Bipolar II Pilot IDES Timeline

TallTree

Well-Known Member
PEB Forum Veteran
Registered Member
All dates are 2021.

14 Feb: Told flight doc I'm not fit to fly due to mental health
24 Mar: First appointment with Behavioral Health Psychologist
19 May: Referred to Mental Health by Behavioral Health
24 Jun: First appointment with Mental Health Psychologist
28 Jul: First appointment with Psychiatrist
23 Aug: Diagnosed with Bipolar II by Psychiatrist
26 Aug: IRILO initiated by PEBLO

I find it quite interesting that no one has said an MEB has actually been initiated to me. I only found out because my commander asked me if he should be RETAIN or DO NOT RETAIN on the Commander's Impact Statement, which caught me by surprise. He went with my choice (DO NOT RETAIN) and forwarded the email to me because it needs my signature too. That is how I found out about the IRILO and who my PEBLO is.

Is this normal? I feel kind of hoodwinked here that this whole process has been going without my knowledge. Like... did they go ahead and submit the NARSUM without my input too?!
 
Definitely doesn't sound normal, are you on meds for it? hospitalized? It was made pretty clear to me what effect each action (diagnosis, meds, treatment progression etc.) might have on retention/MEB. I also did my research too such as looking at the medical standards directory and the various AFI's so I suggest you do the same so you don't get hoodwinked again.
 
Not normal at all. Get up to speed on mental health DBQs and the VA criteria.



General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders:

Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as:
gross impairment in thought processes or communication;
persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate
behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent
inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance
of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memo
loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name 100%

Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas,
such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood,
due to such symptoms as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals
which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical,
obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting
the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively;
impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods
of violence); spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and
hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including
work or a worklike setting); inability to establish and maintain
effective relationships 70%

Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and
productivity
due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial,
circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once
a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment
of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned
material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired
abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in
establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships 50%

Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work
efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational
tasks
(although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine
behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms
as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or
less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as
forgetting names, directions, recent events) 30%

Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms
which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational
tasks only during periods of significant stress, or; symptoms controlled
by continuous medication 10%

A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not
severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social
functioning or to require continuous medication0%
 
No hospitalization. The psychiatrist prescribed me lithium at our first meeting in August. He said they could diagnose me once they ruled out thyroid/hormonal issues, but when my lab work came back normal, that’s all he said. My blood work was normal and no action needed to be taken. He didn’t say anything about a diagnosis or MEB or anything.

And then I got an email saying my flight pay was under review (not surprising since I’m not flying) but I wondered why a non medical agency would be reviewing my flight pay. Turns out, the psychiatrist had officially diagnosed me almost a month earlier but never told me. Since my medical record reflected that, the other agency saw it and opened a case. The only reason I knew was because I specifically looked at our post visit summaries where it lists a diagnosis and summary. When asked about it, the psychiatrist said “Yeah you’re officially diagnosed with bipolar II,” but again, nothing about and MEB.

The first I hear about that was when my commander texted me about his letter. I really do feel like I’m being kept in the dark and I’m worried that’s going to negatively affect the outcome.

For instance, I told the psychiatrist about my auditory hallucinations, and the summary says NOTHING about that.
 
Thanks Tony, I’ve known this was going to happen since I first spoke up in February and have been researching this whole process since then. Your posts have been immensely helpful!
 
All dates are 2021.

14 Feb: Told flight doc I'm not fit to fly due to mental health
24 Mar: First appointment with Behavioral Health Psychologist
19 May: Referred to Mental Health by Behavioral Health
24 Jun: First appointment with Mental Health Psychologist
28 Jul: First appointment with Psychiatrist
23 Aug: Diagnosed with Bipolar II by Psychiatrist
26 Aug: IRILO initiated by PEBLO

I find it quite interesting that no one has said an MEB has actually been initiated to me. I only found out because my commander asked me if he should be RETAIN or DO NOT RETAIN on the Commander's Impact Statement, which caught me by surprise. He went with my choice (DO NOT RETAIN) and forwarded the email to me because it needs my signature too. That is how I found out about the IRILO and who my PEBLO is.

Is this normal? I feel kind of hoodwinked here that this whole process has been going without my knowledge. Like... did they go ahead and submit the NARSUM without my input too?!
Your PEBLO should have contacted you already. Air Force Mental Health will automatically refer a service member for an MEB when diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. Also, if lithium is used beyond 6 months then an MEB is initiated. If you haven't done so already, Google the "Medical Standards Directory".

This directory is what the Air Force utilizes when determining retention for continued service. Your PEBLO is required to brief you on the entire process. I would periodically check with your PEBLO for status updates. Some PEBLOs are better than others, so you definitely have to be proactive when dealing with them. Additionally, I would save copies of every document you receive during this entire process.

Considering your condition, you will be entered in IDES. I would come up with a list of conditions that you plan on claiming. What I did was download my problem list from Tricare online prior to meeting with the Military Services Coordinator (MSC). The MSC is the VA rep on base that will assist you with the VA claims process.

I would become familiar with 38 CFR. Here is the link: VA.gov | Veterans Affairs
 
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What is missing from the discussion above is Bipolar II and flight duties. Bipolar II includes depressive and hypomanic behavior. Hypomania includes inappropriate bahavior at times. Inappropriate judgement incompatible with flight duties.
 
well, it looks like I’ll have to be rather proactive with my peblo then. The only reason I know who it is is from the email chain from when he emailed my commander. I, personally, have not been contacted, which makes me nervous this won’t be an easy process
 
I just got off the phone with PEBLO. He said technically, an MEB has NOT been initiated, and all they're doing is an IRILO, where he'll send my grounding letter (my profile saying I can't fly), my commander's statement, and my NARSUM up to AFPC and they will make the determination if it's going to an MEB.

Now, I thought I had to sign off on my NARSUM? He said no, I don't, but I'm kind of concerned that they're sending this package up without my review. Does that check out? What if I disagree with the NARSUM? Or will that only matter for an actual MEB, not the IRILO?
 
I just got off the phone with PEBLO. He said technically, an MEB has NOT been initiated, and all they're doing is an IRILO, where he'll send my grounding letter (my profile saying I can't fly), my commander's statement, and my NARSUM up to AFPC and they will make the determination if it's going to an MEB.

Now, I thought I had to sign off on my NARSUM? He said no, I don't, but I'm kind of concerned that they're sending this package up without my review. Does that check out? What if I disagree with the NARSUM? Or will that only matter for an actual MEB, not the IRILO?
Okay so there isn't much to do until they put you in IDES. The NARSUM they are doing isn't the same one that will be done in IDES. The NARSUM in IDES will be based on your VA C&P Exams and all of your other medical evidence.
 
That's refreshing. Will there be a second Commander's Impact Statement as well?
 
My Knowledge is Army so not sure on that one. The AF may use original one or they ask for a new one. The AF has a more nuance approach to include IRILO which I must say is nice because not everyone wants to get out and just because you can't do some duties doesn't mean your are not valuable in another position to the AF.
 
All dates are 2021.

14 Feb: Told flight doc I'm not fit to fly due to mental health
24 Mar: First appointment with Behavioral Health Psychologist
19 May: Referred to Mental Health by Behavioral Health
24 Jun: First appointment with Mental Health Psychologist
28 Jul: First appointment with Psychiatrist
23 Aug: Diagnosed with Bipolar II by Psychiatrist
26 Aug: IRILO initiated by PEBLO
14 Sep: AFPC directs full MEB
16 Sep: Inbrief with PEBLO/IDES selected/AAC 37 established

The PEBLO said the next thing for me is to really just wait for the VA to call to schedule examinations. Aren't I supposed to approve my NARSUM before the VA gets it, or am I thinking of something else?
 
All dates are 2021.

14 Feb: Told flight doc I'm not fit to fly due to mental health
24 Mar: First appointment with Behavioral Health Psychologist
19 May: Referred to Mental Health by Behavioral Health
24 Jun: First appointment with Mental Health Psychologist
28 Jul: First appointment with Psychiatrist
23 Aug: Diagnosed with Bipolar II by Psychiatrist
26 Aug: IRILO initiated by PEBLO
14 Sep: AFPC directs full MEB
16 Sep: Inbrief with PEBLO/IDES selected/AAC 37 established

The PEBLO said the next thing for me is to really just wait for the VA to call to schedule examinations. Aren't I supposed to approve my NARSUM before the VA gets it, or am I thinking of something else?
You have the VA exams. Then they do the MEB to include a NARSUM. The NARSUM is created using all of the data in your medical records + your VA exam DBQ's. Everything starts over once your directed to a full MEB. So anything before that doesn't matter. That other stuff before a full MEB is to determine if the AF wants to keep you but put you on a limited duty assignment until things are resolved. If they don't think the issues will be resolved and cause you to be unfit they direct you to a full MEB and your are now enrolled into IDES.
 
The VA rep assigned to me seems great, here's the list we came up with for claims:

- Bipolar (MEB)
- Insomnia
- Tinnitus
- GERD
- Accessory Navicular Bone
- Dermatitis
- Bilateral hearing loss
- Back pain
- Right knee pain
- Varicose vein left testicle
- Giant cell tumor right tibia
- Migraine headache
- Hypertension
- Melasma
- Pseudofolliculitis barbe
- Painful scar
- Pituitary Gland Adenoma
- Bronchitis
- Lesion of the Left Frontal Cortex

That's definitely more than I had been tracking throughout my career. I don't expect to get more than 0% for all of them, but at least they'll be on my record.
 
The VA has returned my results to the PEBLO today, I'll be meeting with him tomorrow. Any gouge on what to expect?
 
The VA has returned my results to the PEBLO today, I'll be meeting with him tomorrow. Any gouge on what to expect?
You may be able to login to VA.gov and check the documents to see the numbers tonight:) Let us know how it went after talking to your PEBLO tomorrow.
 
Should mainly be getting your DOD rating and proposed VA rating (I’m assuming you were deemed unfit of course). Just remember you have a few days to consult with the Office of Airman’s Council if you want to explore filing a VARR or appealing to the FPEB if you disagree with the disposition or rating. Let us know how it goes and I hope you get what you were hoping for!
 
Yeah it was just a form saying they've only found one uniftting condition (BIPOLAR II). I'm trying to access the VA.gov website and ebenefits to see if I can find any ratings, I'll come back when I find them.
 
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