Question Concerning C&Ps During PEB When Already 100%

Hello All,

So, I am a NG Soldier (E7 22 years) who has just officially started the IDES process. I was assigned my PEBLO, my MSC, and have attended the mandatory briefing. I am currently already rated at 100% VA as of early 2024. When I began the process, both my PEBLO and the MSC heavily encouraged me to sign the 21-4138 stating that I was already 100%, that I do not wish to be evaluated for anything other than my referred condition (PTSD), I do not wish to open any new claims for the purpose of compensation, and that all exams should be for the referred DoD condition only. I signed that document. Fast forward to now.

I have 3 appointments scheduled for exams: Gen med in 2 days, audio next week, and PTSD "PTSD - DBQ REVIEW and Behavioral Health". This surprised me as I was only expecting the PTSD one.

Yesterday, I received a call from my upcoming gen med examiner. He was quite confused as to why he was going to be evaluating me, as he stated that he could see I was already 100% and that my referred condition was not something he could evaluate. He told me that anything he examined would cause new claims to open up, and they would likely be for conditions that I was already rated for. He asked if I was trying to increase one of them or something. I told him that, no, I had filled out the 21-4138 stating that I only wanted to be examined for PTSD and nothing else nor anything for compensation. He said I was about to open a can of worms and that he didn't want to "screw me over". He even said he had called Optum about me before calling me as he wanted advice on how to proceed. He claimed that they told him to just get my vitals, acknowledge I attended the exam, and ensure I had the 21-4138. He also told me that my upcoming audio exam would likely open a VA claim for compensation as well.

This made ye olde anxiety ratchet up of course. I contacted my MSC who seemed rather non-chalant about it and she told me not to worry about it. I just attended my tele-brief for the IDES process and spoke with a PEBLO rep afterwards who conducted the briefing. He told me not to worry, and that the Gen med was more like an exit physical, and that it and the audio exam were required for all Soldiers undergoing the med board process. He told me to tell the gen med examiner that it was ok, that no claims would reach the VA for compensation and would only be used to DoD, so to continue on as planned.

So........ anyone familiar with something like this for someone in my situation? While I'm not terrified of 'poking the bear', that provider made me quite nervous about it. Now, I don't know what to say or do in these exams, and my MSC and PEBLO are strangely quiet on advice/explanation and my 1st appointment is in 2 days. Anyone with knowledge of this would be much appreciated.
 
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I don’t think you need to worry too much about it. It sounds like the examiner is looking at it like a normal VA claim process, where exams can sometimes lead to new claims, but your MSC and PEBLO are talking about the IDES process, where these exams are just standard requirements.The gen med and audio exams are usually routine, even for people already rated high. it seems more like mixed explanations than an actual issue.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I think I was just thrown because, honestly, I wasn't personally worried about my file being opened on the VA side, but my Peblo and MSC put the fear into me about that and had me sign that form. So, when I got that call from my confused soon-to-be examiner, it freaked me out. He was acting like he didnt want to screw me over haha. Hopefully that is a good sign.

But glad to see you say what you did. Ill just look at it like an exit exam rather than as a c&p. Appreciate the info.
 
Update: Went to the Gen Med exam. The provider basically told me I was an idiot if I claimed anything.and insinuated if I did claim something, he could say I looked better than my previous rating would suggest and id be s rewed... that comment sounded vaguely threatening. I told him what my Peblo, msc, and others had said about the exam (that it was normal and akin to an exit exam). His response was that those people are idiots setting me up for failure and that he didnt know anything about IDES or med boards, but he has 10 years of doing c&ps and that if he addressed anything in my SHA, it would force a review for compensation and I would probably get lowered.

He then reiterated that I should claim nothing because his word could screw me over. So, after having argued with him, and his comment about screwing me over, I no longer felt comfortable having him as a reviewer.

I walked out with only my blood pressure checked and 4 questions about suicidal ideation. No claims made. Took about 10 minutes.

My MSC had claimed she put in a request for a different reviewer who had knowledge of the IDES process, but obviously that didnt come about. I know I signed the 21-4138 saying I only wanted to be rated for my referred condition and nothing compensation, but after what everyone has told me I feel like I am now not getting the look from the PEB that I deserve.

My Peblo told me to write an email with all of this to him and my MSC, but no response yet from MSC. Just feeling rather deflated after all of this. Am I screwed?
 
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