Left active duty and rated 100% VA. Now in the NG and was asked if I want to MEDBOARD… unsure of the benefits

Hello everybody,

I left active duty end of September 2021. I have almost 12 years of service (7 active). I joined the national guard, and was rated 100% by the VA in the meantime. I am an AMEDD officer in an AMEDD unit. I notified my unit and the head PA asked me if I wanted to go through an MEB. I said no, and he said we can revisit it if I want to in the future. I mostly do the national guard because tricare is extremely cheap, plus I figure if I retire my spouse can get tricare for life once I turn 60.

Anyways, I am really unsure what the benefits for getting medically retired are, as well as the risk that I could be medically separated without anything. My largest single rating is 70% for PTSD.

What is the risk of my family losing all access to tricare and me being separated without benefits if I say I want to go through an MEB? What are the benefits I can get if I MEDBOARD (besides not having to drill anymore).

Any advice would be much appreciated.
 
Click to expand...
I was active duty infantry for 9 years then was in national guard for 4 years before I was medboarded. My meb actually went pretty smooth. I was temporary retired for 2 years and just put on the PDRL and am happy with how it turned out.
 
Ghazg said:
Hello everybody,

I left active duty end of September 2021. I have almost 12 years of service (7 active). I joined the national guard, and was rated 100% by the VA in the meantime. I am an AMEDD officer in an AMEDD unit. I notified my unit and the head PA asked me if I wanted to go through an MEB. I said no, and he said we can revisit it if I want to in the future. I mostly do the national guard because tricare is extremely cheap, plus I figure if I retire my spouse can get tricare for life once I turn 60.

Anyways, I am really unsure what the benefits for getting medically retired are, as well as the risk that I could be medically separated without anything. My largest single rating is 70% for PTSD.

What is the risk of my family losing all access to tricare and me being separated without benefits if I say I want to go through an MEB? What are the benefits I can get if I MEDBOARD (besides not having to drill anymore).

Any advice would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Hello,

You would need at 30% or more DoD disability rating for retirement. That would qualify you for TRICARE. Your retired pay would be reduced by the amount of VA compensation you receive. You might qualify for CRSC--see links under my signature block.

You asked: "What is the risk of my family losing all access to tricare and me being separated without benefits if I say I want to go through an MEB?"
Reply: If you were separated rather than retired, you would lose Tricare. I am not sure if you are asking about the odds, but there are no guarantees.

Good luck,
Ron
 
Wouldn’t you be drilling for free on the weekends and annual training? They took back all my VA pay for any active duty preformed as I was getting VA pay. Can’t double dip. If you are non deployable they can force the MEB.
 
Ivorytower said:
Wouldn’t you be drilling for free on the weekends and annual training? They took back all my VA pay for any active duty preformed as I was getting VA pay. Can’t double dip. If you are non deployable they can force the MEB.
Click to expand...
You are correct about "Can't double dip."

I think this is the reason he continues his service: " I mostly do the national guard because tricare is extremely cheap"

Ron
 
RonG said:
You are correct about "Can't double dip."

I think this is the reason he continues his service: " I mostly do the national guard because tricare is extremely cheap"

Ron
Click to expand...
I get it. But he has a lot of time left and they will likely force a meb if it effects anything job wise or even PT. I would pull off the bandage fast. With 100% va I don’t know how you would get less than 30%. I’m actually quite shocked he was medically qualified to enlist.
 
RonG said:
Hello,

You would need at 30% or more DoD disability rating for retirement. That would qualify you for TRICARE. Your retired pay would be reduced by the amount of VA compensation you receive. You might qualify for CRSC--see links under my signature block.

You asked: "What is the risk of my family losing all access to tricare and me being separated without benefits if I say I want to go through an MEB?"
Reply: If you were separated rather than retired, you would lose Tricare. I am not sure if you are asking about the odds, but there are no guarantees.

Good luck,
Ron
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. I’m sure you can’t give “odds” but what do you think my chances of getting the 30% are? I read that VA and DoD disability are calculated differently.

Also, nice to see OSU colors on here (I am an OSU alumni).
 
Ivorytower said:
I get it. But he has a lot of time left and they will likely force a meb if it effects anything job wise or even PT. I would pull off the bandage fast. With 100% va I don’t know how you would get less than 30%. I’m actually quite shocked he was medically qualified to enlist.
Click to expand...
Yeah this is what I think I’m going to do.
There was no medical exam for me to transfer from active duty to national guard.
 
Ghazg said:
Yeah this is what I think I’m going to do.
There was no medical exam for me to transfer from active duty to national guard.
Click to expand...
I thought the DOD accepted the VA rating as the VA is the one doing the exam. If you are already rated 100% by the VA meeting the 30% minimum should be easy.

One question that needs to be asked is, since you had a break in service and or entered a new service contract after active duty discharge, is the current 100% va rating considered in the line of duty and are you entitled to any disability retirement or severance at all as it was preexisting.
 
Ivorytower said:
I thought the DOD accepted the VA rating as the VA is the one doing the exam. If you are already rated 100% by the VA meeting the 30% minimum should be easy.

One question that needs to be asked is, since you had a break in service and or entered a new service contract after active duty discharge, is the current 100% va rating considered in the line of duty and are you entitled to any disability retirement or severance at all as it was preexisting.
Click to expand...
Good question. But I’m an officer so I just transferred with a 4187. I didn’t sign any new contract.

Also, my injuries are combat deployment related.
 
Ivorytower said:
Wouldn’t you be drilling for free on the weekends and annual training? They took back all my VA pay for any active duty preformed as I was getting VA pay. Can’t double dip. If you are non deployable they can force the MEB.
Click to expand...
Almost. I’m an O-3 so over half my pay gets lost to losing VA disability for those MUTAs. Plus with paying the tricare premium… I’m basically breaking even. When I factor paying taxes on drill pay it’s probably a loss. So that’s why I think I have a lot to gain through getting a medical retirement.
 
Ghazg said:
Thanks for the info. I’m sure you can’t give “odds” but what do you think my chances of getting the 30% are? I read that VA and DoD disability are calculated differently.

Also, nice to see OSU colors on here (I am an OSU alumni).
Click to expand...
Hello @Ghazg

The DoD rating pertains only to conditions that make one unfit for continued service. The VA rating pertains to all conditions having a nexus to military service. Someone else might be able to give you some idea of your chances of approval for retirement. I do know some things about CRSC and I don't make predictions about those cases except the applications pertaining to Agent Orange in Vietnam.

Ahhh, an OKstate U. alum. I graduated from another university while in the Army, but I worked in the College of Engineering in Stillwater long enough to qualify for retirement. My son graduated from Stillwater High in 1997.

Good luck,
Ron

cc: @Provis
 
Ghazg said:
Thanks for the info. I’m sure you can’t give “odds” but what do you think my chances of getting the 30% are? I read that VA and DoD disability are calculated differently.

Also, nice to see OSU colors on here (I am an OSU alumni).
Click to expand...
You can find out the odds pretty easily once you know what conditions they are referring you to for MEB. Then look up the VA rating system for those conditions and compare ratings to your symptoms. So for example if you get bad migraines and are on profile for them and missing work for them you can look up migraines and the ratings for the VA. Then compare those symptoms with the VA ratings. Lets say you determine you are for sure at 30% and maybe at 50%. Then you know you will most likely qualify for a medical retirement as you only need 30% DOD ratings. In IDES the DOD ratings are taken from the VA ratings for the same condition which is great. No longer can the VA rate you one percentage and the DOD a lower one:)

@RonG
 
Ivorytower said:
Wouldn’t you be drilling for free on the weekends and annual training? They took back all my VA pay for any active duty preformed as I was getting VA pay. Can’t double dip. If you are non deployable they can force the MEB.
Click to expand...
People get this wrong all the time. The offset is day for day. That means that for the 4 drills performed in a month you wont’t get 4 of 30 days of VA disability pay. Do a YouTube search, there is a video from USARC explaining this.
 
Are you 100% P&T? If so your family should qualify for CHAMPVA and you would have access to the VA for medical care.
 
The national guard has a was of wiggling out of the medical retirement. They can say it was prior service condition as prior to NG and denial that way I would think. I was always in the guard was activated and they still called it prior service condition years later when I went though the med process. But if you can still do your job fight it out against them with an attorney if need be. NGB really drags out the process
 
Would you have to go through both the MEB and PEB portions of the process? Is it possible to get a profile, be found unfit (by someone outside of the MEB or PEB process), and then waive the process (both MEB and PEB) in favor of a discharge? If so, what type of discharge characterization do people get for opting into medical separation
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top