I have a FPEB hearing next week. If you have any experience there with the board, past or present, please share your experiences positive or negative, desires, outcomes, evidence that was persuasive or hurtful. So I have an idea of how to approach this. The ODC is useless. This all depends on me and my presentation. COVID is something they will venomously deny exists like Agent Orange. But the fact that is, that this has been 4 yrs of deteriorating health and new conditions along the way, from a former perfectly healthy athlete, and last FRIDAY, had to go to the ER again with 2 new major diagnosis. I know I’m fighting up hill but the more info I have the better my argument will be.
Lackland Air Force FPEB experience??? Please share yours
- Thread starter MCN792
- Start date
How'd it go? Still waiting on my FPEB
I won my case. In the beginning, a Lot of back and forth with the lawyer before coming up with a plan. Was constantly warned how bad this could turn on me by challenging the results. I started off with an inperson board and ended with just asking for a summary review. I Finally came to this idea after reading over the rules and regulations of a FPEB. There is a script. And I said the heck with that. No body wants that. Too much formality. I don’t want to waste their time or mine and I don’t want to stand in front of them like a bleeding heart telling my story. So I asked for a summary review?? Something like that. I said I didn’t want a formal board. But I did want the formal board members to just take a look at what I was seeing. The very thing that disables me and is THE unfitting condition was missing and overlooked and changed and misrated by the VA as something else. So I asked for them to add the condition and to have the VA go back and review my records and rate me again but correctly. And they agreed. I also signed paperwork preemptively before the review that I would not seek a Formal hearing no matter their decision. Basically I said I think something was overlooked. Here’s my evidence. I let the board decide if they thought that was true and no matter if they agreed or disagreed, I would move on with the process. I wouldn’t challenge it a second time. I just honestly think it was an error and I had to bring it to their attention. So nothing was lost. I tried to remain as least confrontational and demanding as possible. I didn’t want to tell them what to do and how to rate me. I just asked them to check if I was right that something had been over looked. And whatever they decided I would accept and move on with the process. So I didn’t submit too much paperwork either. Just my medical records specific to this single condition. And a lot of letters from bosses and coworker to back me up. And it worked
Congrats! Would you mind sharing your timeline? I’m currently waiting a FPEB, especially your dates from requesting a FPEB, getting notified, and when your FPEB was. Hopefully I can get some patience and motivation from it lol
Oh. The request for formal hearing is a set standard of 10 working days from the day you sign paperwork with the PEBLO submits it saying you want a FPEB hearing. And that was accurate. It was exactly 10 working days from me signing paperwork that I was going to challenge the IPEB decision. Then I had those days to prepare and change the plan with the attorneys help. Then the attorney requested the summary request in lieu of a hearing and worked with the board on what was a good day for them. We had intended to do it early like on day 8. But a board member was on leave so they couldn’t do it until day 9.
Did your PEBLO not give you a timeline of the whole process of IDES from start to finish? When the ball is in someone else’s court, the timeline is up for debate but close. When the ball is in my court it is followed to the T! I was given 6 days to review the IPEB results and to sign either I agree or disagree. And they held me to those 6 days exactly
Did your PEBLO not give you a timeline of the whole process of IDES from start to finish? When the ball is in someone else’s court, the timeline is up for debate but close. When the ball is in my court it is followed to the T! I was given 6 days to review the IPEB results and to sign either I agree or disagree. And they held me to those 6 days exactly
I signed on May19th to request a formal board. Now, I’m just waiting to get notified of when that board date is. I haven’t been assigned a lawyer for my case yet. My PEBLO said it takes about 2 months to get assigned a formal board date. Was that accurate for you? I’m not too sure how different an IDES case is between AF and USMC. I think i’m being a tad impatient but man am I ready to get outta here haha.
Mmm. Yeah the Marine Corps obviously doesn’t have a strict system in place. Or they aren’t following it. IDES procedures and processes should be the same regardless of service. How it’s executed is obviously different. The Air Force is following a very strict timeline. Sounds like the Marine Corps in your situation is not.
I was given the IPEB results and a 6 day deadline to concur or disagree.
I signed paperwork on the 6th day that I disagreed and wanted a formal board and returned it to my PEBLO.
My PEBLO immediately called me and asked if this was really what I wanted to do etc and when I made it clear I did want a formal board, she had me resign the paperwork and some other paperwork and then she submitted it to ARPC the same day.
The next day she emailed they had set a hearing date for 10 (business) days out from that day. And that was it
I had to fill out a request form during this time and request an attorney to represent me from the ODC. He called me immediately and we got to work.
I would ask your PEBLO for a timeline of the Marine Corps IDES process so you know what’s coming up. I can share a picture of the air forces but it wouldn’t obviously apply to you. I would also ask for the instruction they follow that would have the rules and guidelines.
I was given the IPEB results and a 6 day deadline to concur or disagree.
I signed paperwork on the 6th day that I disagreed and wanted a formal board and returned it to my PEBLO.
My PEBLO immediately called me and asked if this was really what I wanted to do etc and when I made it clear I did want a formal board, she had me resign the paperwork and some other paperwork and then she submitted it to ARPC the same day.
The next day she emailed they had set a hearing date for 10 (business) days out from that day. And that was it
I had to fill out a request form during this time and request an attorney to represent me from the ODC. He called me immediately and we got to work.
I would ask your PEBLO for a timeline of the Marine Corps IDES process so you know what’s coming up. I can share a picture of the air forces but it wouldn’t obviously apply to you. I would also ask for the instruction they follow that would have the rules and guidelines.
The FPEB at Lackland heavily weighs how well you present your case, so come prepared with a clear, documented narrative that shows the connection between your service, medical decline, and current limitations. Don’t rely on the ODC.
So i'll be doing this as well at lackland. Did you Ask your ODC rep to pursue the Summary review or did you suggest it?
I have conditions for my legs, and one leg was added to the unfit box and the other wasnt. So i might just see about doing the summary review to have the second one added(only makes sense if one is there the other should be too).
What kind of information did you have to submit with it?
I have conditions for my legs, and one leg was added to the unfit box and the other wasnt. So i might just see about doing the summary review to have the second one added(only makes sense if one is there the other should be too).
What kind of information did you have to submit with it?
When I signed all the paperwork for the ODC to request a lawyer, they send you information about the process. I read in there somewhere about the summary review and when o talked to my lawyer I confirmed it was a thing and that it applied to my situation. So it was a collective effort between me asking about it and the lawyer confirming we could try it and it was a viable path. We honestly butted heads at first but were able to talk it out and talk through different ways to approach my case.
I gathered information ONLY pertaining to what I wanted added. I didn’t overwhelmed them with unnecessary medical documents. I tried to stay focused on just that one condition I thought needed to be added. I got medical records specific to it and also had leadership write letters. Like Nexus letters. Describing how this condition they noticed affected my work and unfitting condition. The lawyer also did a really nice write up. A letter to the board basically. Stating what we are doing. Why we’re requesting a summary review and what he thought had been missed by the VA. He suggested the VA made a mistake and misdiagnosed me. So he requested they fix that and give me a rating for the correct problem.
What a tangled web we weave. Experiences, good and bad, are what you seek.
FPEB hearings are tough, wishing you the best! Strong, clear medical evidence is crucial, especially documenting that decline.