Upcoming MEB; (2)Pulmonary embolisms and DVT

I was given 60% by the VA for 6817 but the Navy gave me 0% for 6817. I'm taking Coumadin for life. PDBR shot me down. 14 years in the Navy and no retirement.
From my experience, the Army no longer plays a role as judicator but mirrors the VA Schedule which is current MEB regulation. Hence, why MEB individuals receive their VA rating pre-retirement. If this was your referred condition I would appeal through the Military Board of Corrections is you have been discharged to argue for a Navy Retirement. If not discharged. However, if you have under 20 years AFS you can't collect VA unless you qualify for CRDP to offset. A 60% is a much more money if your a Chief than 60% VA.
 
From my experience, the Army no longer plays a role as judicator but mirrors the VA Schedule which is current MEB regulation. Hence, why MEB individuals receive their VA rating pre-retirement. If this was your referred condition I would appeal through the Military Board of Corrections is you have been discharged to argue for a Navy Retirement. If not discharged. However, if you have under 20 years AFS you can't collect VA unless you qualify for CRDP to offset. A 60% is a much more money if your a Chief than 60% VA.

I appealed to the BCNR and got shot down. They wouldn't review any decisions made by the PDBR. I wrote to my congressman for help and this was the response from the BCNR to Senator Marco Rubio:

Dear Senator Rubio:

This is in response to your recent letter concerning the application of one of your constituents, Mr. John Jacobson, a former member of the United States Navy.

Mr. Jacobson previously applied to the Board for Correction of Naval Records after his case was reviewed by the Physical Disability Board of Review (PDBR). In accordance with Department of Defense Instruction 6040.44, the recommendation of the PDBR, once accepted by the respective military department, is final. Since Mr. Jacobson's PDBR recommendation was accepted by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), the decision in his case is considered a final agency action and outside this Board's jurisdiction. Since Mr. Jacobson has exhausted his administrative remedies, he may seek relief through a federal court of appropriate jurisdiction.

I hope this information will assist you in responding to your constituent.

Thank you for your interest in the Board for Correction of Naval Records. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further assistance.


And this was the response to me from Senator Rubio:

Dear Mr. Jacobson,

You wrote to me regarding your request to have your military discharge upgraded. Attached to this email is a copy of the response my office received from the Department of the Navy in reference to the inquiry I made on your behalf. I hope you find this information helpful.

As a U.S. Senator, I do not have the authority to overturn a decision already issued by a federal agency. Should you require assistance with any other issues pertaining to the federal government, I am at your service.

Thank you for sharing your concerns with me and the opportunity to serve you. I am humbled by my responsibilities in the United States Senate, and I will continue to work on behalf of our state of Florida.

Sincerely,

Marco Rubio
United States Senator

I honestly don't know what to do from here. I feel like DoD decided it's much easier to sweep my case under the rug than it is to correct an obvious wrong!
 
Hello ChiefJake1,
I am just reading up on my messages and replied back to you. You have done a lot to get your ratings and discharge reconsidered. I told you why I gave up and did not pursue my case to change my ratings for the recurrent dvts and PE. You have given the military some of the best years of your life and I would say this to you, I have learned since being retired and away from the Military is that different people, Agencies do what they want to do and how they want to do it. Sometimes I do not feel rules, regulations and codes are enforced and followed 100% or everyone treated and given the same. If someone is having a good day handling your case you may get a good out come, if they are having a bad day we know how the end results may be. Some just simply don't care cause they are burnt out from the job or etc. It's like pulling straws hoping your case is gonna get answered and handled by the right one and that it will be on a good day for that person.
Because every ones case is so different and unique all of us have in common the same thing and that is we want what we worked hard for and the ratings we are deserving to get from the DOD and VA. This is our life on the line.
Bottom line, this is about you, your family and the rest of your life. You must do what you have to do. You said you don't know what from here. Only you can either keep up the fight when you feel like you're in a loosing battle or you can just stop and do no more. For some taking "No" is just not the final answer.
 
Hey all, been reading up on here to try and prepare myself. Here's my situation:
ADAF E-6 with 13 years, 4 months TIS
1st DVT - May 2014, Xarelto for about 4.5 months then nothing.
2nd DVT - July 2017, Xarelto for life!
I just got back from my C&P appointments, and got my MEB results a couple days ago. Diagnosis: unprovoked DVTs. Since the 2nd DVT, lab work shows I have Factor V Leiden. Beyond this, I have no other complications. I currently have no duty or PT limitations. Am I really to expect a med discharge of some sort, or is it that I can only find such cases because people don't tend to talk about being returned to duty? As it stands, I'd like to return to duty, but I don't want to get my hopes up thinking I can fight for that when there's a 0% chance of that happening.
 
Was happy to find this forum. I'm a current member of the Air National Guard and looking to get out. I was actually diagnosed with Factor v Leiden back in 2000 after my second blood clot (which happened after a drive down to guard duty). My first blood clot came after a flight from California for a military meeting I went to. I only did 6 months of Coumadin after each one of those clots. They did not put me on blood thinners then as the vascular surgeon said as young as I was there was about as much risk being on blood thinners as chances of having another clot. I was put on a medical waiver that I had to have filled out every year. I had one other clot in 2010 and they did the same thing--blood thinners for 6 months. I had a IVC filter put in before my knee/shoulder surgery in 2012 as they were worried about me having another blood clot. My world really changed in 2015 when I was life flighted to Mayo because I had bilateral PE's and was clotted off from my vena cava(chest) and down both legs. Spent many days in ICU and getting clot buster medications and had to have 4 transfusions. Went in one month later as I clotted off again and they realized my filter had moved and punctured my aorta and went into my spine. They were unable to remove the filter and had to do a laparotomy and cut into my vena cava to get the filter out and remove the filter leg from my spine as it had grown into my L4 disc. Surprisingly I'm still in the military and unlike others I have not received a medial discharge yet. I still could do 5 more years on my commission but I think I need to retire as I live 8 hours away from my guard base and I just dread going to guard because I have so much pain in my legs and my back and to be honest, the vascular doctor says I put myself at increase risk driving that far and also with flying. I'm on Coumadin for the rest of my life because of all the blood clots I have had. I also have a document back injury (l4-L50 and T6-T7) and a right knee injury which the doctor says that he really does not want to operate on my because of my blood clotting issues and he said I really need a total joint and he wants to wait until I get older. Problem I have is that I don't want to take narcotics and because I'm on Coumadin they really don't want me taking a lot of other medications (NSAIDAS or steroids) to help with all the pain I have. I have to wear compression stockings all the time as I have a lot of pain/swelling and discoloration in my legs-they hurt all the time. I also have been diagnosed with sleep Apnea after another 2 week deployment and I had a 22LB weight gain. After reading these forums I'm still surprised that they have not kicked me out. I guess I'm just asking for advice. should I stay in until I get an appointment with the VA or could I retire since it really kills me to make that drive down to guard duty with my back and leg pain. Do you all have any advice on guiding me through the VA system and what I should look for and/or be asking for?
 
Hello Vanbrobl
As I was reading what you wrote it all hits so close to home with my situation except I did not get the filters. After getting the 2nd set of PE and DVTs and hospitalized again, I knew in my heart I could no longer be an effective leader and Soldier for the Army. It pained me to have to accept this. Because my episode happend at work with the clots, I could not hide my illnesses anymore. My Chain of Command ordered me to a Fit for duty exam that got me sent to the Medical Board the following 2 weeks after my release from Hospital. If this has not been recommended for you then you must make a decision for your own self to take the necessary action to make this happen. Remember being on life long blood thinners makes you medically Non Deployable. It will give you a Permanent 3 in your PULHES for a profile. Having a permanent 3 on your medical profile will get you sent before a MEB.
I did not want this because I was too worried about being forced to retire, my pay and taking care of my family even with 23 years Active Duty at that time. I wish I would have went on blood thinners the first time I got the clots because it probably would have helped me but I was too worried about Soldering than my health. I am shocked no one has recommended you for a further medical evaluation to send you before a Board with everything you’ve been through. But if you are like me, I hid as much as I could even with my legs getting so huge in my uniform, not being able to wear my boots, making up excuses to not do Physical training. The ppl in my unit just thought I was gaining weight in my legs....
Your health is very important and you must make a decision that you probably don’t want to and you know what that is!!!
It’s been 1 year since I retired and my legs have not gotten better to work. I suffer now from Post thrombotic syndrome in both legs. I will never be able to work again like this. You must make the decision that is going to benefit you and your family.
 
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Hello Vanbrobl
As I was reading what you wrote it all hits so close to home with my situation except I did not get the filters. After getting the 2nd set of PE and DVTs and hospitalized again, I knew in my heart I could no longer be an effective leader and Soldier for the Army. It pained me to have to accept this. Because my episode happend at work with the clots, I could not hide my illnesses anymore. My Chain of Command ordered me to a Fit for duty exam that got me sent to the Medical Board the following 2 weeks after my release from Hospital. If this has not been recommended for you then you must make a decision for your own self to take the necessary action to make this happen. Remember being on life long blood thinners makes you medically Non Deployable. It will give you a Permanent 3 in your PULHES for a profile. Having a permanent 3 on your medical profile will get you sent before a MEB.
I did not want this because I was too worried about being forced to retire, my pay and taking care of my family even with 23 years Active Duty at that time. I wish I would have went on blood thinners the first time I got the clots because it probably would have helped me but I was too worried about Soldering than my health. I am shocked no one has recommended you for a further medical evaluation to send you before a Board with everything you’ve been through. But if you are like me, I hid as much as I could even with my legs getting so huge in my uniform, not being able to wear my boots, making up excuses to not do Physical training. The ppl in my unit just thought I was gaining weight in my legs....
Your health is very important and you must make a decision that you probably don’t want to and you know what that is!!!
It’s been 1 year since I retired and my legs have not gotten better to work. I suffer now from Post thrombotic syndrome in both legs. I will never be able to work again like this. You must make the decision that is going to benefit you and your family.

Thanks for your response. It's good to be able to speak with people that understand what I'm going through. I was just diagnosed with post thrombolytic syndrome about a month ago. I knew that I continued to have a fair amount of swelling and discoloration of my legs. I have pain/swelling in my legs all the time, especially if I don't wear my compression hose and it really hurts if I hit them on anything. The doctor said that regrettably I'm as good as I ever will be. I have a lot of varicose veins also. I was hoping that they could do something to decrease the pain in my legs. They just increased my compression stocks to a higher level to see if that would help. Not really yet. I really thought they would boot me out after 2015 when I had the severe blood clotting episode PE's. I've always joked that I swear my med group did not turn in my paperwork. They really want me to stay but the 9 hour drive to guard just kills me now with my legs and my back issues. I have not been able to do a fitness test since 2014 as since 2015 I've been hospitalized several times with the blood clots, had to have laparotomy to get the IVC filter out and then gallbladder surgery and then last January I developed a huge hernia from the laparotomy surgery I had. As much as I love the military I just don't feel like a military person without being able to accomplish the fitness side of it. I so wish I would not have tried so hard to stay in when I was younger and talked the doctors into keeping me off of Coumadin so I could stay in. I also wish I would never have had the filter put in but I thought it would keep me safe since I was not on Coumadin. All this has affected my civilian job also. I use to be a surgical nurse but I just can't stand all day and be scrubbed in. I'm in administration now which helps some but I can't sit or stand long so I'm going to get a stand up desk to help me out. I've have 30 years in now so I just think I need to probably just put in my retirement paperwork as it doesn't look like they are going to do anything with me medically. I have met with my VA representative and awaiting to go to the VA to see what they think about my case and if I will get any ratings on the blood clots since I never had an LOD done. I do have my orders that showed that my first clot happened after my long flight back from a military trip and they can also see that I got the other one right after my drive home from drill. I do have LOD's for my back issues and my knee. Also not sure of the sleep apnea. I have my orders that showed that I was on a military trip and then I saw the doctor after my first day back and that I gained 22lbs in one week while gone on summer training. That is when they tested me for sleep apnea and put me on c-pap. Anyway--just looking for advice.
 
Hello Everyone.
I'm new to this forums and glad i found it. I'm a Pilot in the Navy (not on flying orders) with 15yrs of AD service, and just had an episode of PE this past week. Feeling a lot better and almost back to normal daily life. My flight doc has little experience in this area and being referred out to specialist (which is what i want). This was unprovoked, i'm a healthy person, no legs pain, no long flight or car rides. It's strange of this just happening, i had swollen lymph nodes in my neck that i saw a specialist about and was told i possibly have Kikuchi disease (which goes away by itself in 3-5 months) trying to find if its related. Since i was put on blood thinners, this is a disqualifying for Aviation, additionally since its an unprovoked case they want me to be on anticoagulants for the rest of my life. With this recommendation, it makes it impossible continue a Naval flight career. It also looks like it's going to initiate a Medical Evaluation Board and medically retirement board.

Does anyone know the sequence and timeline of these boards. I read that DOD is doing 0% for blood clots and VA 60%? I saw there is a severance package, but i was hoping to finish my time and retire. I was planning on flying with the airlines, but it seems it might be difficult to get a first class medical certificate with this condition.
Thank you for any feedback.
 
JoelP, I feel your pain and I hope you are doing better. I was in a similar situation as you. DQ'd for flight at 18 yrs but doc at hospital worked with my command to keep me in until 20. I was looking at medboard as well. I started researching Permanent Limited Duty status, it something you might want to look in to but you might be a little short for. As far as rating I'll let you know when it comes in as it's still in process.
 
JoelP- see if you can work with your flight doc and slow the process some... I was able to get a year as they went through the process back and forth with the board over my flight status. My flight doc mentioned that he recently had guy with blood clots get a waiver... lots of stipulations like only flight over land in conus. Not sure of all the details but it's something else to look in to.
 
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