NBC Military Disability Story

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Congrats on the win Mike! Though I really disliked the discussion that went to politics bashing... I quit reading after the 3rd or 4th post...
 
Thanks Mike! This story and your comments are the motivation that I need to continue my fight with the Veterans Administration. I will post my experience to show that even after being out of the service for 12 years we still struggle with getting and securing the service connected disability benefits that we are entitled to under law.
 
Folks,

This article will be in the public eye for a very limited time. The more buzz it gets, the more likely that NBC and others will pursue additional military disability stories. Please propogate this story on social media and please post your own DES struggles in the comments section of this story so that the bredth and depth of DES problems can be understood by those who read the article. Congressional members and their staffs read articles like this. Strike while the iron is hot.

Mike
 
All those stupid people and their ignorant responses. I couldn't continue to read those responses anymore. I will work on this later but I don't think I'll read anymore, to political.
 
Posted on my Facebook page!
 
I have been traveling this past week for a PEB hearing, so missed this being posted. I was interviewed for the article last week and got a chance to talk with Rebecca Ruiz on Tuesday morning to go over some fact checking for the article.

One sure sign to me that the system is arbitrary, that I discussed with the reporter and was glad that it made it into the article, is that I see many cases with similar (or the same) facts end up with different outcomes. That is the very nature of an arbitrary system- the facts not mattering to the outcome, but rather the particular board coming to different conclusions on the same facts.

The other point that I think is important is that there is a big push to speed cases (in a glacially slow system). While faster adjudications are important, they are not important enough to sacrifice accurate outcomes. I think we face the possibility of timelines being shifted (to the VA, after the member is separated/retired) and some tradeoff in accuracy vs. speed of adjudications.

Share this post and get the word out- Mike is right, the more attention these issues get, the more likely we will see improvements in the process.
 
I sent an email last night to the House of Representatives Government Oversight and Reform Committee and asked them to look into DES problems that lead to wounded warriors not getting proper benefits. I provided a link to the article and asked that they read the comments below the article not only to get deeper details on the issue in the article, but to see other MEB/PEB problems as well.
Besides reposting this article in social media websites, you need to post your MEB/PEB experiences as comments to the article. I have seen very few posting on this article sharing MEB/PEB problems yet I have seen tons of recent postings on Pebforum raising MEB/PEB problems.
If you are not posting your MEB/PEB issues as comments to this article, you are missing a golden opportunity to educate Congress, the media and the general public on continuing MEB/PEB issues and how they cheat wounded warriors out of proper DoD disability benefits.
Here is a link to the article: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/22/13339784-red-tape-entangles-injured-service-members-who-can-no-longer-deploy#comments

Mike
 
maparker said:
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/22/13339784-red-tape-entangles-injured-service-members-who-can-no-longer-deploy?threadId=3547874&commentId=69210229#c69210229

Take note of comment # 6. I recommend you post you MEP/PEB experiences as well to demonstrate the depth and bredth of these problems.

Mike
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Mike / Jason,
Thanks for your service; both during and after your military service. This site really allows Service Members going through this process to receive some REAL expectation management (by following the comments of individuals ahead of them), as well as discuss past and future challenges of the IDES system and avoid them.
There is a double-standard. As a Guardsman with 26 years of jump status (100+ jumps), and 25 years of Special Forces duty, I have to prove that my injuries were related to my hazardous duty. An AC Special Forces SM with the same history is assumed, by statute, to be related to the job. The physics, risks, and dynamics of the duties are the same, but reservists are assumed to have occurred in a non-duty status. The presumption is on the reservist to prove causation.
To make matters worse, prior to 911, we were informed by the AGR personnel not to report injuries that occurred on drill, or we would potentially get kicked out of the Group. They would just send us the VA and the VA would further "screw us up" and then we wouldn't be able to serve with our buddies anymore. Prior to 2007, I would agree with the AGR's above comments.There was no trust between the VA, AC and the reserves on these issues.
We also do it to ourselves. We tend to use our 18Ds for our "little aches and pains," (Nope no bone sticking out.) and drive on with the mission. We have too much to do, not enough time to do everything, so paperwork becomes a low priority. We are doing a little better in this area, but in the SOF environment, injuries are a sign of weakness, and we don't want to fail our buddies. Those who complain of injuries would have never made it through the Special Forces Qualification Course.
The institutions are changing, but there are still individuals within the systems that have failed to change. As I was working through the IDES system, I had two saving-graces. Both were army PA-C, former 18Ds (SF medics), that looked though my service record, and though there was no medical records of bad jumps, my service records showed the years on jump status, an evaluation that talked about me being beat-up, in one of my tree landings, and then saving a SEAL. The first PA-C gave me a LOD "yes" on the typical joints (spine, shoulders, knees, and ankles); my MEB PA-C further reinforced the issues.
The VA and conventional army doctors did the opposite. They claimed no service connection; wouldn't consider anything outside of the medical records; and would have declined everything if it wasn't for the two above former 18Ds. I would have been S.O.L. My current status: I am about a week from receiving my 199 (informal board), and I think that those two individuals set me up for success. We will see how it goes.
Changing a system is easy. Changing individual perceptions and mentalities is the job of leadership.
 
Okay folks, very few from Pebforum have posted their situation to the article. If you don't help me show that these problems are widespread by sharing your meb/peb experinces, then why should I even bother with my efforts? Very disapointing.

Mike
 
LTC Parker, I just posted my commits. Hopefully someone is watching, hopefully we are getting someone's attention!!! It is time to unite, put on your boots, and start marching North to DC!!!!!
 
maparker said:
Okay folks, very few from Pebforum have posted their situation to the article. If you don't help me show that these problems are widespread by sharing your meb/peb experinces, then why should I even bother with my efforts? Very disapointing.

Mike
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Mike,

I cut-and-pasted my above comments, but I am probably one that has been taken care of better then most. I don't think that it is because of lack of interest. It may be because they don't know about the article. This forum needs a "call-to-arms" type of web page; Maybe a home page where everyone has to sign-in would help get the info out?

Thanks again.
 
Concur, depite the fact there has been 300 views. Jason, anything you can do to broaden the reach?

Mike
 
Over the long-term maybe use a facebook page (if there isn't one already) to get a message out; something the younger crowd already uses daily?
 
eagleone said:
Over the long-term maybe use a facebook page (if there isn't one already) to get a message out; something the younger crowd already uses daily?
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Good suggestion at that, I have posted on my FB page. ;)
 
POSTED!!

Here is my post -
As one that has struggled with my own military disability now for 1 1/2 years while the Air Force decides my fate, I can attest that Mr. Parker and Mr. Perry have been life saviors. In the fullest use of the word saviors. The www.pebforum.com site, has not only helped me along the way, it has allowed me to interact with such wonderful people going through exactly what this story is representing.
My case is LONG and winded, so I will try to summarize. I'm currently Active Duty Air Force, and have been found unfit as of June 6, 2012, I was injured in January 2011, and this entire time, has been a struggle like no other in my entire life. I've been unable to relocate, and the military has continued to punish me due to my injury. I have been demoted 2 times, and only recently succeeded with an appeal to have the latest one overturned, but that did not come easy either. In the past while dealing with injury, my leadership has been unresponsive, and left things up to my Commander. His "guidance' and discretion, is all that has accounted for me being punished with bad performance reports and forced to physically test for Fitness standards, even though I am unable, and by letter of the Secretary of the Air Force, should be retired. I continued to go through the bureaucratic nonsense, because the Air Force, wants to cut manning as mandated by congress, and is using whatever means possible even if they are illegal. I've been arrested and never charged with a crime, for missing an hour of work as I overslept while taking Ambien and Oxycotin narcotics, forced to drive to work after requesting assistance *again due to taking narcotics, and even written up for missing work ON the day of a medical procedure (Epidural Spinal Steroid Injection). After my surgery in August of last year, my Commander, didn't agree with my surgeon's recommendation that I have another month of convalescent recovery time away from work, and ordered me back. This was due in part to "someone seeing me walking my dog", even though after confronted with this, I showed them the doctors order that I must walk daily, so I was again being punished for doing what I was told to do??? But I am not trying to come across as a woe is me here, I just want it to be known that the military services are to subjective, especially when a person in the Commander of a squadron role, is unwilling to accept that an injury or heaven forbid a bonafide, PROVEN, JUSTIFIED, and written of by their superiors *(Secretary of the Air Force, and Medical Evaluation Board or Physical Evaluation Board) physical disability exists. So here I am, awaiting the Military to let me leave, after having had my condition finally proven to everyone, and my Commander finally thwarted, in his aggressive punishments against me. 1 1/2 years after injury and the government doesn't know what to do, and I have nothing I can do, as my condition prevents me from working in any atmosphere conducive with my condition, and the 4 hr limited duty days are ridiculed with talk of malingering and nonsensical discussions about how this has continued to go on, while all duties have been stripped from me, and my integrity questioned numerous times. Hope those going through this process are getting a fair shake for volunteering as I did to defend this precious Government that now looks to cast us to the wayside for "budget" concerns.
-Klam
PS. Thanks Mr. Parker and Mr. Perry, for your continued support and efforts to not let this go unnoticed.

--End of Post--

As it took me 3 tries to get the validation to work right, It may have lost a little "quality" assurance, and this as many of you followers of my situation are aware, has been a long road that has led me to be very angry. I tried to keep it calm, but it's hard to do in a manner such as this. Anyways, Mike Thanks again, and hope things work out for all of us!
-Klam

Additionally, I posted this on my facebook page and asked all my friends and family to repost. - Should be noted this is the FIRST time I've ever requested a like/share request from the folks on my facebook account, but feel the gravity of this situation is too close to home for me not to.
 
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