TL;DR Battalion Doc willing to give me LOD for POTS caused by heat strokes. NCOs telling me I’ll get medboarded and screwed on benefits.
Apologies for the beginner questions – I’m very much lost with how this works.
I’m an M-Day in the Army Guard. I joined in July 2022 for a six year contract. I got a late start in the military, at age 36. In basic, I was briefly on profile for a low-grade stress injury, but otherwise I was fine. While my ACFT scores weren’t stunning (490ish) they weren’t horrible.
In late spring 2024, I was on an ODT in west Africa. During a 2hr LFX on a 240B in 110-degree heat, I had a heatstroke. I wasn’t sent back to our FOB and just treated with IV & OTC meds by our battalion medical officer (O-4) who happened to be there. This was my first heat injury ever.
I didn’t think anything of it until my next ACFT (mid-day, summer, in the south) where I passed out after the SDC. It was the first day of drill and I wasn’t allowed to leave to seek medical treatment during drill. By Sunday evening I felt more or less ok and didn’t go to an ER.
At my make up ACFT a month later, the exact same thing happened, except I the dizziness and headache lasted two weeks. I did go to the ER Sunday night this time and have had a ton of diagnostic testing and seen multiple specialists.
After many months, I am about to be formally diagnosed with pots by my civilian cardiologist, and I have ongoing issues with tachycardia, dizziness, headaches, concentration – all of which are worse during even light exercise. Under ideal circumstances, I think I could make it thru an ACFT if its very early in the morning and I have a profile authorizing extended breaks.
My battalion doc says he will give me an LOD for POTS related to the heatstrokes, but I have some friendly NCOs who are telling me not to get this if I want to stay in.
POTS is listed as a potential basis for discharge according DoDI 6130.03-V2, 5-11(m), and my time in is so brief that they say the VA will screw me on disability benefits. Apparently I can get separated for POTS but then have the VA either say it's not POTS or not LOD. I’d also apparently be ineligible for a VA loan, which I was really hoping for. I’m advised to just get a diagnosis just for heat stroke/heat sensitivity, and ask that the LOD make no mention of POTs or tachycardia. On the other hand, I’m worried if I do this, in the future I will be unable to get disability for the conditions, diagnoses that I leave out.
My hope is that I can stay in at a desk job at battalion while documenting my conditions for VA disability once I ETS (either once the remaining 3.5 years of my contract is up or longer). Is that too much to hope for? Or do I need to pick between preserving my disability claim or staying in?
Apologies for the beginner questions – I’m very much lost with how this works.
I’m an M-Day in the Army Guard. I joined in July 2022 for a six year contract. I got a late start in the military, at age 36. In basic, I was briefly on profile for a low-grade stress injury, but otherwise I was fine. While my ACFT scores weren’t stunning (490ish) they weren’t horrible.
In late spring 2024, I was on an ODT in west Africa. During a 2hr LFX on a 240B in 110-degree heat, I had a heatstroke. I wasn’t sent back to our FOB and just treated with IV & OTC meds by our battalion medical officer (O-4) who happened to be there. This was my first heat injury ever.
I didn’t think anything of it until my next ACFT (mid-day, summer, in the south) where I passed out after the SDC. It was the first day of drill and I wasn’t allowed to leave to seek medical treatment during drill. By Sunday evening I felt more or less ok and didn’t go to an ER.
At my make up ACFT a month later, the exact same thing happened, except I the dizziness and headache lasted two weeks. I did go to the ER Sunday night this time and have had a ton of diagnostic testing and seen multiple specialists.
After many months, I am about to be formally diagnosed with pots by my civilian cardiologist, and I have ongoing issues with tachycardia, dizziness, headaches, concentration – all of which are worse during even light exercise. Under ideal circumstances, I think I could make it thru an ACFT if its very early in the morning and I have a profile authorizing extended breaks.
My battalion doc says he will give me an LOD for POTS related to the heatstrokes, but I have some friendly NCOs who are telling me not to get this if I want to stay in.
POTS is listed as a potential basis for discharge according DoDI 6130.03-V2, 5-11(m), and my time in is so brief that they say the VA will screw me on disability benefits. Apparently I can get separated for POTS but then have the VA either say it's not POTS or not LOD. I’d also apparently be ineligible for a VA loan, which I was really hoping for. I’m advised to just get a diagnosis just for heat stroke/heat sensitivity, and ask that the LOD make no mention of POTs or tachycardia. On the other hand, I’m worried if I do this, in the future I will be unable to get disability for the conditions, diagnoses that I leave out.
My hope is that I can stay in at a desk job at battalion while documenting my conditions for VA disability once I ETS (either once the remaining 3.5 years of my contract is up or longer). Is that too much to hope for? Or do I need to pick between preserving my disability claim or staying in?
