Title 32 Technician Medical Retirement Scenarios (Please limit posts to "Technician Medical Retirements")

I hope I’m posting in the right place and not highjacking anyone’s thread.

I started the NDDES process yesterday. I am 44 years old with 22 years title 32 in the ANG, with 4 years ADAF service prior to that. I’ve developed significant food allergies to 4 major allergens (wheat, dairy, eggs, and soy) which has made eating and dealing with the allergic reactions a major issue. If I am deemed unfit and unable to deploy because they can’t feed me, what happens next? The Force Management lady told me that it could be 6 months for the med process and then another 6 months to get out of the technician side, but the memo I found here from 20 June says I will be forced out on the civilian side 30 days after military separation. We have saved money in case this happens, but what should I be doing now to make the process go smoothly and not leave us high and dry for insurance, etc.? We currently have GEHA insurance and SGLI. I’m married with three kids so the insurance is still really important for us.

Thanks in advance for guidance.
Hello there I was also a dual status t32 technician. I believe your timeline may be off some. This is how my timeline went May 2020 the pre MEB started. And I was not out of the military until November 2021. My timeline did take longer because I was trying to get a formal lod like others have said on here so that I could get Tricare. Trying to get an LOD took 5 months for them to say no. It is true They will not give you very much time and the technician slot once you've lose your military affiliation. But they were willing to work with me and let me burn sick leave and annually. Unfortunately I did not have very much sick leave so I am now in leave without pay status. I was informed there is no interim payments for medically retired fers only regular retired Fers. But you will get back paid from when paid leave ends. I was told by HR this process will take 3 to 4 months once it's initiated but that may have been false because once my technician package went to the army benefit center they told me to expect 6 to 9 months from the time that they received it for DFAS and others to process. I was also told that I could keep my insurance as long as I was in the leave without pay status and I would have to arrange to pay out of pocket the 400 and whatever a month. For me and my family insurance was very important also. December 22nd was the countdown for my 6 to 9 months to begin. So I will go many months without any pay from the technician side. The problem that held me up here lately was I needed my military retirement orders to process the furs retirement and they were behind on creating the military retirement at AFPC but my 30 countdown started and so I was out the door and the Fers retirement was at a standstill. I do believe the timelines can vary greatly but I would expect them to take very very long to complete and if your case becomes very complex expect even longer. I'm also in the Air National guard and I have a 90% VA rating now others on here have said if you get 30% you'll be medically discharged and that's not completely correct. The Air National guard has a way of saying prior service condition and some weird kind of way and then skirting the medical retirement on the military side. So the VA found that my conditions were related to military service and essentially the national guard denied it. And if you try to fight the National guard from others on here and my own experiences I believe it could take years in limbo status.
 
Last edited:
Hello there I was also a dual status t32 technician. I believe your timeline may be off some. This is how my timeline went May 2020 the pre MEB started. And I was not out of the military until November 2021. My timeline did take longer because I was trying to get a formal lod like others have said on here so that I could get Tricare. Trying to get an LOD took 5 months for them to say no. It is true They will not give you very much time and the technician slot once you've lose your military affiliation. But they were willing to work with me and let me burn sick leave and annually. Unfortunately I did not have very much sick leave so I am now in leave without pay status. I was informed there is no interim payments for medically retired fers only regular retired Fers. But you will get back paid from when paid leave ends. I was told by HR this process will take 3 to 4 months once it's initiated but that may have been false because once my technician package went to the army benefit center they told me to expect 6 to 9 months from the time that they received it for DFAS and others to process. I was also told that I could keep my insurance as long as I was in the leave without pay status and I would have to arrange to pay out of pocket the 400 and whatever a month. For me and my family insurance was very important also. December 22nd was the countdown for my 6 to 9 months to begin. So I will go many months without any pay from the technician side. The problem that held me up here lately was I needed my military retirement orders to process the furs retirement and they were behind on creating the military retirement at AFPC but my 30 countdown started and so I was out the door and the Fers retirement was at a standstill. I do believe the timelines can vary greatly but I would expect them to take very very long to complete and if your case becomes very complex expect even longer. I'm also in the Air National guard and I have a 90% VA rating now others on here have said if you get 30% you'll be medically discharged and that's not completely correct. The Air National guard has a way of saying prior service condition and some weird kind of way and then skirting the medical retirement on the military side. So the VA found that my conditions were related to military service and essentially the national guard denied it. And if you try to fight the National guard from others on here and my own experiences I believe it could take years in limbo status.
Are you on the PDRL?
 
Are you on the PDRL?
No on the military side I was found unfit for military service Due to medical conditions deemed not inline of duty which triggered a 15 year retirement on military side. I had 19 years of drill time. The loss of military membership as a dual status technician caused medical retirement on the technician side which I had 16 years in.
 
No on the military side I was found unfit for military service Due to medical conditions deemed not inline of duty which triggered a 15 year retirement on military side. I had 19 years of drill time. The loss of military membership as a dual status technician caused medical retirement on the technician side which I had 16 years in.
Man, that sucks. Well glad you got the disability retirement from the tech side
 
Hello there I was also a dual status t32 technician. I believe your timeline may be off some. This is how my timeline went May 2020 the pre MEB started. And I was not out of the military until November 2021. My timeline did take longer because I was trying to get a formal lod like others have said on here so that I could get Tricare. Trying to get an LOD took 5 months for them to say no. It is true They will not give you very much time and the technician slot once you've lose your military affiliation. But they were willing to work with me and let me burn sick leave and annually. Unfortunately I did not have very much sick leave so I am now in leave without pay status. I was informed there is no interim payments for medically retired fers only regular retired Fers. But you will get back paid from when paid leave ends. I was told by HR this process will take 3 to 4 months once it's initiated but that may have been false because once my technician package went to the army benefit center they told me to expect 6 to 9 months from the time that they received it for DFAS and others to process. I was also told that I could keep my insurance as long as I was in the leave without pay status and I would have to arrange to pay out of pocket the 400 and whatever a month. For me and my family insurance was very important also. December 22nd was the countdown for my 6 to 9 months to begin. So I will go many months without any pay from the technician side. The problem that held me up here lately was I needed my military retirement orders to process the furs retirement and they were behind on creating the military retirement at AFPC but my 30 countdown started and so I was out the door and the Fers retirement was at a standstill. I do believe the timelines can vary greatly but I would expect them to take very very long to complete and if your case becomes very complex expect even longer. I'm also in the Air National guard and I have a 90% VA rating now others on here have said if you get 30% you'll be medically discharged and that's not completely correct. The Air National guard has a way of saying prior service condition and some weird kind of way and then skirting the medical retirement on the military side. So the VA found that my conditions were related to military service and essentially the national guard denied it. And if you try to fight the National guard from others on here and my own experiences I believe it could take years in limbo status.
I got interim payments for medical disability retirement
 
I got interim payments for medical disability retirement
I asked my HR lady I was working with if I could get interim payments and she told me no if it was a normal retirement I could but not medical retirement. Army benefits center also told me it would be 6to9 months without payment. It seems very wrong to me to put people in this position.
 
I asked my HR lady I was working with if I could get interim payments and she told me no if it was a normal retirement I could but not medical retirement. Army benefits center also told me it would be 6to9 months without payment. It seems very wrong to me to put people in this position.
That is odd, both my HR and the ABC told me that i would. Mine was disablity, normal disability was denied, and was approved under public law. But that was after, i started getting interim payments not too long after being separated, like 6 weeks. But i wasnt denied til like 3 months after, then approved about a month after that, then all finalized about 5-6 after being separated. I doubt that air and army are different.
 
Its approx 80% of what your estimated annuity would be, which is 60% of your normal tech pay. Then once they finish calculations they back pay you or withhold depending on what they calculate
Ok, thank you for the informatio
 
That is odd, both my HR and the ABC told me that i would. Mine was disablity, normal disability was denied, and was approved under public law. But that was after, i started getting interim payments not too long after being separated, like 6 weeks. But i wasnt denied til like 3 months after, then approved about a month after that, then all finalized about 5-6 after being separated. I doubt that air and army are different.
I just collected my last check last little over a week ago last day in paid leave status was the 31. If I get an interim payment in the next few weeks I will get on here and let you guys know. Same thing they told me I will have to be processed as normal disability and it will most likely be denied because the disabled under special provision for dual status technician is basically better in some ways.
 
Its approx 80% of what your estimated annuity would be, which is 60% of your normal tech pay. Then once they finish calculations they back pay you or withhold depending on what they calculate
This is the information I received well. What is your insurance?
 
I just collected my last check last little over a week ago last day in paid leave status was the 31. If I get an interim payment in the next few weeks I will get on here and let you guys know. Same thing they told me I will have to be processed as normal disability and it will most likely be denied because the disabled under special provision for dual status technician is basically better in some ways.
Please do, I’m going through this right now. Thank you for keeping this thread updated.
 
As long as your unfitting conditions are service connected to your title 10 deployments and they get rated over 30% going through the IDES then you will qualify for a ch 61 retirement. If they get rated less than 30% then you will get medically separated with severance. Either scenario you will qualify for the 60/40 disability retirement for your technician job. And yes you will have to go through all new C&P exams going through the IDES. I just got medically retired from the ILNG last February and retired from my tech job in September with the 60/40. Hope this helps. If you have any other questions im glad to help but please listen to your HR reps and the experts because I definitely am not one and every situation is different. But as long as you're found unfit and that disability is service connected to a deployment you will qualify for the 60/40 no matter the %
Hello JBug, I medically retired from the guard, and tech program Jan 19 2022, what’s the probability of getting Disability retirement from the tech program? I was a tech for 11 years
 
Hello JBug, I medically retired from the guard, and tech program Jan 19 2022, what’s the probability of getting Disability retirement from the tech program? I was a tech for 11 years
If your a dual status T32 technician and you lost your military status due to medical reasons you get a Fers medical retirement the 60/40 retirement. You should have been talking with the HR specialist on your FERS side as your medically retired/separate from the military portion. The HR I worked with told me it will go to a normal disability retirement probably get denied than they process it as the loss of dual status for medical reasons than it gets approved. Unfortunately this take a very long time.
 
Last edited:
Please do, I’m going through this right now. Thank you for keeping this thread updated.
Just giving an update for any technician out there getting out medically. I talk with my HR and she told me I will get interim pay but it's still going to take a long time even for that. As of now I haven't been in pay status for 7 weeks and have not been paid interim yet.
 
Just giving an update for any technician out there getting out medically. I talk with my HR and she told me I will get interim pay but it's still going to take a long time even for that. As of now I haven't been in pay status for 7 weeks and have not been paid interim yet.
Has ABC called you yet? They should call you and then the interim payments will start. It was probably 2-3 months before interim payments started for me
 
If your a dual status T32 technician and you lost your military status due to medical reasons you get a Fers medical retirement the 60/40 retirement. You should have been talking with the HR specialist on your FERS side as your medically retired/separate from the military portion. The HR I worked with told me it will go to a normal disability retirement probably get denied than they process it as the loss of dual status for medical reasons than it gets approved. Unfortunately this take a very long time.
Thank you, I mailed my packet yesterday and the 19th of FEB was the last day my HR could help me, my doctor is what held this process up. I got my last check last week, for the leave I accumalated.
 
Top