Air Force DES DVD for the AF

[see17fly]

Has anyone in the AF seen the DVD providing an overview to the Disability Evaluation System (DES) process? It is around 50 minutes long and gives three scenarios of individuals going through the MEB process.

I now know another reason why I have been confused with disability pay/compensation because the female CMSgt scenario doesn't make sense at all. She has 24 years in the AF and was offered permanent retirement with a 20% disability rating at the Informal Board.

She appealed and requested a Formal Board hearing asking for a 40% disability rating versus the 20% she was earlier offered. So she went through all of this time and trouble to gather documentation to justify the 40% rating. The Formal Board agreed with her and gave her the 40% rating she asked for.

Why would a Chief with 24 years AD service that is already entitled to 60% retirement fight long and hard for a useless rating of 40%? She will only receive whichever is higher; her retirement rating or the disability rating.

This is one of the reasons I was confused thinking 20% disability rating for my permanent retirement would be better than my 55% retirement (22 yrs in AD currently)

Why would they produce a scenario like this and just confuse people more? Or am I just missing something?

[Purple]

see17fly,

I saw the DVD. I remember the female CMSGT. Now that you mention it, her situation is confusing.

Maybe they used her condition only as a scenario to show what actions to take if one decides to appeal, but did not realize her circumstances may be confusing...

[builtgypsy]

If she's guaranteed that 60% already, fighting at the formal is a great way to add 3-4+ months to the process, so she has the chance to continue getting paid base pay, BAH, etc. That scenario would make perfect sense to me if that was the reason behind it.