What should I expect?

D

darnlan

PEB Forum Regular Member
Here's my summary:

* Army PEB gave me 10% with medical discharge after 9 yrs of active duty.
* Received about $35,000 severance pay at discharge date (16 Apr 2006) and filed w/VA on same day.
* VA rated me @ 60% on Jan 2007 and began collecting (Rating amount minus severance payback) monthly compensation immediately.
* Around July 2009, severance payback paid-in-full per VA, therefore receiving the full amount at 60% plus dependents.
* Heard about this story and filed DD-294 in April and received letters acknowledging receipt dated April 22 and Aug 25, 2010.

My question now:
* IF approved, will I receive a retirement check every month like all retirees?
* If so, how will it be calculated? I did 9 yrs active duty and E-5 upon day of discharge on April 16, 2006.
* Will I receive back pay and with the info given, AROUND how much will the monthly retirement check be?
* In terms of TriCare, how much is the premium for the best plan for myself plus my dependents? I currently pay around $300/mo. now at my job but is expecting to go up! That plan is a CoPay plan within network. I would probably depend on the TriCare benefits more now.

Any input (optimistic preferred) will be greatly appreciated.
 
darnlan said:
Here's my summary:

* Army PEB gave me 10% with medical discharge after 9 yrs of active duty.
* Received about $35,000 severance pay at discharge date (16 Apr 2006) and filed w/VA on same day.
* VA rated me @ 60% on Jan 2007 and began collecting (Rating amount minus severance payback) monthly compensation immediately.
* Around July 2009, severance payback paid-in-full per VA, therefore receiving the full amount at 60% plus dependents.
* Heard about this story and filed DD-294 in April and received letters acknowledging receipt dated April 22 and Aug 25, 2010.

My question now:
* IF approved, will I receive a retirement check every month like all retirees?
* If so, how will it be calculated? I did 9 yrs active duty and E-5 upon day of discharge on April 16, 2006.
* Will I receive back pay and with the info given, AROUND how much will the monthly retirement check be?
* In terms of TriCare, how much is the premium for the best plan for myself plus my dependents? I currently pay around $300/mo. now at my job but is expecting to go up! That plan is a CoPay plan within network. I would probably depend on the TriCare benefits more now.

Any input (optimistic preferred) will be greatly appreciated.
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If you get the retirement here is what you can expect. At least from my experience, i am now retired. You won't get any back pay nor will you get your severance pay back. The only thing you will extra is CRSC if your condition was related to combat and you will get back pay for that. You can get Tricare, i believe it is 460 dollars a year family right now. You will also of course have commissary and exchange privileges. You'll get the DD Form 2, the Blue I.D. card. That is about it, i haven't used Tricare but i might when i move home next year

I forgot to mention, if your VA compensation is more than your retirement pay then you will get that instead as an offset. The VA told me i couldn't get my severance pay back even though i am now retired and it wiped out my separation. I am still fighting it with a DRO request.
 
seminole72 said:
The only thing you will extra is CRSC if your condition was related to combat and you will get back pay for that. You can get Tricare, i believe it is 460 dollars a year family right now.
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What is "CRSC"? I'm new to this therefore don't know the jargon used here. None of my disabilities were directly "combat related" but was basically "kicked to the curb" like everybody else here. I did 9 years total if that helps.
 
darnlan said:
What is "CRSC"? I'm new to this therefore don't know the jargon used here. None of my disabilities were directly "combat related" but was basically "kicked to the curb" like everybody else here. I did 9 years total if that helps.
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It is Combat Related Special Compensation. You can learn more about it here.

https://www.hrc.army.mil/site/crsc/about.html,

I didn't qualify for it either. I was an E6 with 10.5 years AD. I am trying to get my severance pay back due to the fact that i am now retired vice separated retro to 2003. The VA first gave me some lame excuse without citing any law or code so i appealed to a Decision Review Officer. This is what i think should happen. The service should calculate my retired pay from 2003 to date of my placement on the PDRL and subtract my severance pay from that and give me the rest. they are still taking out severance pay from my VA Compensation today, they have been since 2003 and will until 2016 they told me. I also notified my Congressman so we'll see what happens.

The good thing is Tricare, especially if you have a family. I don't really use the commissary or exchange.

Good Luck!
 
Seminole,

Tell me that was sarcasm...I agree with your assessment of how it should be if you are retired by PDBR. It seems logical that DFAS would owe you retirement backpay and that the vet would owe DFAS the severance and that VA would owe the veteran the severance. One could argue that if VA has collected the severance, that the Feds have already recovered the "overpayment". You wouldn't think the calculation would be difficult. Keep me posted.
 
brnt,

I wish i was being sarcastic. I got a letter in the mail today from the VA. I was told that i cannot receive severance pay and retirement. This letter was sent to my reprensentative via me.

The VA is friggin clueless and they misspell many words in their letters. They are obviously not talking with the service and vice versa. The military has not calculated my "back pay" from 2003 to 2010. I am awaiting a Decision Review Officer review by the VA. I am not holding my breath.

They should:

A) calculate my retired pay from 2003 to 2010
B) subtract my severance pay from it.
C) Give me that and my unpaid VA compensation there were supposed to pay me now that i am retired vice separated.

I am seriously thinking of filing a lawsuit but wouldn't know who to sue yet.

The service is not cooperating at all. I guess since they assume i have been receiving VA compensation since 2003 that i got my "retirement" which is total crap.

I will post the letters from the VA here tomorrow. I really don't know what to do about it.

I will post my letters here tomorrow. You are in for a fight to get your benefits, i guarantee you that.
 
seminole72 said:
brnt,

I wish i was being sarcastic. I got a letter in the mail today from the VA. I was told that i cannot receive severance pay and retirement. This letter was sent to my reprensentative via me.

The VA is friggin clueless and they misspell many words in their letters. They are obviously not talking with the service and vice versa. The military has not calculated my "back pay" from 2003 to 2010. I am awaiting a Decision Review Officer review by the VA. I am not holding my breath.

They should:

A) calculate my retired pay from 2003 to 2010
B) subtract my severance pay from it.
C) Give me that and my unpaid VA compensation there were supposed to pay me now that i am retired vice separated.

I am seriously thinking of filing a lawsuit but wouldn't know who to sue yet.

The service is not cooperating at all. I guess since they assume i have been receiving VA compensation since 2003 that i got my "retirement" which is total crap.

I will post the letters from the VA here tomorrow. I really don't know what to do about it.

I will post my letters here tomorrow. You are in for a fight to get your benefits, i guarantee you that.
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We had the same arguement with them...My husband was the one that went through the board and was retired 2 years after the Army med boarded him. The Army originally rated him at 20% for his back and ankle...he had to have back surgery for a ruptured disc and then they fused the vertebrea and as a result he couldn't wear his gear. Anyway, VA gave him 50% right away and then increased it to 60% a year later...we are currently argue with the VA about his ankle which they operated on for the 2nd time. Apparently they "have no record of his surgery" even though they performed it at the VA hospital and we even sent them copies of his discharge paperwork and doctors notes that we requested copies of for his medical leave of absence from work. But I digress...When he was retired DFAS calculated his Retirement Backpay. They charged us for 2 years of SBP and then the remaining $3000 should have been sent to us but they sent it to the VA even though the VA has been recouping his severance pay since he got out...We asked and they couldn't give us any statues stating why that money was being sent to the VA even though they are recouping his severance every month. Basically they told us that this is just the way it is done. It just doesn't make sense to us. And then the VA here is clueless and can't figure out whether or not they should have received it. Heck they can't even figure out why they lost his medical records even though they are electronic. I just don't get it.
 
AFRadioOP92 said:
We had the same arguement with them...My husband was the one that went through the board and was retired 2 years after the Army med boarded him. The Army originally rated him at 20% for his back and ankle...he had to have back surgery for a ruptured disc and then they fused the vertebrea and as a result he couldn't wear his gear. Anyway, VA gave him 50% right away and then increased it to 60% a year later...we are currently argue with the VA about his ankle which they operated on for the 2nd time. Apparently they "have no record of his surgery" even though they performed it at the VA hospital and we even sent them copies of his discharge paperwork and doctors notes that we requested copies of for his medical leave of absence from work. But I digress...When he was retired DFAS calculated his Retirement Backpay. They charged us for 2 years of SBP and then the remaining $3000 should have been sent to us but they sent it to the VA even though the VA has been recouping his severance pay since he got out...We asked and they couldn't give us any statues stating why that money was being sent to the VA even though they are recouping his severance every month. Basically they told us that this is just the way it is done. It just doesn't make sense to us. And then the VA here is clueless and can't figure out whether or not they should have received it. Heck they can't even figure out why they lost his medical records even though they are electronic. I just don't get it.
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I am sorry to hear that about your husband. I've had my troubles with the VA. They overpaid my tuition 2 times last semester. I don't think the PDBR is complete. It has not accomplished the whole package. There are no guidelines on how to fix the benefits and so forth just give up or down on retirement. I am going to get some solid legal advice and see if it is worth suing, maybe this will set a precedence for future people who get retirement from the PDBR. The VA is worthless, i have nothing good to say about them, nothing, they are typical government bureaucrats. They should just abolish it and rebuild it.
 
AFRadioOP92 said:
We had the same arguement with them...My husband was the one that went through the board and was retired 2 years after the Army med boarded him. The Army originally rated him at 20% for his back and ankle...he had to have back surgery for a ruptured disc and then they fused the vertebrea and as a result he couldn't wear his gear. Anyway, VA gave him 50% right away and then increased it to 60% a year later...we are currently argue with the VA about his ankle which they operated on for the 2nd time. Apparently they "have no record of his surgery" even though they performed it at the VA hospital and we even sent them copies of his discharge paperwork and doctors notes that we requested copies of for his medical leave of absence from work. But I digress...When he was retired DFAS calculated his Retirement Backpay. They charged us for 2 years of SBP and then the remaining $3000 should have been sent to us but they sent it to the VA even though the VA has been recouping his severance pay since he got out...We asked and they couldn't give us any statues stating why that money was being sent to the VA even though they are recouping his severance every month. Basically they told us that this is just the way it is done. It just doesn't make sense to us. And then the VA here is clueless and can't figure out whether or not they should have received it. Heck they can't even figure out why they lost his medical records even though they are electronic. I just don't get it.
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What is SBP? I wonder how my case would turn out. My severance will be repaid in July 2011. I haven't submitted PDBR package yet, so I wonder if DFAS would send me the overpayment??? Hmmm...
 
Survivor Benefits Plan.
 
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