Pretty good pace so far...

usafaviator

usafaviator

PEB Forum Regular Member
PEB Forum Veteran
I'm pretty amazed with the VA here in Omaha...I needed 6 appointments, and they had me scheduled for all on them in the same week, about a week after I met with the VA rep on base. So, from the time I was in briefed by my PEBLO to being complete with the VA appointments has been about 2.5 weeks. The VA doc said that he will have his narrative complete by mid week next week and in the PEBLO and my PCM's hands by the end on next week and out to the regional VA the same day and will call me to let me know when it has been sent. I talked to my PCM today and he said he would have my NARSUM complete within 5 calendar days of receiving the finding from the VA doc, then I sign and it's off to the PEB. He said (based on other cases here in the Heartland) that we should know by end of July fit or unfit and ratings.

Time from in briefing with PEBLO to VA C&P complete= 2.5 weeks
Expected time (per VA doc) from C&P complete to narrative being sent off=6 days
Expected time from PCM receiving narrative to PCM complete NARSUM, my signing it and it being sent off (per my PCM)= 5 days
Expected time before hearing back from PEB and VA= 1.5-2 months

Total time I was told to expect from MEB initialization to findings and ratings back 3-4 months

Of course, we will see what the timeline ends up being, but it has moved pretty quick so far...so hopefully it continues. I'm ready for anything though. Doc told me today that there is a 95% chance of my being retired..
 
Updated as of 6/16/2012

- Time from in briefing with PEBLO to VA C&P complete= 2.5 weeks
- C&P complete to narrative being sent off to PCM/PEBLO/Regional VA=7 days


- Expected time from PCM receiving narrative to PCM complete NARSUM, my signing it and it being sent off (per my PCM)= 5 days
- Expected time before hearing back from PEB and VA= 1-2 months

Total time I was told to expect from MEB initialization to findings and ratings back 3-4 months
 
Sounds like your case is moving fast I finished my va appointments july 9 and still no word.
 
Update:
Official MEB breifing: 8 May 2012
VA Rep meeting: 10 May 2012
VA C&P appts complete: 6 June 2012
VA narrative received by PCM/NARSUM started: 18 June 2012
NARSUM complete, revisions requested: 2 July 2012
Revised NARSUM complete, MEB package signed: 3 July 2012
MEB package sent to IPEB: 5 July 2012
Package received by IPEB: 12 July 2012
Package checked in to board: 16 July 2012

My original timeline posted above was slightly off (guess that's what I get for trying to go off memory), so I consulted my journal for actual dates here. So, it has been about a little over 2 months from my official MEB briefing to my package sitting in front of the IPEB. It would have been shorter, but we were considering a lung biopsy for a few weeks...which I finally declined due to the potential medical gain vs. risks.
VA Ebenes has me in the Preparation for Decision (rating) phase.
 
Update:
I called AFPC today and was informed that my package was sent from the PEB to the VA Sep 4th....looks like I'm being retired (expected it anyway, but good to have some "solidification"). The lady I spoke to was irritated and said that I have to go through my PEBLO. I told her that the AF decided not to renew my main PEBLO's contract, and he failed to inform me that he is no longer employed there. She was still irritated, so I kindly told her that the information that she had given me was all that I was asking for this whole time, and said thank you very much for your help on the issue...she calmed down quite a bit after that.

Update:
Official MEB breifing: 8 May 2012
VA Rep meeting: 10 May 2012
VA C&P appts complete: 6 June 2012
VA narrative received by PCM/NARSUM started: 18 June 2012
NARSUM complete, revisions requested: 2 July 2012
Revised NARSUM complete, MEB package signed: 3 July 2012
MEB package sent to IPEB: 5 July 2012
Package received by IPEB: 12 July 2012
Package checked in to board: 16 July 2012
Package sent from PEB to VA: 4 Sept 2012

As expected, my timeline has been longer than I was initially told (surprise) and posted in my original post. It has taken about 2 months from the time my package was received by the PEB for them to review, find me unfit and forward to the VA...and a few of my conditions are pretty complex and most likely took extra review. Next post should be when I contact the VA about my proposed ratings and when they send them back to the PEB.

Ebenefits still has me in the Preparation for Decision phase
 
Hi Usafaviator,

Congrats on the updates and good news, with an end in sight. Do you mind me asking what your complex issues were? I was diagnosed on Title 10 in July 2012 with ARVC which is a heart disease that is progressed by physical exercise and I have a doctors letter stating/proving it's aggravated by my military service. The only issues as of right now that I would be claiming is my sustained vtach, and having a ICD. I'm just trying to get a sense of a timeline and what I should be getting. Congrats again.

Tim B
 
Thanks Tim. My referred issues were: obstructive and restrictive lung disease (constrictive bronchiolitis), asthma (multiple steroids and other meds)...severe OSA/mixed central, having to transition from CPAP to BIPAP and still have extremely high AHI and other symptoms (BIPAP isn't working)...Hashimoto's Thyroditis (auto-immune disease) and hypothyroidism....DDD and narrowing of lower back, mild scolosis (sp) with sciatica in both legs and compartment syndrome in right calf with a torn gastroc muscle. Additionally, I use outpatient oxygen daily. The complexity comes in with the lung and OSA issues...the obstructive lung disease cannot be combined with the OSA, but the restrictive lung disease can (both can be rated separately), and the restrictive lung disease (coupled with the oxygen usage) rates at 100%. What I'm interested in seeing is if they combined ratings or only rated the highest conditions. For example, if they combined my obstructive and restrictive lung disease together with the OSA and only rate OSA (50%) and totally disregard the prescription oxygen, then I'll probably be looking at an FPEB.
Sorry for all the jumping around, told you there was some complexity there.:confused: Not to mention that all my lung and thyroid issues have been linked to the burn pits at Balad and have been documented that way many times in my records and post deployment med assessments, so I'll be fighting a case for CRSC.
 
Update 13 Sep 12:
Official MEB breifing: 8 May 2012
VA Rep meeting: 10 May 2012
VA C&P appts complete: 6 June 2012
VA narrative received by PCM/NARSUM started: 18 June 2012
NARSUM complete, revisions requested: 2 July 2012
Revised NARSUM complete, MEB package signed: 3 July 2012
MEB package sent to IPEB: 5 July 2012
Package received by IPEB: 12 July 2012
Package checked in to board: 16 July 2012
Package sent from PEB to VA: 4 Sept 2012
Package in process for proposed ratings and generating answer to PEB: 6 Sept 2012

Ebenefits still says Preparation for Decision

I Talked to VA today and they said that they will send out the proposed ratings to the PEB, my PEBLO and myself once complete. I plan to give it till next week until I check up on it again.
 
Nice update. Still waiting on a response from my IRIS inquiry.
 
Ebenefits today changed back to Review of Evidence today...who knows? Hopefully it is because they are prepping the memo to send back to the PEB soon.
 
Negative. Mostly Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Columbia 2001-2004...Iraq/Afghanistan many times between 2004-2007. Balad 6 months in 2006.
 
I was in Mosul from April to Sept 2003. I was exposed to the Sulfur Fire which burned about a month. DOD Combat-Related the incident, but failed to contact the Soldiers. It was a Business Decision for DOD.
 
Also noticed that (along with being back into Review of Evidence Phase from Prep for Decision), my claim was sent from the Baltimore Regional VA to Providence VA. It seems more now like: the VA had already completed my proposed ratings and put me in Prep for Decision phase, the PEB sent the unfit memo and request for ratings, then the Baltimore VA forwarded my proposed ratings and memo to the Providence VA to complete final ratings and answer the PEB memo (hopefully soon). This, like most everything in this system, is purely speculation.

Jayson69 said:
I was in Mosul from April to Sept 2003. I was exposed to the Sulfur Fire which burned about a month. DOD Combat-Related the incident, but failed to contact the Soldiers. It was a Business Decision for DOD.
Click to expand...

I agree Jayson....looks like we are all in for a fight in re to burn pits/fires.:(
 
Aviator,

If you want a copy of the proposed ratings, give a Disabled American Vets. (or other service org.) your power of attorney. they can pull all the VA notes as well as the prepared letter. I had the same thing happen (move from prep for decision to gather evidence) they were asking for more info in VA lingo from the C&P examiner.

I got the letter within a week of it being written. Two months later still waiting for the VA and army to provide the same info with the 199.

I had fun with the burn pits in HOA.
 
eagleone said:
Aviator,

If you want a copy of the proposed ratings, give a Disabled American Vets. (or other service org.) your power of attorney. they can pull all the VA notes as well as the prepared letter. I had the same thing happen (move from prep for decision to gather evidence) they were asking for more info in VA lingo from the C&P examiner.

I got the letter within a week of it being written. Two months later still waiting for the VA and army to provide the same info with the 199.

I had fun with the burn pits in HOA.
Click to expand...

Finally reached the DAV today and will be getting my POA to them today as well...hopefully they can give better info than my MSC has been.

I was also informed that a large number of cases were forwarded from Baltimore to Providence VA because Baltimore was doing a "bad job" with keeping up. If anybody has their case at Baltimore, and notice in Ebenefits that your regional has changed to Providence, you may want to conduct an inquiry to ensure that your package is, in fact, there and not "misplaced".:(
 
usafaviator said:
Finally reached the DAV today and will be getting my POA to them today as well...hopefully they can give better info than my MSC has been.

I was also informed that a large number of cases were forwarded from Baltimore to Providence VA because Baltimore was doing a "bad job" with keeping up. If anybody has their case at Baltimore, and notice in Ebenefits that your regional has changed to Providence, you may want to conduct an inquiry to ensure that your package is, in fact, there and not "misplaced".:(
Click to expand...

My DAV NSO has shared everything including the low-level communication between the rater and reviewer. It would have given me a couple months extra to let me properly gather information to submit if I disagreed with their proposals. It also let me see that increasing the two of my claims would have moved me from 79% to 84%. Wouldn't make a difference.
 
eagleone said:
My DAV NSO has shared everything including the low-level communication between the rater and reviewer. It would have given me a couple months extra to let me properly gather information to submit if I disagreed with their proposals. It also let me see that increasing the two of my claims would have moved me from 79% to 84%. Wouldn't make a difference.
Click to expand...

That is what I'm hoping for...being prepared if my returned ratings aren't where they are supposed to be. Would increasing the ratings have brought you up to 100% VA, or were you already there? I get what you are saying about the 79% to 84% DoD rating increase not helping because the most you will get paid at is 75% DoD. I sent the PoA off today, so they should get it tomorrow or Thursday...then maybe I can get the inside scoop.;)
 
Wow! I'm glad your timeline is moving at a decent pace. Hopefully, you will get some wonderful news soon!
 
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