Hi,
I was NAVY active duty from 2004-2008, was honorably discharged in 2007 into the IRR and after 4 years joined the NAVY reserve in 2011.
I incurred some injuries during my AD time, for example:
1. Right hand metacarpal fracture where the Ortho Tech at the Naval Hospital did not do a good job and applied the cast without properly lining up the two ends of the broken bone, which required a team of orthopedics to re-break my bones and recast my hand. Anyways, I ended up with a “malunion” where besides having a deformity on my metacarpal bone I cannot make a complete fist with my right hand.
2. I was also diagnosed with the term for calcification deposits formed on my submandibular salivary gland, which caused swelling on the right side of the submandibular area, until the calcium stones are surgically removed. The navy ENT’s recommendation was to remove the submandibular salivary gland, by making an incision through the lower jaw. I never got the process done, and still dealing with the calcium stones formation until this day.
Due to lack of knowledge, I never filed a VA disability claim, when I got out of AD in 2007. I thought that my injuries did not make me actually “disabled” so I did not want to look like I was trying to milk the system, while so many of our veterans have lost limbs or their lives in the line of duty. Besides I did not want to be medically flagged, which could question my physical condition to apply for other jobs, such as police, federal agent, or join other programs in the reserve, such as special ops, etc.
Q1. Is it possible to file claims for these old injuries/medical condition after I qualify for retirement in the Navy Reserves, probably in the next 9-12 years?
I was NAVY active duty from 2004-2008, was honorably discharged in 2007 into the IRR and after 4 years joined the NAVY reserve in 2011.
I incurred some injuries during my AD time, for example:
1. Right hand metacarpal fracture where the Ortho Tech at the Naval Hospital did not do a good job and applied the cast without properly lining up the two ends of the broken bone, which required a team of orthopedics to re-break my bones and recast my hand. Anyways, I ended up with a “malunion” where besides having a deformity on my metacarpal bone I cannot make a complete fist with my right hand.
2. I was also diagnosed with the term for calcification deposits formed on my submandibular salivary gland, which caused swelling on the right side of the submandibular area, until the calcium stones are surgically removed. The navy ENT’s recommendation was to remove the submandibular salivary gland, by making an incision through the lower jaw. I never got the process done, and still dealing with the calcium stones formation until this day.
Due to lack of knowledge, I never filed a VA disability claim, when I got out of AD in 2007. I thought that my injuries did not make me actually “disabled” so I did not want to look like I was trying to milk the system, while so many of our veterans have lost limbs or their lives in the line of duty. Besides I did not want to be medically flagged, which could question my physical condition to apply for other jobs, such as police, federal agent, or join other programs in the reserve, such as special ops, etc.
Q1. Is it possible to file claims for these old injuries/medical condition after I qualify for retirement in the Navy Reserves, probably in the next 9-12 years?
