AF FPEB help

M

miles238

PEB Forum Regular Member
For a little bit of background info... I was diagnosed with narcolepsy in october of 2010 and thats when my MEB started. I am in the Security Forces career field and have been told that the diagnosys keeps me from carrying a firearm anymore. I tried 4 different medications which all gave me a laundry list of side effects with no benifits. My commander at the time was unwilling to acknowledge my situation and so my commanders letter was BS. Everything got sent to IPEB and came back with Med sep 10% with severance. In my letter to the IPEB I was pushing for a retirement because of the severity... Well now I think i've been misdiagnosed because my symptoms are more like Hypersomnia than narcolepsy. Along with that, my new commander is all about trying to help me get a retrain or keeping me in because he believes I'm still useful.

Long story short, I have an appt with my PCM to try to get re-evaled and I'm trying to collect letters from co-workers and the commander to help support a fit finding so I can crosstrain into a career field that I can do. Is there any advice that you guys can offer in this situation?
 
I am guessing from the term SEcurity forces that you are Air Force? If you are, the AF does not currently retrain people into new career fields if they are medically unfit to work in their original one. (Per PEBLO, as well as info elsewhere on site.)

Based on what you said, relating to severity/mis diagnosis...I would definitely see the PCM...if the diagnosis was wrong this would either 1. cause a new (hopefully correct) MEB to be initiated or 2. Give you ammo to fight it out at FPEB if you can show that this was actually misdiagnosed. HOWEVER, if the conditions have similar symptoms/effects, they may very well still be rated under the same code on the VASRD ( haven't checked it to see..but you should definitely look up your condition and see what possible ratings there are; there should be a link to VASRD on this forum somewhere... or you can just google the acronym and find the document).

If you want to stay in, you need to make a case of being useful in your job at your rank/grade. Don't know how feasible this is for SF person with sleep disorder...but guessing it could be tough. It would be tough in the maintenance career field too...(which is what I do...). I think your best bet is to go for higher rating if it is justifiable per VASRD/incorrect diagnosis. Higher rating of 30% would get you retired pay, (regardless of Temporary retirement or Permanent retirement it is a cushion/guaranteed check either for up to 5 years (temporary retired) or life permanent....) Plus gets you TRICARE, access to base amenities like BX/PX, commissary, library...everything someone who retires with 20 years gets.

I would ALSO fill out the VA application and try to get rated with them, perhaps they will rate you higher than AF (This does NOT mean higher pay through VA necessarily....VA 30% rating means $300 and some change monthly; DOD 30% means base pay x 0.30=what your monthly check would be--for me the difference between the two is over $600.) But if you expect to be rated ALOT higher by VA, then is worth it to go through them. Plus anything they rate you on is covered health care wise through VA hospitals for life. You can do a Benefits prior to discharge application and submit it to VA rep with paper copy of your medical records as long as you have a guestimate of separation date and it is within a year. ALSO, if you end up being sure you are going to be separated/retired might be good to look into SSA and unemployment benefits. (SSA depending on your disability may/may not be available/approved.)
 
You don't mention what type of doctor diagnosed you originally or will be doing the diagnosis now. Did you have a sleep study, polysomnogram, multiple sleep latency test and or hypocretin test? What was done to determine you have hypersomnia rather than narcolepsy....just a comparison of symptoms? That is not how a diagnosis is made.
From your post it sounds like you're trying to stay in so it would be worth it to make sure your diagnosis is absolutely correct. The only way to make sure you have the correct diagnosis is research and know which tests are necessary know what is going on.
Good luck.
 
miles238,

Has your case gone to the IPEB yet or is it still in the MEB phase?
 
I went through the latency test and was diagnosed by a sleep specialist. He diagnosed me with Narcolepsy but in his notes mentioned hypersomnia so I looked into it a bit and saw that it's the same thing except narcolepsy is an all the time ordeal and hypersomnia is every once in a while. Since I haven't dealt with being tired for the last 5 months I decided to go for a second opinion so I'm having another latency test done to try to get a different diagnosis.

I've already been through the MEB and IPEB and my date to go down to TX is Aug 17.
 
Good luck with taht Miles. Just be aware that if you choose to apeal to SAFPC if you don't like the FPEB's decision that it will take a while. I appealed my Dec 2009 FPEB (paperwork arrived at SAFPC on 11 Jan 2010) and I am still waiting for an answer from SAFPC. Don't let that deter you if you don't get the answer you want, just be aware that the staff at the FPEB may tell you 90-120 days like they did for me.
 
Nope, I'm still waiting. Another guy I was talking to appealed at the beginning of Dec '09 and he just got his answer on the 16th of Sept. I'm figuring that means I'll have my answer in another 30-45 days.
 
Thanks for the update. I'm trying to figure out how long I should be expecting this to take. I don't mind waiting - just trying to get an idea. Will you let me know when your results actually come back? I'd appreciate it! Thanks and good luck!
 
No problem. I estimate that the entire process up through SECAF is taking between 18-20 months. Still no words here on my appeal but my hope is before 1 Nov I'll have an answer.
 
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