Questions on MEB brand new to forum

Anyone,
please help me understand a little better. Back in 2017 I deployed in Jan. and was medevacked back to the states by the end of March after being hospitalized in Germany at the Army base. They removed a tumor/ lesion from my stomach with Gastro. I have had the gastro maybe 3 times. I lost 35 lbs. from Jan to march i couldn't stop throwing up and had sever migraines. At the time of returning to the states i of course had a lot of tests done, like i did in Germany including, multiple MRIs, nuclear radiation testing, and a few others i cant remember. After coming back i was told and asked how i felt about an MEB and at the time it was out of the question for me. Some time has passed and after countless of times of er visits and appointments and medications i realized i needed to go to mental health. I've been diagnosed with MDD and PTSD after a really traumatic incident that i didn't deal with that happened before deployment... that's another story and i had to get a wavier through PEBLO just to PCS to be with my husband. I went in for my first PCM appointment at my new station and another thing is my ankle was sprained horribly back in July 2018 and still not recovering without full motion of my foot and i was told that i would probably have to MEB and my doctor said i either get better or i get out. I've talked with my husband and maybe i should just get out? But if i did id want to do it right.. with this being my second time with MEB being put on the table I'm worried its close to being out of my hands anymore. Does anyone have any advice?
 
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I have had back problems since like 2004. I was told at least a hundred times they wanted to put me in for an MEB and I fought each one. Fast forward to September 2018, that was the last time the brought it up and I said go for it. There has been circumstances that have changed my mind on it so I am just going with it. How long have you been in? My advice, depending on how long you've been in, just let it happen and roll with it. I do know they are cracking down now on not being deployment ready and getting rid of those that aren't so you may not have a choice either way. Best of luck to you!
 
It may not sound helpful but the best advice is to take care of you. Do what you feel is best for your health and situation. Honestly, while the doctors may have asked how you felt about an MEB, they are really not optional for the member. MEBs are driven by medical standards for retention. Any provider who is not doing one on a member that clearly needs one is ignoring the regulations. However, most will not initiate the process until they've reached a point of stability with the condition(s) or they pushed out the time as far as they could and are forced to do it.
 
Kbert84 said:
It may not sound helpful but the best advice is to take care of you. Do what you feel is best for your health and situation. Honestly, while the doctors may have asked how you felt about an MEB, they are really not optional for the member. MEBs are driven by medical standards for retention. Any provider who is not doing one on a member that clearly needs one is ignoring the regulations. However, most will not initiate the process until they've reached a point of stability with the condition(s) or they pushed out the time as far as they could and are forced to do it.
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@Kbert84 where are you stationed? Not sure if I asked you before or not.
 
Thank you so much... I cant even explain how confused I am about everything.. I have been in for a lil over 4 years. The first time MEB was brought up I truthfully just stopped going to the doctor, I was just so scared and didn't know what to do I thought id go away but of course it got worse til July 2018 when I hit rock bottom then was blessed with orders overseas. But now... I cant keep up with everything.. I don't have full motion of my ankle and my doc was not happy with me at all and said I could get MEB just from that because I'm not deployable.. and my ankle is the least of my worries. I'll be starting physical therapy soon and he said if that doesn't work we have to try something more extreme. My friend that works at the hospital said if they are not forcing it right now document as much as you can since you skipped out on going to the doctor being stubborn when you should've been so I could actually claim accurately.. but even that I don't even know how that stuff works... if you asked me honestly what's best for me id be that I need to get out but what would I do? How will I pay for things? What will the military think or me? or my entire family filled with military..
 
I completely understand. When I was first diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and prescribed immunosuppressive therapy I had the same fears. I considered not taking it and starting treatment when I retire (I was at 15 years when diagnosed... now coming up on 17). But I had to consider the damage this disease can do to me permanently. I would be of zero use to my family then. The military is always temporary.. I needed to take care of me for life after the military. If your conditions are severe enough, which they sound like they are but yes you must get good documentation in your records, then you stand a chance at being medically retired. And even if you were only separated you can apply for VA disability compensation.
The thought of leaving the military is terrifying for me and something I struggled to come to terms with... But at the end of the day I now realize that I will be better off not having to deal with the stressors of being active duty; especially if I cannot fulfill the expectations of deployment. After going through TAP I realized there are tons of opportunities for us to start anew in the civilian world... You just have to use them.
I will say that once the process starts and you elect the IDES over the LDES process (which I highly recommend); you will discover a new amount of frustration and impatience you never knew you had. But the longer process is worth getting through the VA claims before leaving the military.
 
Again, I can't explain how thankful I am for your advice, thank you. Another question if you don't mind, what is IDES AND LDES? Thanks for the recommendation !
 
cakebake12 said:
Again, I can't explain how thankful I am for your advice, thank you. Another question if you don't mind, what is IDES AND LDES? Thanks for the recommendation !
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No problem! This can all be so stressful; I am glad this forum exists for us to have other people who have similar experiences to talk to. :)
They are the 2 processes for MEBs. Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) and Legacy Disability Evaluation System (LDES). The IDES integrates VA claims into the process so if you are separated/retired you already have a rating from the VA and benefits kick in 30-60 days after you leave active duty. It is much longer than the LDES. The Legacy system does not involve the VA so you can be out much faster but you would file VA claims on your own after you are out. The claims can take much much longer when filed after separating.
 
That’s an understatement! But I am glad for this as well.. I agree IDES sounds way better of a plan. Should I get as much documented then bring up that I’m okay with the meb when I’m ready for as long as I can hold out?
 
Yes, I would ensure all of your conditions are thoroughly documented. As far as the MEB... if you feel strongly enough that it's time you can ask the PCM to initiate one (and they may or may not do it) but eventually it will be started anyway once you've been on profiles too long. I would venture to say you still have a good bit of time left. There is a group at the MTF that really controls the pace of things in the beginning called the Deployment Availability Working Group (DAWG). That is the group that initially decides whether or not you are fit for duty, continue to monitor, or start an Initial Review-in-Lieu of and MEB (IRILO). They meet monthly and review anyone that is on long standing profiles, too many exemptions PT for a certain amount of time, etc. Your PCM may have already referred you to the DAWG but definitely worth asking if you want to jump start the process.
 
Thank you for clarifying what DAWG stood for. I have been reading so many posts with that acronym and I did not have a clue what it meant. In the Navy we don't have that group. We are also not found fit or unfit in advance. It is done after our package has been submitted to the Physical Evaluation Board PEB.
 
GinaBelz said:
Thank you for clarifying what DAWG stood for. I have been reading so many posts with that acronym and I did not have a clue what it meant. In the Navy we don't have that group. We are also not found fit or unfit in advance. It is done after our package has been submitted to the Physical Evaluation Board PEB.
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No problem! After nearly 17 years there are still way too many acronyms I do not understand!
I should clarify though, when I say the DAWG finds people fit for duty, that really means they determined that the issues to do not contradict any medical retention standards and the member can return to duty. The PEB (if a package makes it that far) still makes the fit/unfit findings if the MEB conducted at the local MTF refers the package to them (as the MEB also has the ability to return someone to duty).
 
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cakebake12 said:
Thank you so much you’ve been a great help!
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Glad I can help! In full disclosure, I work in the Medical Group and was previously the Flight Chief for the section that oversees MEBs. So I have a decent understanding of how the process is supposed to work in the AF. I am by no means a subject matter expert though since I never worked directly in the MEB section but I have a great working relationship with our PEBLOs; which is good as I am going through this myself. Any time you have a question let me know and I can try and find an answer for you. It just gets difficult because this is the one area that I can say with absolute certainty that each case is different and what happens in one case may not happen in another.
 
Kbert84 said:
I


Glad I can help! In full disclosure, I work in the Medical Group and was previously the Flight Chief for the section that oversees MEBs. So I have a decent understanding of how the process is supposed to work in the AF. I am by no means a subject matter expert though since I never worked directly in the MEB section but I have a great working relationship with our PEBLOs; which is good as I am going through this myself. Any time you have a question let me know and I can try and find an answer for you. It just gets difficult because this is the one area that I can say with absolute certainty that each case is different and what happens in one case may not happen in another.
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Tell me about it! One member may be found fit for duty while another member gets 100%. There is absolutely no transparency.
 
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