PEB final decision

I was referred to an MEB due to a mental breakdown that I suffered from a SA that was never treated. The referral was done before the 1 year mark. Currently I have 17 years AFS and 17.3 ARNG

After being treated, my therapist agrees the PTSD and MDD due to MST and retaliation is controlled.

The PEB has found me unfit, however I want to finish my 20 years. What can I do?

 

[Provis]

I was referred to an MEB due to a mental breakdown that I suffered from a SA that was never treated. The referral was done before the 1 year mark. Currently I have 17 years AFS and 17.3 ARNG

After being treated, my therapist agrees the PTSD and MDD due to MST and retaliation is controlled.

The PEB has found me unfit, however I want to finish my 20 years. What can I do?

What branch are you in? For example, the Army has a program called COAD which is Continue On Active Duty. Its where you can apply to stay on to hit 20 years active duty.

Whatever you do, don't apply for COAR. This is sometimes offered to Reservists and Guardsman. Its where you stay on in the guard or reserves to hit 20 good years. The issue is that both programs waive the results of IDES. You don't want to waive an immediate medical retirement to gain a retirement for the guard or reserves because you will have to wait years to be able to get it. That isn't an issue with COAD since you will end up with an immediate retirement after reaching active duty retirement.

You can't apply for COAD until after you are found unfit by the iPEB. So I would talk to the COAD team at HRC to get your ducks in a row. It helps if your leadership supports you staying in.

 

[gunguru88]

What branch are you in? For example, the Army has a program called COAD which is Continue On Active Duty. Its where you can apply to stay on to hit 20 years active duty.

Whatever you do, don't apply for COAR. This is sometimes offered to Reservists and Guardsman. Its where you stay on in the guard or reserves to hit 20 good years. The issue is that both programs waive the results of IDES. You don't want to waive an immediate medical retirement to gain a retirement for the guard or reserves because you will have to wait years to be able to get it. That isn't an issue with COAD since you will end up with an immediate retirement after reaching active duty retirement.

You can't apply for COAD until after you are found unfit by the iPEB. So I would talk to the COAD team at HRC to get your ducks in a row. It helps if your leadership supports you staying in.

This is false. As a reservist if you have an issue that happened in active duty with anLOD you SCOTUS be able to get a Ch61 retirement which means you don’t have to wait.

 

[david147]

This is false. As a reservist if you have an issue that happened in active duty with anLOD you SCOTUS be able to get a Ch61 retirement which means you don’t have to wait.

What he means is that if you apply for COAR, you waive your IDES decision. That means you are not eligible for a Chapter 61 retirement because you chose to forgo the MEB decision and continue on active reserve status. Therefore, you would only be eligible for retirement upon reaching age 60 or less if you have qualifying deployments.

 

[Saltyjack]

I keep calling Va asking for updates couple days ago they said they are in prep for decision phase now they keep saying ides call msc or peblo what is going on now

 

[Provis]

What he means is that if you apply for COAR, you waive your IDES decision. That means you are not eligible for a Chapter 61 retirement because you chose to forgo the MEB decision and continue on active reserve status. Therefore, you would only be eligible for retirement upon reaching age 60 or less if you have qualifying deployments.

Thanks! I will work on being more clear. Its a tricky issue becuase the people on the ground don't truly know how COAR/COAD works and what you are agreeing to do if you get into those programs

 

[Provis]

This is false. As a reservist if you have an issue that happened in active duty with anLOD you SCOTUS be able to get a Ch61 retirement which means you don’t have to wait.

I am adding this to be clear for future readers. When you apply and are accepted into COAR or COAD you and your branch are agreeing to waive the IDES results. So when you enter into a COAD/COAR agreement you will not be medically retired. That is fine when COAD since you stay on as active duty until you reach the age for a regular retirement. The issue is if you are a Reservist or Guardsman who qualifies for an immediate 61 retirement and choose to apply for COAR you are waiving the results and giving up an immediate chapter 61 retirement in order to reach 20 good years. Then you are put in retired awaiting pay status which is called gray area and you have to wait until you reach the age to collect that Reserve or Guard retirement. So applying for and being accepted into COAR means you lose out on an immediate chapter 61 retirement just to stay in to get your 20 year letter. That's a foolish choice for 99% of the people that have this option. The only time that may be worth it is if you were a year or less away from reaching the age to retire from the Reserves or the Guard. Then maybe the math works in your favor because you would ensure you can collect your full earned pension and full VA disability compensation.

Soldiers have come on here thinking that they could choose COAR and then after they hit 20 good years they will be medically retired. That is not the case. You lose everything doing COAR. COAR is still a good option but its for Reservists or Guardsman who don't qualify for a chapter 61 retirement either by not reaching 30% DOD for unfitting conditions if duty related and if non duty related being found unfit since they aren't eligible for a medical retirement in that situation.

 

[Ahcatr]

I’m AGR with the National Guard and all this is very confusing as my previous PEBLO was clueless, I have a new one but haven’t met with her yet. Waiting on 1099. Friday I will know the ratings and will post here to get guidance.

Thank you very much as I’m clueless about all this. I want to do my 20 AFS years as I’m at 17 already.

 

[Provis]

I’m AGR with the National Guard and all this is very confusing as my previous PEBLO was clueless, I have a new one but haven’t met with her yet. Waiting on 1099. Friday I will know the ratings and will post here to get guidance.

Thank you very much as I’m clueless about all this. I want to do my 20 AFS years as I’m at 17 already.

If you are AGR then you are AD in the there eyes even though you are also in the AF. The AF doesn't call it COAD. I believe its called Limited Assignment Status (LAS). Basically they sign off on allowing you to continue to serve with your limitations. If you can't do that make sure to hit 30% DOD and remember you can do a VARR to increase it if found unfit. Also, if that happens look into CRSC. If you look at CRSC and believe you will qualify then depending on the CRSC pay it may be worth it to medically retire with the only pitfall being that you will most likely be TDRL. So you would have to make sure to continue to seek treatment to include taking medications regularly with the VA until the AF changed you rating to PDRL.

The nice thing is that you are NG. So you will get a retirement no matter the results even if just a 15 year letter. Though that would be the worst case scenario. That would be if you were found unfit with 20 % or less DOD and the AF didn't allow you to stay in to hit 20 AFS. You would decline severance and get issued a 15 year letter. and be put in gray area retirement The main issue other than not retiring right away is that any VA compensation would offset your NG retirement at age 60. So you really only guaranteed Tricare. Most people who have the VA offset don't receive there chapter 61 retirement pay.

My wife was 17 AFS AGR and her goal was to get the highest DOD% so that she could max out compensation to get all of her earned longevity pension + VA compensation. She got 75% for her DOD and 80% for CRSC after she got out and that made her whole. However, being so close to 20 AFS you have thousands of dollars a month to lose if things don't go your way. I would try to get the highest DOD% in case the ARNG won't allow you to continue on in your AGR role. Since you are waiting on the iPEB results you can start planning on including what you might do if your DOD% is low to include FPEB to add conditions if you have any that may be unfit and a VARR to increase mental health if found unfit but the % is too low and doesn't match your current symptoms.

Your best outcome is for them to put you into LAS and allow you to finish and retire with 20 AFS! Everything below that is going to earn you less compensation. The worst situation will cause you to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation and lost benefits such as getting Tricare insurance right away.