PCMs and MEBs

[embalmerswife]

My husband (mortuary affairs) returned in February 2007 from Iraq. After fighting tooth and nail to get him help, I was able to get him hospitalized in December. Fort Lee told me there was nothing wrong with him until the day he described in great detail how he was planning on slitting his throat in the company office. He spent five weeks inpatient at Portsmouth Naval Medical Center where the doctors were absolutely wonderful and took extremely good care of him. Portsmouth documented and began treatment for many problems in addition to the severe PTSD (P3), knee problems we had been trying to get Fort Lee to pay attention to (P3), blood in the digestive track traced back to a year of ibuprofen for the knee, sleep apnea, a mTBI, and now a cyst in his brain. I had to fight to get him into WTU here (his command was completely supportive and went with me in addition to offering to write the Congressional for me). When he was released from the hospital, he was allowed into WTU (after multiple meetings and letters up the chain of command.) We have had to fight for everything. Our specialists' visits have taken 2 months to schedule each one. His NCM in WTU doesn't know anything. I've made sure all the psych care continued at Portsmouth. The other things WTU is able to schedule, but they don't know which way is up.
I asked WTU to reevaluate his mental condition in April, they never talked to him (NCM hadn't spoken to him in over a week or to his psychologist). I was told the last time they talked to him he was fine. He had to be readmitted the next day to the psych ward. I was lucky enough that he knew he needed to be there and checked himself in because WTu didn't think he needed to be there.
Now we are facing MEB. His PCM is hte person that does the MEB physical. The PCM told my husband he didn't have time for him, he (PCM) had other things to do than take care of him. Now this doctor is also on his MEB. All of this to ask, can the PCM be on the MEB under the new provisions of the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act? I basically feel like the Army here has screwed us all the way around and that its going to happen again.
As you can tell, I'm an extremely frustrated wife!!

[builtgypsy]

That is an absolutely horrible thing to have to hear from someone who's supposed to be giving you aide. I am so sorry and disappointed to hear that you and your husband have both had to struggle to get this far. It makes me even happier to welcome you here though, where there's nothing but supportive people who are anxious to see servicemembers treated the right way. I wish you the best of luck in finding your answers here, it never takes long.

[Jason]

embalmerswife,

Welcome! I am sorry to hear about the frustrating way your husband's case has been handled. There is not much that can be done about the MEB composition, this is a decision made by the MTF Commander and the Deputy Commander for Clinical Services. It would be very difficult to show bias or impropriety enough to get him removed.

What I would suggest is just being aware of the rating criteria and the evidence in his case. If the MEB comes back with errors, you can disagree. This is important because it may cause them to revise the MEB, and it also signals to the PEB that you have a consistent view of the case, which helps in my opinion.

Please let us know any questions.

[embalmerswife]

What exactly is the "independent medical advocate" for the MEB mentioned in the 2007 Act? I don't think it's the PEBLO because that position is described in a later section of the law?? Also, I would like to know how many NARSUMs he is supposed to have. His psychiatrist from the hospital wrote a NARSUM that covered everything in January, but the PEBLO told him that the Fort Lee MEB (his PCM) had to do the Part 2 and then write a NARSUM. Now they're saying the orthopedist has to write a NARSUM, and the PCM/MEB doc still hasn't written his NARSUM. Are we going to have to have one from the gastroenterologist, the neuropsychiatrist, the audiologist, the psychologist, etc.? His original separation date is August, are they going to extend us while they finish
the paperwork??
Thanks