Eligibility for MED Board?

I’m an active duty Army helicopter pilot with 14 years of service. Currently suffer from PTSD, severe sleep apnea, gout, degenerative disc disease, pinched nerve in neck, impingement in both hips, and migraines.

My life has become one constant pain management plan and I’ve run out of energy to keep it up. Given the shortage of pilots in the Army, I’m concerned my flight surgeon won’t entertain a request for a medical board. Can anyone provide insight or advice on how to proceed?
 
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Scotty K said:
I’m an active duty Army helicopter pilot with 14 years of service. Currently suffer from PTSD, severe sleep apnea, gout, degenerative disc disease, pinched nerve in neck, impingement in both hips, and migraines.

My life has become one constant pain management plan and I’ve run out of energy to keep it up. Given the shortage of pilots in the Army, I’m concerned my flight surgeon won’t entertain a request for a medical board. Can anyone provide insight or advice on how to proceed?
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There will likely be others who contribute to this thread. I am not a medical retiree.

With that stated...

If a Soldier’s physician finds it apparent that a Soldier’s condition may permanently interfere with his/her ability to serve on active duty, the treating physician will recommend the Soldier to the Medical Evaluation Board (MEB) and the Physical Evaluation Board (PEB), which is governed by the U.S. Army Physical Disability Evaluation System (PDES). It is my understanding that the soldier cannot directly request the board; it requires the recommendation of the flight surgeon in your case.

Perhaps a discussion with your commander might help; of course you have probably considered that avenue previously.

MEB info is at this LINK <---

Good luck,
Ron
 
Whether he entertains it or not, if you spend a year or more on P3 they are required to start one. If you have a conditions that cannot be rehabilitated with in 1 year necessitating a profile persion of 1 yr or longer and is not combat related injury, the provider may state that you will recreah MRDP (medical Retention Decision Point) and start the process before 1 year. If he doesn't want to place you on P3, go to your MTF's ortho for neck and back, they'll likely give you P3 for what you describe. BH might as well. Soon as AAMA sees that on your next short form review you'll be down and done.

I can't find the reference to save the life of me, but the way the 2016 revisions of Army IDES/40-501/40-502 are written is vague enough to allow a SM to request an MEB and does not give the provider the authority to deny it. OTSG had a policy letter out that basically said until the Reg was fixed SM, Commands, and Providers could all start or request to start an MEB and wasn't anything the other 2 parties of that triad could do about it. Stating ultimately it's the MEB/PEB responsibility to determine if separation is needed, not the Command, PCM, or SM.
Be warned though results may vary with that approach, as that was 2016, and I can't find it on OTSG's site to save my life at the moment. Plenty of providers and commands disagree with it, which would set you up for a legal match that'd likely do more harm/delay than good.
 
You should continue talking to with medical provider and talk with your mental health personal that way everything continues to be documented. Mental heath can start an MEB separate from your Physician. You can also get and Independent Medical exam (IME) done by a civilian doctor but you would have to pay for that out of pocket but if the IME agrees that you should be retired it can streamline the process.
 
JoePlasm said:
Whether he entertains it or not, if you spend a year or more on P3 they are required to start one. If you have a conditions that cannot be rehabilitated with in 1 year necessitating a profile persion of 1 yr or longer and is not combat related injury, the provider may state that you will recreah MRDP (medical Retention Decision Point) and start the process before 1 year. If he doesn't want to place you on P3, go to your MTF's ortho for neck and back, they'll likely give you P3 for what you describe. BH might as well. Soon as AAMA sees that on your next short form review you'll be down and done.

I can't find the reference to save the life of me, but the way the 2016 revisions of Army IDES/40-501/40-502 are written is vague enough to allow a SM to request an MEB and does not give the provider the authority to deny it. OTSG had a policy letter out that basically said until the Reg was fixed SM, Commands, and Providers could all start or request to start an MEB and wasn't anything the other 2 parties of that triad could do about it. Stating ultimately it's the MEB/PEB responsibility to determine if separation is needed, not the Command, PCM, or SM.
Be warned though results may vary with that approach, as that was 2016, and I can't find it on OTSG's site to save my life at the moment. Plenty of providers and commands disagree with it, which would set you up for a legal match that'd likely do more harm/delay than good.
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I didn’t know that about a P3 profile. I’ve been on a P3 since 2016. I’ll ask my PCM about this. Thanks.
 
Yeah either you're on a P3 that requires MEB/PEB and someone missed it, or they should downgrade it to a P2. (only real exception is hearing... no one cares about hearing, despite the Army Hearing Conservation Program)

If it only effects APFT events and you can take a cardio event, then it will not cause a MEB.

If it limits any functional area (wearing gear,MOPP, carrying weapon, evade IDF, etc), or has an assignment or deployment restriction it requires MEB.

If you meet the 40-501 standards to deploy, but do not meet CENTCOM or other COCOM requirements (MOD 14, you provider will understand), they should still start and MEB for being non-deployable.

40-501 DEC 16 update requires any non worldwide deployable condition to be an automatic MEB and automatic finding of unfit by the PEB.
 
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