MacDill AFB/Fort Stuart Timeline

R

RedCurrahee

PEB Forum Regular Member
Registered Member
I am an Army E6 stationed with CENTCOM at MacDill AFB in Tampa, FL. As it is a Joint command here all Army MEBs are sent to Fort Stuart, GA for processing. I have one referred condition and its for Fibromyalgia. I also have 12 other claimed conditions. I hope this timeline can help others in this area or at Joint commands. The below timeline started in February 2022 but my condition first began in February 2020.

1. 08 FEB referred to MEB by my PCM
2. 28 FEB contacted by IDES contact rep and provided several forms to fill out.
3. 01 MAR forms submitted to IDES contact rep
4. 03 MAR IDES briefing on Microsoft Teams
5. 23 MAR IDES contact rep notifies my commander I have been approved to continue MEB process and he needs to complete the commanders statement DA Form 7652
6. 23 MAR I fill out the DA Form 7652 myself and submit to my commander for signature
7. 30 MAR MEB provider at Fort Stuart determines I have reached MRDP and initially found unfit so MEB process will continue
8. 30 MAR my commander sends me the signed DA 7652 and I forward to my PEBLO
9. 31 MAR contacted by VA MSC and provided VA forms 21-526EZ and 21-686c to fill out
10. 04 APR submitted completed VA forms to VA MSC
11. 04 APR reached out to Legal at Fort Stuart and told I need to wait till I get my NARSUM before getting legal counsel from them
12. 11 APR QTC C&P exams scheduled
13. 15 APR General exam, X-rays, Audiology, and labs completed
14. 18 APR Psych Eval completed
15. 19 APR Audiology DBQ uploaded to Tricare Online (TOL) under Documents
16. 25 APR Dental (final C&P exam) completed
17. 29 APR Dental and Psych Eval DBQs uploaded to TOL
18. 06 MAY General exam DBQ and X-Rays and Labs uploaded in TOL
19. 19 MAY QTC releases results from C&P exams and VA MSC sends them to my PEBLO for NARSUM write up
20. 20 MAY I write up a memo contesting my General exam results and send it to my PEBLO for inclusion in my MEB packet
21. 09 JUN NARSUM received stating MEB is unable to give a diagnosis for my referred condition and finds me fit for duty and recommends I'm returned to duty with no restrictions
22. 09 JUN notify legal of results of NARSUM and set up appointment for 22 JUN, I notify my PEBLO I am meeting with legal and sign my NARSUM stating I'm submitting a rebuttal
23. 10 JUN reach out to my PCM requesting statement from him in support of my claim for Fibromyalgia and also request statements from my supervisor and 2 peers
24. 22 JUN meet with Fort Stuart OSC attorney over phone and discuss issues with NARSUM and submit supporting medical documents, supporting statements from peers, supervisor, and from PCM
25. 29 JUN attorney sends me rebuttal statement he wrote up for my review and I submit to my PEBLO along with supporting documents
26. 05 JUL MEB accepts my rebuttal and makes necessary changes to my claim to show they find me unfit, providing me with a memo showing changes made. My claim is sent by MEB to PEB
27. 13 JUL assigned a new PEBLO as my old one is retiring
28. 19 JUL PEB finds me unfit and they send my claim to D-RAS for VA ratings.
29. 20 JUL I am told by my PEBLO it will take 30 to 60 days to get proposed VA ratings but my VA MSC then tells me the VA is given up to 130 days to provide proposed ratings! But PEBLO reassures me that they are averaging about 60 days right now
30. Next step is to get proposed VA ratings so PEB can write up my 199 form, I'm looking at anoth 4 or more possibly

The reason I think the MEB initially gave me no diagnosis for Fibromyalgia was because the doctor for my General exam didnt write much at all in her notes on the DBQ and didnt understand how Fibromyalgia is diagnosed so she wrote due to no pathology or anything popping up on xrays and mris she gave me no diagnosis. Also I think the MEB doctors overlooked my diagnosis for Fibromyalgia by two Rheumatologists and some other important medical records. I pointed these things out in my rebuttal and I think that stuff along with the statements from peers and my PCM made the difference.

Its a long and arduous process but I have learned you just need to be patient and have good communication with all involved. Don't let it get to you. Ask lots of questions and clarify everything to make sure you understand whats going on. Study this forum but keep in mind everyone's case is different. Above all treat each person working your case with respect and dignity, I think they get a lot of flack and it really wears them down. Be a positive part of their day and it just might work in your favor, but if not at least you treated them the way you would want to be treated. I really hope this info helps others out!
 
RedCurrahee said:
I am an Army E6 stationed with CENTCOM at MacDill AFB in Tampa, FL. As it is a Joint command here all Army MEBs are sent to Fort Stuart, GA for processing. I have one referred condition and its for Fibromyalgia. I also have 12 other claimed conditions. I hope this timeline can help others in this area or at Joint commands. The below timeline started in February 2022 but my condition first began in February 2020.

1. 08 FEB referred to MEB by my PCM
2. 28 FEB contacted by IDES contact rep and provided several forms to fill out.
3. 01 MAR forms submitted to IDES contact rep
4. 03 MAR IDES briefing on Microsoft Teams
5. 23 MAR IDES contact rep notifies my commander I have been approved to continue MEB process and he needs to complete the commanders statement DA Form 7652
6. 23 MAR I fill out the DA Form 7652 myself and submit to my commander for signature
7. 30 MAR MEB provider at Fort Stuart determines I have reached MRDP and initially found unfit so MEB process will continue
8. 30 MAR my commander sends me the signed DA 7652 and I forward to my PEBLO
9. 31 MAR contacted by VA MSC and provided VA forms 21-526EZ and 21-686c to fill out
10. 04 APR submitted completed VA forms to VA MSC
11. 04 APR reached out to Legal at Fort Stuart and told I need to wait till I get my NARSUM before getting legal counsel from them
12. 11 APR QTC C&P exams scheduled
13. 15 APR General exam, X-rays, Audiology, and labs completed
14. 18 APR Psych Eval completed
15. 19 APR Audiology DBQ uploaded to Tricare Online (TOL) under Documents
16. 25 APR Dental (final C&P exam) completed
17. 29 APR Dental and Psych Eval DBQs uploaded to TOL
18. 06 MAY General exam DBQ and X-Rays and Labs uploaded in TOL
19. 19 MAY QTC releases results from C&P exams and VA MSC sends them to my PEBLO for NARSUM write up
20. 20 MAY I write up a memo contesting my General exam results and send it to my PEBLO for inclusion in my MEB packet
21. 09 JUN NARSUM received stating MEB is unable to give a diagnosis for my referred condition and finds me fit for duty and recommends I'm returned to duty with no restrictions
22. 09 JUN notify legal of results of NARSUM and set up appointment for 22 JUN, I notify my PEBLO I am meeting with legal and sign my NARSUM stating I'm submitting a rebuttal
23. 10 JUN reach out to my PCM requesting statement from him in support of my claim for Fibromyalgia and also request statements from my supervisor and 2 peers
24. 22 JUN meet with Fort Stuart OSC attorney over phone and discuss issues with NARSUM and submit supporting medical documents, supporting statements from peers, supervisor, and from PCM
25. 29 JUN attorney sends me rebuttal statement he wrote up for my review and I submit to my PEBLO along with supporting documents
26. 05 JUL MEB accepts my rebuttal and makes necessary changes to my claim to show they find me unfit, providing me with a memo showing changes made. My claim is sent by MEB to PEB
27. 13 JUL assigned a new PEBLO as my old one is retiring
28. 19 JUL PEB finds me unfit and they send my claim to D-RAS for VA ratings.
29. 20 JUL I am told by my PEBLO it will take 30 to 60 days to get proposed VA ratings but my VA MSC then tells me the VA is given up to 130 days to provide proposed ratings! But PEBLO reassures me that they are averaging about 60 days right now
30. Next step is to get proposed VA ratings so PEB can write up my 199 form, I'm looking at anoth 4 or more possibly

The reason I think the MEB initially gave me no diagnosis for Fibromyalgia was because the doctor for my General exam didnt write much at all in her notes on the DBQ and didnt understand how Fibromyalgia is diagnosed so she wrote due to no pathology or anything popping up on xrays and mris she gave me no diagnosis. Also I think the MEB doctors overlooked my diagnosis for Fibromyalgia by two Rheumatologists and some other important medical records. I pointed these things out in my rebuttal and I think that stuff along with the statements from peers and my PCM made the difference.

Its a long and arduous process but I have learned you just need to be patient and have good communication with all involved. Don't let it get to you. Ask lots of questions and clarify everything to make sure you understand whats going on. Study this forum but keep in mind everyone's case is different. Above all treat each person working your case with respect and dignity, I think they get a lot of flack and it really wears them down. Be a positive part of their day and it just might work in your favor, but if not at least you treated them the way you would want to be treated. I really hope this info helps others out!
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Between items 4 and 5 was this when you were waiting on you MRDP Review Because this is what is currently holding my process back by over a month as well as them not assigning me a PEBLO.
 
SGT35NJF said:
Between items 4 and 5 was this when you were waiting on you MRDP Review Because this is what is currently holding my process back by over a month as well as them not assigning me a PEBLO.
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It was actually between items 4 and 7 that I was awaiting MDRP determination from the MEB. It took about 7 weeks from when I first was referred to the MEB by my PCM until I received my MRDP review from the MEB. If it’s been over a month for you then you should be getting word on it soon I would think. Reach out to your PEBLO or contact rep if you don’t have a PEBLO yet to find out what’s going on.
 
New update to above timeline:
31. 08 AUG I check my claim on VA.gov and see they closed my claim and sent me a decision letter stating I should receive it in 7 to 10 business days. I contact my VA MSC who tells me the VA gave me a combined rating of 90% and they are now waiting for DoD to send in their rating for my Fibromyalgia. I notify my PEBLO who tells me it may be 2 to 3 weeks before we receive the letter from the VA showing my individual ratings and how they made their decision. All this waiting all the time but at least I’m getting close now.
 
RedCurrahee said:
It was actually between items 4 and 7 that I was awaiting MDRP determination from the MEB. It took about 7 weeks from when I first was referred to the MEB by my PCM until I received my MRDP review from the MEB. If it’s been over a month for you then you should be getting word on it soon I would think. Reach out to your PEBLO or contact rep if you don’t have a PEBLO yet to find out what’s going on.
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So I was told that the reviewers are backlogged and that my MRDP won't be until the 12th of September and until that happens I will not be assigned a PEBLO.
 
SGT35NJF said:
So I was told that the reviewers are backlogged and that my MRDP won't be until the 12th of September and until that happens I will not be assigned a PEBLO.
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Sorry to hear that. They often times tell you timelines that are far out but then your stuff happens earlier, not every time but a lot of times that happens. I think they just don’t want you getting anxious and calling them all the time if they give you a shorter timeline and it’s getting close and you haven’t heard anything yet. It shouldn’t take them that long just for your MRDP cuz they just check your referred conditions and see where they stand according to what the regulations say for medical retention and then determine whether or not it’s an unfitting condition. If it is then you meet MRDP and the process continues to the MEB. Hopefully they get to it earlier than September 12th.
 
RedCurrahee said:
New update to above timeline:
31. 08 AUG I check my claim on VA.gov and see they closed my claim and sent me a decision letter stating I should receive it in 7 to 10 business days. I contact my VA MSC who tells me the VA gave me a combined rating of 90% and they are now waiting for DoD to send in their rating for my Fibromyalgia. I notify my PEBLO who tells me it may be 2 to 3 weeks before we receive the letter from the VA showing my individual ratings and how they made their decision. All this waiting all the time but at least I’m getting close now.
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I called the VA yesterday asking for my decision letter. They "emailed" it to me but I don't see it yet. I just reached out to my MSC. Hopefully he has some news.
 
williamjbrown said:
I called the VA yesterday asking for my decision letter. They "emailed" it to me but I don't see it yet. I just reached out to my MSC. Hopefully he has some news.
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Were you able to get the letter from the VA? I also called them yesterday and the guy emailed it to me, although it’s not the official letter yet. I got the email about 15 minutes after he sent it. My only issue with it is they didn’t mention my referred condition which is Fibromyalgia. Instead they are claiming it as cervical strain and lumbosacral strain and only giving me 10% and 20% for those whereas I would be getting 40% if they classified it as Fibromyalgia. So I might have to appeal that depending on what the official letter says. I hope you got your letter. Check your spam if you didn’t, it might be in there.
 
I was able to get it. I had them send it again. So upon review most if not all of my issues were in theetter and given a percentage. According to my math I'm at 90%. I do have a few questions.
1. My number two issue was my bruxism, aka teeth grinding. It was at 30%. But jumping down to the explanation they bumped it to 50% and added my mental issues with it. I sent an email to my PEBLO asking for answers. In all honesty I'm just going to take my 90% and re-address the issues when I'm out. I don't want to wait another 4-5 months with the appeal process
 
williamjbrown said:
I was able to get it. I had them send it again. So upon review most if not all of my issues were in theetter and given a percentage. According to my math I'm at 90%. I do have a few questions.
1. My number two issue was my bruxism, aka teeth grinding. It was at 30%. But jumping down to the explanation they bumped it to 50% and added my mental issues with it. I sent an email to my PEBLO asking for answers. In all honesty I'm just going to take my 90% and re-address the issues when I'm out. I don't want to wait another 4-5 months with the appeal process
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They did the same thing with me for Bruxism. I didn’t even claim that but I guess the dentist annotated it. They added that and sleep disorder with the mental issues bumping it up to 50% just like you. I’m just concerned I will have to appeal it since they didn’t put my referred condition Fibromyalgia in the letter. I don’t want to have to go through several more months of waiting. I have a house in closing on at the end of August in another state and need to get my family home and settled. Army won’t move them unless I have orders and I’ve contacted TMO, MPD, Finance, and several other places trying to find out if there’s an exception to policy for the Army to pay to move my family but no one has an answer other than gotta have orders. I don’t want to be paying all my BAH on on base housing plus my whole mortgage! This process is just ridiculous sometimes. We will see what happens, just trusting and praying it all comes together and works out, I’m sure it will. I wish you the best in your process!
 
**UPDATE**
32. PEBLO emailed me today, 12 AUG, and notified me that the VA has submitted ratings back to the PEB and my claim is now in a pending typing status with the PEB. I assume that means they are working on typing up my 199 form.
 
**UPDATE**
33. 19 AUG, PEBLO notifies me that my 199 form is complete and emails it to me along with my VA letter with proposed ratings. 0% DoD and 90% VA. I accepted the ratings after thinking on it half the day, I will explain below.

34. 22 AUG, I call the Fort Stuart Transitions office and they notify me that my discharge date is set for 18 NOV. With the amount of leave I have saved and 20 days of PTDY looking at finalling out on 10 SEP. Gives me a very limited time frame to work with. As of today, 23 AUG, still waiting for orders to schedule household goods pickup and start out processing. Hopefully get them soon!

So the reason I accepted the ratings is first of all I bought a home and just closed on it and want to get home before mortgage payments kick in. Secondly, if I requested an FPEB, which I actually have a pretty strong case for, they are currently scheduling those for January/February which would put me at getting out springtime most likely. Thirdly, with a 0% DoD rating I don’t have to worry about recoupment of any of my severance pay and I will also be receiving monthly VA pay at the 90% rating. The only concern is when it comes to taxes my severance pay is initially taxed and then I will also be placed in a higher tax bracket and may have to pay some taxes. But as it is for disability pay I can go on the DFAS website and submit a ticket with some paperwork to get a refund for some of the taxed severance pay.

The reason I received 0% DoD was due to the VA not rating me for Fibromyalgia. Initially during the MEB phase I had to submit a rebuttal due to them labeling my Fibromyalgia as Polyarthropathy and stating I had no diagnosis in my medical records for Polyarthropathy. Apparently there was a discrepancy during the MEB phase and they did not communicate with the VA or something notifying them that they should be rating me for Fibromyalgia and I should be scheduled for an exam for that. According to my PEBLO the MEB should have been restarted when I submitted my rebuttal so that my Fibromyalgia was rated appropriately. Since this didn’t happen the VA did rate my Fibromyalgia at all and as this was what the DoD was rating as my unfitting condition they gave me 0%. Now what I have been advised by my PEBLO to do is to file a new claim for Fibromyalgia and once I am out the VA will schedule me for an exam and I can receive a rating for that which might push my combined rating to 100%. Feel free to provide your thoughts on this situation. I’m no expert and just learning along the way and trying to make the best decisions for my family.
 
RedCurrahee said:
**UPDATE**
33. 19 AUG, PEBLO notifies me that my 199 form is complete and emails it to me along with my VA letter with proposed ratings. 0% DoD and 90% VA. I accepted the ratings after thinking on it half the day, I will explain below.

34. 22 AUG, I call the Fort Stuart Transitions office and they notify me that my discharge date is set for 18 NOV. With the amount of leave I have saved and 20 days of PTDY looking at finalling out on 10 SEP. Gives me a very limited time frame to work with. As of today, 23 AUG, still waiting for orders to schedule household goods pickup and start out processing. Hopefully get them soon!

So the reason I accepted the ratings is first of all I bought a home and just closed on it and want to get home before mortgage payments kick in. Secondly, if I requested an FPEB, which I actually have a pretty strong case for, they are currently scheduling those for January/February which would put me at getting out springtime most likely. Thirdly, with a 0% DoD rating I don’t have to worry about recoupment of any of my severance pay and I will also be receiving monthly VA pay at the 90% rating. The only concern is when it comes to taxes my severance pay is initially taxed and then I will also be placed in a higher tax bracket and may have to pay some taxes. But as it is for disability pay I can go on the DFAS website and submit a ticket with some paperwork to get a refund for some of the taxed severance pay.

The reason I received 0% DoD was due to the VA not rating me for Fibromyalgia. Initially during the MEB phase I had to submit a rebuttal due to them labeling my Fibromyalgia as Polyarthropathy and stating I had no diagnosis in my medical records for Polyarthropathy. Apparently there was a discrepancy during the MEB phase and they did not communicate with the VA or something notifying them that they should be rating me for Fibromyalgia and I should be scheduled for an exam for that. According to my PEBLO the MEB should have been restarted when I submitted my rebuttal so that my Fibromyalgia was rated appropriately. Since this didn’t happen the VA did rate my Fibromyalgia at all and as this was what the DoD was rating as my unfitting condition they gave me 0%. Now what I have been advised by my PEBLO to do is to file a new claim for Fibromyalgia and once I am out the VA will schedule me for an exam and I can receive a rating for that which might push my combined rating to 100%. Feel free to provide your thoughts on this situation. I’m no expert and just learning along the way and trying to make the best decisions for my family.
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I understand your reasoning but would have delayed it because Tricare healthcare is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars over the lifetime of you and your family. There are some assumptions on the VA side for 100%. I would have tried to find a way to close on the house without needing to be out of the military before hand. That's just me. Time will tell if that decision was a good one or not.
 
I agree with Provis. Tricare is worth it. I understand you are between a rock and hard place with the mortgage, but making sure your conditions are right and accurately rated is worth the wait IMO.
 
@Provis and Oxalate, thank you for your input. I understand the points you both made and I did think on these things. The truth of the matter is my wife does not like Tricare at all and would rather pay out of pocket so she can choose the specific doctor/place she wants to go. Tricare prime and select both have restrictions on what places will accept them. Time will tell as you say whether this was the right decision or not. But I am content with the outcome and the timing works out pretty well for us.
 
RedCurrahee said:
@Provis and Oxalate, thank you for your input. I understand the points you both made and I did think on these things. The truth of the matter is my wife does not like Tricare at all and would rather pay out of pocket so she can choose the specific doctor/place she wants to go. Tricare prime and select both have restrictions on what places will accept them. Time will tell as you say whether this was the right decision or not. But I am content with the outcome and the timing works out pretty well for us.
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There is more than one plan for Tricare. My guess is that you were Tricare Prime where you had to go to the military base for care. However, there is Tricare Select and its like a PPO. You can choose your doctors and don't need referrals to see a specialist. I am just letting you know for those who might read this post in the future. Good Luck!
 
**UPDATE**

35. 30 AUG I receive my orders from Transitions and begin out-processing. I’m given a discharge date of 18 NOV 2022 but submit a DA Form 4187 to change it to 27 NOV as Finance and Transitions both inform me that a discharge date before the 20th of the month will result in DFAS over paying me and can cause some issues. My request was accepted a few days later. I am also able to take 20 days PTDY in conjunction with 59 days of leave.

36. 09 SEP I receive my DD214 and final out with Finance and Transitions.
 
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