Active duty Army aviator with 12.5 years in service, 21 months in Iraq, 21 months in Afghanistan, and currently working on my second tour to Korea. I've got almost 2,500 flight hours with 2/3 of them being in combat wearing body armor etc. I have no documentation of any back issues since i joined to include my MEPS physical. A few years ago my back and shoulders started bothering me off and on during running/exercising and when spending long periods in the aircraft wearing body armor. I thought nothing of it as most of us with my age and hours experience the same. I took NSAIDS and drove on. I finally decided to report it during my flight physical this year as I realized how important it was to document these issues for my eventual separation and possibly to get a profile, and uncovered that I had up to 32 degrees of lumbar scoliosis on my first back x-ray in 32 years. I've known about it since childhood, but had no idea of the extent. Long story short my back looks like an S and I now have a P3. I've only had a few X-Rays and no MRIs since as I wasn't sure where this was going to go, but since I've been unable to fly for 3 months and the prognosis to improve my scoliosis is not great without surgery (which I don't fit the criteria for) I have been recommended to MEB. The only likely way I was going to get a waiver to fly again was to admit zero symptoms which would be lying.
Timeline: If there are no appeals and the process flows smoothly what kind of timeline could I expect from start to finish if I am stationed at the Fort Hood WTU? I'm scheduled to PCS and sign in around March.
Rating: From the research I've done I understand the basics of not being able to pyramid related issues on the same part of the body. I have documentation from Neuro, Ortho, and my PCM all referring me to the MEB because I don't meet the retention criteria (not greater than 2" but lesser with symptoms impacting my ability to do my job) for scoliosis. Medical records show no record of nerve issues as I've only had a few appointments since my recommendation and only a brief test by one of them using the end of a pointy stick to ask if I felt it in different areas. Do I have the ability during the IDES process to bring up undocumented issues associated with the documented ones, or is it unrealistic to find something service related if you have no medical record of it and excellent performance ratings throughout your career. My commander statement talked about me being an excellent soldier, but that my medical condition was preventing me from doing my job of flying (or even being deployable since I can no longer wear body armor or ruck) and that it was negatively affecting the unit. If they can find physical evidence (x-ray, MRI, exam, etc) during the IDES process will that still be usable toward my rating? Scoliosis alone is 20% which is what has me somewhat worried. All of my associated back and shoulder issues are most likely affected by the scoliosis.
Possibility of re-class instead of separation: It was a bitter pill to swallow, but I'm finally accepting the real possibility that I will be getting separated from the Army soon. During the MEB/PEB process are the physicians pretty open to listening to your story and help you one way or another if you're on the edge of being fit/unfit, or is it generally a very impartial decision based on the regs? My biggest fear is that I am found "fit" but unable to continue flying and forced to re-class to a different MOS.
Thanks everyone. This forum has been a wealth of information for me so far.
Timeline: If there are no appeals and the process flows smoothly what kind of timeline could I expect from start to finish if I am stationed at the Fort Hood WTU? I'm scheduled to PCS and sign in around March.
Rating: From the research I've done I understand the basics of not being able to pyramid related issues on the same part of the body. I have documentation from Neuro, Ortho, and my PCM all referring me to the MEB because I don't meet the retention criteria (not greater than 2" but lesser with symptoms impacting my ability to do my job) for scoliosis. Medical records show no record of nerve issues as I've only had a few appointments since my recommendation and only a brief test by one of them using the end of a pointy stick to ask if I felt it in different areas. Do I have the ability during the IDES process to bring up undocumented issues associated with the documented ones, or is it unrealistic to find something service related if you have no medical record of it and excellent performance ratings throughout your career. My commander statement talked about me being an excellent soldier, but that my medical condition was preventing me from doing my job of flying (or even being deployable since I can no longer wear body armor or ruck) and that it was negatively affecting the unit. If they can find physical evidence (x-ray, MRI, exam, etc) during the IDES process will that still be usable toward my rating? Scoliosis alone is 20% which is what has me somewhat worried. All of my associated back and shoulder issues are most likely affected by the scoliosis.
Possibility of re-class instead of separation: It was a bitter pill to swallow, but I'm finally accepting the real possibility that I will be getting separated from the Army soon. During the MEB/PEB process are the physicians pretty open to listening to your story and help you one way or another if you're on the edge of being fit/unfit, or is it generally a very impartial decision based on the regs? My biggest fear is that I am found "fit" but unable to continue flying and forced to re-class to a different MOS.
Thanks everyone. This forum has been a wealth of information for me so far.