Need info and advice

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ms2sweet71

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Registered Member
My husband has been seeing a therapist on and off for the past 2 years. He has not gotten any better. He had foot surgery and its not healing correctly plus needs surgery on the other foot. He has hearing damage. He is at the point where he doesnt care about anything or anyone. He time in the Army is short - contract ends in June. I tell him to go the Medboard route and let the Army fix what they helped break. How does the process start and how long does it take? This has been are life for the past 6-8 years and not sure what to expect.

Thank you all in advance.
 
Answer different for all. However; rough estimate 1 year or more.

Steps in a nutshell:

(1) Doctor determines MEB initiation; gives PERM profile.

(2) Appointments set up for all ailments. Basically look at each condition.

(3) Final phase: One doctor reviews the record and determines if meet standards per regulation. Another doc must also bless off.

(4) PEB stage: They make the determination whether he is fit or not. They also rate the selected conditions that hinder his duty position if found unfit.

The military doctor will determine whether an MEB should be started based on his conditions ie per regulation.

End result; you need help your in the right place. There is more to the process just tried to break it down.
 
How long has your husband been fighting the foot problems? If it has been for a while, then I would assume he has been on temp profiles. If he has had profiles, he can go to his PCM at the TMC and ask the Dr. for a permanent profile. That profile will then be forwarded to an approval authority (usually the MEB Dr.). They will look to see if this impacts his performance of his MOS and ability to do basic Soldier stuff. If he can't do that stuff, then he gets put in for MEB and the process will start.

If he has been seen offpost, his civillian Dr. can have a big impact on the decision making process. The Dr. needs to put things in his record that states doing things like ruck marches, wearing combat gear, and bearing weight will cause additional damage, and that his condition won't improve. With this, he can take it to his PCM and help get his perm profile in the system.

As far as timeline, it's not a quick process. As stated before, it could take a year or more. It really depends on the complexity of the case. In my case, I am being boarded for DDD, and right leg pain (sciatica). Those were the two conditions that fail to meet retention standards. All the other little medical conditions I have were not something that would make me unfit were included in my board, but don't get rated by the Army. My board is going to end up being complete in a little over six months. Mine went quick because there was not a lot to look at.

Your husband may very well stay past his ETS date, but I think it is completely worth it. If he is entered in the MEB and found unfit, he will either get severance, or retirement. He also gets fast tracked by the VA. Rather than waiting a couple years to get VA compensation, his VA will be all done by the time he gets out. To me, that is a huge advantage and worth the aggravation off staying a little extra.

What post are you guys on? What MOS? How long has he been fighting the foot problems? How willing is his unit to work with him? How many years in service?
 
We are at Fort Stewart Georgia. He is a combat medic. He has had foot problems for a while but never went to see the Doc until middle of last year where they sent him immediately off post for surgery. He is on a profile and been on one since around October/November 2010. He is currently on one that says walk at own distance and pace. His unit is not willing to work with him at all. We have a chain that is telling people they will put them out if broken or overweight. He has almost 8 years in.
 
He should have a permanent profile. AR 40-501, Para. 7-4.,


"c. Temporary profiles. Soldiers receiving medical or surgical care or recovering from illness, injury, or surgery, will
be managed with temporary physical profiles until they reach the point in their evaluation, recovery, or rehabilitation
where the profiling officer determines that MRDP has been achieved but no longer than 12 months. A temporary
profile is given if the condition is considered temporary, the correction or treatment of the condition is medically
advisable, and correction usually will result in a higher physical capacity. Soldiers on active duty and RC Soldiers not
on active duty with a temporary profile will be medically evaluated at least once every 3 months at which time the
profile may be extended for a maximum of 6 months from the initial profile start date by the profiling officer.

(1) Temporary profiles exceeding 6 months duration, for the same medical condition, will be referred to a specialist
(for that medical condition) for management and consideration for one of the following actions:
(a) Continuation of a temporary profile for a maximum of 12 months from the initial profile start date;
(b) Change the temporary profile to a permanent profile;
(c) Determination of whether the Soldier meets the medical retention standards of chapter 3 and, if not, referral to an
MEB.
(2) The profiling officer must review previous profiles before making a decision to extend a temporary profile and
refer the Soldier to a medical specialist for management if the temporary profile has been in effect for 6 months. Any
extension of a temporary profile must be recorded on DA Form 3349, and if renewed, item 8 on the DA Form 3349
will contain the following statement: "This temporary profile is an extension of a temporary profile first issued on
(date)."
(3) Temporary profiles will specify an expiration date. If no date is specified, the profile will automatically expire at
the end of 30 days from issuance of the profile. In no case will Soldiers carry a temporary profile that has been
extended for more than 12 months. If a profile is needed beyond the 12 months, the temporary profile will be changed
to a permanent profile. Exceptions to the 12-month temporary physical profile restriction must be approved by the
medical treatment facility (MTF) commander or their designated senior physician approval authority (often the deputy
commander for clinical services)."
 
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