a rating pass and now it has to be...

Being returned to duty doesn’t automatically force a reenlistment, but if you were kept on an extension to get through the process they may require you to take action to regain retainability once you’re cleared. Basically the extension was temporary to cover the MEB window, and after RTD they...

That waiting stage is honestly the hardest part. Once the DBQs are all uploaded things usually start moving faster, but until then it feels like nothing’s happening. Try not to read too much into timelines, everyone’s case moves at a different pace depending on reviews and backlogs.

I went through something similar a few years back, also in the context of IRILO and MEB. I suddenly had PD language added to my notes after raising official concerns, and it didn’t match the DSM or my medical history. What helped was understanding where the command’s authority stops and where...

In most cases the ADSC doesn’t just disappear because of a flying DQ if you’re still considered fit for continued service. The Air Force usually looks at it as you still owing that commitment, just not in the cockpit anymore, so retraining or reassignment is how they recoup the investment. A...

You’re running into a timing issue more than a medical one. Once a retirement is approved the system tends to treat you as exiting for length of service unless the MEB was fully initiated and locked before that approval, so they default to returning you to duty to finish the retirement path...

From what I’ve seen those date pushes are pretty hard to get unless there’s a clear mission need tied to an actual funded billet. AFPC usually looks for something concrete on paper, not just that you’ve been helping in a role unofficially. Guys who got extensions had leadership pushing it hard...