This forum has helped me tremendously. I hope that this post and my experience will be of benefit to someone else.
I was RTD a few weeks ago, here's what I did. A few caveats, I'm in a high demand low density careerfield and I wanted to stay in (17 years), which certainly helps. Overall, if you want to stay in, you must ostensibly make the decision for the IPEB. At least that was my approach. I also reached out to the AFPC Command Chief, he just happened to be in the same careerfield as me to get his opinion and have him look into my case; or at the very least ask some questions. I wanted to get a personal look at my portfolio when it hit the IPEB. I didn't want it to show up as just another file for review. Perhaps the current one is in yours too. I know this step is outside of normal protocol, but I wasn't about to flush my 17 years away because of that. It was a risk, but one I was willing to take.
Below is a summation of what I did.
1. Learn the governing regulations better than your PEBLO. Often times they don't have a full grasp on what they can and cant do. Same goes for the MEB board as well. Specifically AFI 41-210 (Sept 18).
2. You absolutely need the backing of your leadership; the higher the echelon the better. My Commander is a Wing CC, get that endorsement letter and make sure its air tight (as far as language goes). Specifically address your ability to perform your AFSC in garrison and deployed. Write this yourself and let you CC make his changes.
3. Write the Letter of Exception, outlining what you've done for the AF and what outcome your would like to see. The IPEB narrative specifically addressed my LOE as one of the items they took into consideration.
4. Get your PCM to write up current notes outlining your condition. I had my PCM rewrite my NARSUM. So that the IPEB had the old one as well as the current one. Rewriting the NARSUM allowed me to capture the changes in my condition and updated prognosis from my previous NARSUM. Assuming your condition has improved this can only help.
5. Get an endorsement letter from your Careerfield Functional Manager (CFM) if able.
6. If you know a few General Officers, or have a CFM that does, ask for those. It wont hurt to at least ask. I was able to get two different endorsement MFRs. Again, not everyone can do this, but if you can, do it. In my experience with this process, nearly everyone I reached out to was very willing to help you out.
7. If able, and assuming you can pass them, keep taking your PT tests. I kept taking mine even while on a waiver. This shows you can still meet physical standards, at least as far as the AF is concerned.
8. Take all of the time allotted between steps to maximize your ability to compile additional substantiating documentation and endorsement letters.
9. Review your IPEB portfolio before your PEBLO submits it. Go in person and don't ask, but demand it. Its your career, no one should be more interested in this process and the outcome than you.
10. Reach out to the OAC and have them review your file, prior to submission to the PEBLO. At the very least get a gauge on where they think you stand at the IPEB and or as an LAS candidate (knowledge is power). FYSA, I talked to the Command Chief and he told me they have been approving quite a bit of those. Thus, if you qualify for that keep that in the back of your mind.
/r
I was RTD a few weeks ago, here's what I did. A few caveats, I'm in a high demand low density careerfield and I wanted to stay in (17 years), which certainly helps. Overall, if you want to stay in, you must ostensibly make the decision for the IPEB. At least that was my approach. I also reached out to the AFPC Command Chief, he just happened to be in the same careerfield as me to get his opinion and have him look into my case; or at the very least ask some questions. I wanted to get a personal look at my portfolio when it hit the IPEB. I didn't want it to show up as just another file for review. Perhaps the current one is in yours too. I know this step is outside of normal protocol, but I wasn't about to flush my 17 years away because of that. It was a risk, but one I was willing to take.
Below is a summation of what I did.
1. Learn the governing regulations better than your PEBLO. Often times they don't have a full grasp on what they can and cant do. Same goes for the MEB board as well. Specifically AFI 41-210 (Sept 18).
2. You absolutely need the backing of your leadership; the higher the echelon the better. My Commander is a Wing CC, get that endorsement letter and make sure its air tight (as far as language goes). Specifically address your ability to perform your AFSC in garrison and deployed. Write this yourself and let you CC make his changes.
3. Write the Letter of Exception, outlining what you've done for the AF and what outcome your would like to see. The IPEB narrative specifically addressed my LOE as one of the items they took into consideration.
4. Get your PCM to write up current notes outlining your condition. I had my PCM rewrite my NARSUM. So that the IPEB had the old one as well as the current one. Rewriting the NARSUM allowed me to capture the changes in my condition and updated prognosis from my previous NARSUM. Assuming your condition has improved this can only help.
5. Get an endorsement letter from your Careerfield Functional Manager (CFM) if able.
6. If you know a few General Officers, or have a CFM that does, ask for those. It wont hurt to at least ask. I was able to get two different endorsement MFRs. Again, not everyone can do this, but if you can, do it. In my experience with this process, nearly everyone I reached out to was very willing to help you out.
7. If able, and assuming you can pass them, keep taking your PT tests. I kept taking mine even while on a waiver. This shows you can still meet physical standards, at least as far as the AF is concerned.
8. Take all of the time allotted between steps to maximize your ability to compile additional substantiating documentation and endorsement letters.
9. Review your IPEB portfolio before your PEBLO submits it. Go in person and don't ask, but demand it. Its your career, no one should be more interested in this process and the outcome than you.
10. Reach out to the OAC and have them review your file, prior to submission to the PEBLO. At the very least get a gauge on where they think you stand at the IPEB and or as an LAS candidate (knowledge is power). FYSA, I talked to the Command Chief and he told me they have been approving quite a bit of those. Thus, if you qualify for that keep that in the back of your mind.
/r
