Currently in phase 7 of medboard and have been postponed.

C

Cwoob2003

PEB Forum Regular Member
Registered Member
Hello everyone,
I am active duty E7. I have 18.5 years of service, currently going through medboard. I was informed that I was getting medboarded August of 2019. I have done my C&P exams but in the process lower extremity circulation issues were identified. I have had more syncope episodes to where I had to go to ER. It was also identified that my prostate exam had some issues with blood. In the process of these C&P exams I continued to have my other medical issues be treated. In my mind I don't mind it being postponed because I ultimately want my 20yrs. I was in WTU for a year and I fought like hell to RTD. I have a multitude of issues that range from chronic PTSD, anxiety, depression, sleep apnea, TBI, syncope, tumor that doesn't allow me to wear ACH, upper and lower back injuries from several IED attacks. Surgery(ACDF) of upper spine. These are a few issues to list. I haven't been able to work because I can't drive or operate any type of machinery or weaponry due to my blackouts. My wife has to take me everywhere and I have to have someone monitor me 24/7. I really want to stay in active army but I realize my issues are too severe at this point. I don't have support from chain of command because they simply don't know me. This means even if I could do a COAD packet I wouldn't have support because I have been unable to work. I came from WTU to active duty and went directly to a rapid deploying unit just like all of the ones I was in before WTU. I went to WTU because I had so many medical issues I couldn't get them addressed because I had heavy workload as BNOPS NCOIC. I have so many questions but the first is How can I continue to fight to get my 20 yrs with so much against me?
 
What is Phase 7? Have you considered obtaining civilian counsel?
 
Getting to 20 is importation financially. The only thing in your control is how much you can delay each step. Delaying tactics have been discussed on this forum many times. I quick search will reveal lots of information.

Have you talk to Soldiers Counsel? If not, that may be a good idea.
 
eerf123 said:
What is Phase 7? Have you considered obtaining civilian counsel?
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Hello. Thanks for your response. Its phase 7 of the MEB labeled admin in the physical evaluation board portion of MEB. At this point I have not talked to Soldier counsel. I was just told today that I am no longer postponed and that my NARSUM is going around for signatures. I have yet to get any type of VA ratings or sit down to talk with anyone except my PEBLO. I am trying to get my full 20yrs but the wheels are in motion and I can't stop them. Involuntarily got submitted to the IDES system due to my medical injuries. I had fought against this for several years but as of Oct. 2018 any medical profile over 6 months non deployable automatically get submitted to medboard. I hate this. After all these deployments and injuries sustained I am told that I can not reach my ultimate goal of retirement. It's nerve racking and I have a family of six including myself to take care of.
 
chaplaincharlie said:
Getting to 20 is importation financially. The only thing in your control is how much you can delay each step. Delaying tactics have been discussed on this forum many times. I quick search will reveal lots of information.

Have you talk to Soldiers Counsel? If not, that may be a good idea.
Click to expand...
Hello. Thanks for your response. Its phase 7 of the MEB labeled admin in the physical evaluation board portion of MEB. At this point I have not talked to Soldier counsel. I was just told today that I am no longer postponed and that my NARSUM is going around for signatures. I have yet to get any type of VA ratings or sit down to talk with anyone except my PEBLO. I am trying to get my full 20yrs but the wheels are in motion and I can't stop them. Involuntarily got submitted to the IDES system due to my medical injuries. I had fought against this for several years but as of Oct. 2018 any medical profile over 6 months non deployable automatically get submitted to medboard. I hate this. After all these deployments and injuries sustained I am told that I can not reach my ultimate goal of retirement. It's nerve racking and I have a family of six including myself to take care of.
 
Your service doesn’t do early retirement? If anything hopefully u can get the early retirement at the years you have in if found unfit. I know the MC changed their orders to allow servicemembers found unfit to take early retirement in conjunction with medical board results. Overall, our treatments are similar. DOD plays a lot of games, but there is the PREP program u might wanna ask about attending. VA.gov | Veterans Affairs. One it would help with treatment and two haut medical board and give u time to reach 20. Just my input, but I hope your path goes well.
 
Thank you for your response C23M. Yes I would get medically retired at 19yrs is what it's looking like. I have so many medical issues that I can't begin to even think straight. Problem is that I can't fight to stay in any longer due to upper and lower back damage from IED attacks and TBI. The thing that put the nail in the coffin so to speak is that I have blackouts. The medical officials are thinking it's seizures. I've been having them over the years but they finally came to light after I fell out and busted myself up pretty bad and had to be taken to ER. Although I have had episodes before I tried to hide it and had personnel work with me to take care of it. I know this is not the correct way to handle this but the Army as I know it were running off of suck it up and drive on. Now all of it has taken it's toll. Over 5yrs of deploying to Iraq and now I'm done with nothing to show for it but a broken down body and a burden for my family to have to take care of. It's just enough to make you just say why keep fighting so hard...
 
Can you wiggle your way into some type of admin/office positio? that way you could contribute to the mission, get to know your leadership and grease the skids for a COAD.
 
eerf123 said:
Can you wiggle your way into some type of admin/office positio? that way you could contribute to the mission, get to know your leadership and grease the skids for a COAD.
Click to expand...
Ok this one is going to be a bit more long winded. So the story is I was in WTU for a year. I fought to get RTD. I made it out. I had a position at the post reception center lined up after putting in work and doing and interview with leadership. They wanted me there because the liked my energy and what I could add to the team. Well once my orders got published for me to return to duty (RTD active) big army sees me and snatches me into another combined arms unit. I have always ended up in rapid deploying units ie...infantry, engineers, cavalry, field artillery. Deployed 5 times. Anyway I get to the unit in December. I immediately let the CSM know my situation and I was snatched up to the unit from after WTU. The day I got my orders to return to duty I had an appt for my back injury. I was told that I had to have surgery to stay in army because all other pain management methods had failed. This was also told to the CSM at the gaining unit. He sai I don't understand why they send you here knowing you are broke and coming from WTU. I told him well I was cleared for the issues I went in there for initially and just found out about this injury needing surgery. Anyway I tell him all of this and this is before I had surgery. This unit lives in the field and. I can't be of service to them. I ask to be placed in a position to better serve with my conditions because my surgery recovery is 6 6 months to a year. He says ok. I have the surgery and go on con leave and life goes on. After about 45 days of con leave and quarters I finally come back. These guys are at NTC. I can't do anything as far as lifting or wearing gear. Pain meds are taking me out. I'm useless to them. I see the CSM again to lay out my situation. I asked about being put in a position that is less taxing because of my issues he says he is working on it. Keep in mind this is about 2 to 3 months after me initially talking to him about it upon my arrival. Meanwhile I go back to my position. I am in a much needed mos so it's very taxing. (25U) After that I'm doing my physical therapy and pain management. I can only be there for mentorship and a bit of admin but that's it. So about two months later I go back to CSM and talk about another position. He says well you haven't been here, you haven't been contributing to the team.(basically you haven't done anything for me.) I said yes CSM that is exactly why I asked to be put in another position so I could be better beneficial. He says well you never talked to me about that. You said you were going to do the best you could and turn this team into what they should be. I'm thinking WTF do you expect of me at this point I'm broke as hell and I can't even take care of myself at this point due to pain and meds amongst other issues. Anyway it went 180 from him acting like he understood and try to get me help to a less stressful position only until I healed up. Never happened. I seen what type of trip he was on so I started going to less stressful units and did some interviews for jobs. Well I got two different jobs and came back to CSM after he had came back from a training exercise that lasted like 3 months. I went to him to ask about letter of release to another unit that I could do the job and heal all the while. Well he yells at me and says "NO!" I'm not releasing you. This is in front of like 4 other Soldiers. He said you need to come see me and talk about it Monday morning and dismissed me. I just said RGR and drove on. Monday I go to meet him. I get into his office and try to lay everything out he says "No I'm not releasing you I got some places in mind to send you." I asked where he said he had somewhere that I'd be in processing Soldiers to the unit. Keep in mind this is at bn level. Then he says well I talked to that CSM over at that position you were trying to get and he agreed with me after talking to him that it's best he not receive you over there. This position would have been at WTU. The chain of command over there already knew my situation and was willing to help me but he sabotaged that. So now I've been here for a year unable to work or really contribute. I still haven't been placed but he was hard up for forcing this medboard when I could have avoided it altogether for awhile. I talked to him and tried to plead my case but to no avail. Long story short I had the support of the chain of command below him and even the bde CSM support to be released but he had sabotaged that chance and now I'm stuck. There is really so much more to this story but I feel I'd share as much as I could so that you can see where I'm coming from. He blocked my chances with no empathy , compassion or understanding. He even went as far as to say the army is a fortune 500 company and they are wasting money and effort on me because I can't contribute to the team for my medical issues. Now as a senior NCO we don't have anyone besides the CSM to look out for us and understand. When you got someone with that mindset that just blatantly don't consider yourself or your family and it's all mission, mission, mission! I get that but at the end of the day we have to take this uniform off. I mean I had everyone's support to make it happen except his. He stopped everything and now I'm looked at as a dirtbag. This was before the medboard had started.
 
C23M said:
Your service doesn’t do early retirement? If anything hopefully u can get the early retirement at the years you have in if found unfit. I know the MC changed their orders to allow servicemembers found unfit to take early retirement in conjunction with medical board results. Overall, our treatments are similar. DOD plays a lot of games, but there is the PREP program u might wanna ask about attending. VA.gov | Veterans Affairs. One it would help with treatment and two haut medical board and give u time to reach 20. Just my input, but I hope your path goes well.
Click to expand...
What is the PREP program? I googled it, and I don't think I found what you were talking about at all.
 
Cwoob2003 said:
Ok this one is going to be a bit more long winded. So the story is I was in WTU for a year. I fought to get RTD. I made it out. I had a position at the post reception center lined up after putting in work and doing and interview with leadership. They wanted me there because the liked my energy and what I could add to the team. Well once my orders got published for me to return to duty (RTD active) big army sees me and snatches me into another combined arms unit. I have always ended up in rapid deploying units ie...infantry, engineers, cavalry, field artillery. Deployed 5 times. Anyway I get to the unit in December. I immediately let the CSM know my situation and I was snatched up to the unit from after WTU. The day I got my orders to return to duty I had an appt for my back injury. I was told that I had to have surgery to stay in army because all other pain management methods had failed. This was also told to the CSM at the gaining unit. He sai I don't understand why they send you here knowing you are broke and coming from WTU. I told him well I was cleared for the issues I went in there for initially and just found out about this injury needing surgery. Anyway I tell him all of this and this is before I had surgery. This unit lives in the field and. I can't be of service to them. I ask to be placed in a position to better serve with my conditions because my surgery recovery is 6 6 months to a year. He says ok. I have the surgery and go on con leave and life goes on. After about 45 days of con leave and quarters I finally come back. These guys are at NTC. I can't do anything as far as lifting or wearing gear. Pain meds are taking me out. I'm useless to them. I see the CSM again to lay out my situation. I asked about being put in a position that is less taxing because of my issues he says he is working on it. Keep in mind this is about 2 to 3 months after me initially talking to him about it upon my arrival. Meanwhile I go back to my position. I am in a much needed mos so it's very taxing. (25U) After that I'm doing my physical therapy and pain management. I can only be there for mentorship and a bit of admin but that's it. So about two months later I go back to CSM and talk about another position. He says well you haven't been here, you haven't been contributing to the team.(basically you haven't done anything for me.) I said yes CSM that is exactly why I asked to be put in another position so I could be better beneficial. He says well you never talked to me about that. You said you were going to do the best you could and turn this team into what they should be. I'm thinking WTF do you expect of me at this point I'm broke as hell and I can't even take care of myself at this point due to pain and meds amongst other issues. Anyway it went 180 from him acting like he understood and try to get me help to a less stressful position only until I healed up. Never happened. I seen what type of trip he was on so I started going to less stressful units and did some interviews for jobs. Well I got two different jobs and came back to CSM after he had came back from a training exercise that lasted like 3 months. I went to him to ask about letter of release to another unit that I could do the job and heal all the while. Well he yells at me and says "NO!" I'm not releasing you. This is in front of like 4 other Soldiers. He said you need to come see me and talk about it Monday morning and dismissed me. I just said RGR and drove on. Monday I go to meet him. I get into his office and try to lay everything out he says "No I'm not releasing you I got some places in mind to send you." I asked where he said he had somewhere that I'd be in processing Soldiers to the unit. Keep in mind this is at bn level. Then he says well I talked to that CSM over at that position you were trying to get and he agreed with me after talking to him that it's best he not receive you over there. This position would have been at WTU. The chain of command over there already knew my situation and was willing to help me but he sabotaged that. So now I've been here for a year unable to work or really contribute. I still haven't been placed but he was hard up for forcing this medboard when I could have avoided it altogether for awhile. I talked to him and tried to plead my case but to no avail. Long story short I had the support of the chain of command below him and even the bde CSM support to be released but he had sabotaged that chance and now I'm stuck. There is really so much more to this story but I feel I'd share as much as I could so that you can see where I'm coming from. He blocked my chances with no empathy , compassion or understanding. He even went as far as to say the army is a fortune 500 company and they are wasting money and effort on me because I can't contribute to the team for my medical issues. Now as a senior NCO we don't have anyone besides the CSM to look out for us and understand. When you got someone with that mindset that just blatantly don't consider yourself or your family and it's all mission, mission, mission! I get that but at the end of the day we have to take this uniform off. I mean I had everyone's support to make it happen except his. He stopped everything and now I'm looked at as a dirtbag. This was before the medboard had started.
Click to expand...
I'm so sorry. It's sad to say, but I have heard so many very similar stories.
 
redkel said:
I'm so sorry. It's sad to say, but I have heard so many very similar stories.
Click to expand...
It is sad. I will say this if you have heard many other stories like this then there is truly no backbone left in the army. I don't know what ever happened to the take care of Soldiers part of the mission but it is severely lacking. If it's this bad at the top I can't imagine how it is at the lower levels. The senior leadership is lacking badly though. Too busy worrying about how they look and their next position. Needless to say he moved up to a BDE CSM now. The damage is done though and even though my family's livelihood is at stake I'm sure he sleeps peacefully at night knowing he has security and financial stability. Couldn't care less about my situation and he showed me that. Anyway anyone else have any suggestions? I don't know of any other ways now to reach my 20 year goal and it seems they are hell bent on getting personnel out at the drop of a dime these days.
 
You could hire an attorney to help you delay the process

Peblawyer.com
 
Hello everyone. I know it's been awhile but for you experienced folk on here I have some concerns. What does it mean when you have medical issues and it's stated in your MEB packet that it's no medical findings or records to indicate claimed condition? Does it mean that it isn't recognized? Secondly the people that write the NARSUM seems to word everything like it wasn't a big deal and even have times where it says I felt fine and didn't have issues which is just totally not true. Please give me feedback on this battles. Thanks.
 
I am interested to hear the response of the "experienced folk" as well. This is something I am afraid of, because it seems to be difficult to explain how difficult day-to-day life is, and it is very difficult to explain pain that just goes on and on. It's like people think if you can move or smile ever at all, then you must not really be in pain. I also have trouble getting people to accurately understand the level of fatigue I feel all the time. And then nausea! Once again, if you aren't gagging or vomiting, people think that you can't truly be nauseous. I don't even think it's possible to explain these things to anyone in a way that they can understand well enough to appropriately record it on paper.
 
I just had ACDF C5-C7 level 2. I was wondering if anyone ever returned to full duty. Seems to me that a profile will put this easily over a year for somethings. Seems like a pretty long term care will be needed to get to 100%.
 
Yota99 said:
I just had ACDF C5-C7 level 2. I was wondering if anyone ever returned to full duty. Seems to me that a profile will put this easily over a year for somethings. Seems like a pretty long term care will be needed to get to 100%.
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Yes I had an ACDF and returned to duty because you only get a month and a half of convalescence leave. After that you will continue with a bunch of physical therapy and you should report to what the army calls it's Rehabilitation program for Soldiers with severe injuries after surgery. Yes the total recovery time is a year long. Unfortunately I was still back on active duty and didn't heal so well so I ended up getting a medboarded anyway.
 
I am active duty right now been in 13 yrs. The pain definitely moves around after the surgery. I go back next week for a follow up and I’m wondering how my PCM will write the profile. Were you coded no TDY,PCS and for how long? Thanks in advance
 
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