MEB in Korea, does that negate PCS to CONUS?

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daveesl77

PEB Forum Regular Member
Registered Member
As a secondary thread to my original post, I've been reading some conflicting info that I hope can be addressed and answered. As I put in my original post my son-in-law, OCONUS Korea, suffered a back injury resulting in at least 3 ruptured/herniated discs. He was told that if the MEB process starts in Korea then he cannot PCS back to the States until the entire process is complete. His PCS date is early November 2013, about 6 months from now.

In some threads and comments I've found the poster states that MEB in Korea results in an immediate transfer to a CONUS station. In others I've read the exact opposite, that if MEB begins in Korea the Soldier stays there until the final determination is made, which according to some can be 2 years.

Which of these scenarios is true, or is it a coin flip?

Thanks,
dave
 
If your Son-in-law is Army then he has the possibility of moving to a Warrior Transition Unit (WTU). Most Soldiers from Korea going through an MEB or that need more complex medical care have been PCS'd to Hawaii to get Medical Treatment or complete their MEB still OCONUS, but the closest WTU from Korea. They can also be moved to other WTUs that are closer to family if possible and beneficial to the Soldier.

I think the first would be to try and get your son-in-law assigned to a WTU and then work out the logistics of getting him to a WTU closer to family. WTU to WTU transfers are easy, but have to get approved, but once they are approved it is a very expedient process.

I hope this answers some questions.
 
Thank you for that answer Loco Moco. I guess he needs to wait until the remaining 30 days of his "observation/physical therapy" time is over, or should he try to put in for a transfer now or does he need to wait until after this period is over and he finds out if they are going to try to do an MEB? I have a good understanding of disc injury and with what he has, it isn't going to fix itself. Is a WTU a post where he could possibly get the needed surgery and rehab to perhaps be able to stay in?

Sorry for all the questions on this. I'm a moderator on a fairly good sized Army family support board, but we primarily deal with people and families that are just entering the service, not things like this. In fact, our main admin is who directed me to this site, which I really appreciate. As we try to clear away the rumor from the fact in the initial stages, this site seems to do the same for the injury area, which is a fantastic asset.

dave
 
Loco Moco said:
If your Son-in-law is Army then he has the possibility of moving to a Warrior Transition Unit (WTU). Most Soldiers from Korea going through an MEB or that need more complex medical care have been PCS'd to Hawaii to get Medical Treatment or complete their MEB still OCONUS, but the closest WTU from Korea. They can also be moved to other WTUs that are closer to family if possible and beneficial to the Soldier.

I think the first would be to try and get your son-in-law assigned to a WTU and then work out the logistics of getting him to a WTU closer to family. WTU to WTU transfers are easy, but have to get approved, but once they are approved it is a very expedient process.

I hope this answers some questions.
Click to expand...
Totally agree with you Loco on the WTU thing.
Daveesl77 - the thing to remember is if your son is indeed acepted into the MEB, he will more than likely come stateside anyway, because all exams have to be done by the VA, that's where the WTU thing comes into play.
 
daveesl77 said:
Thank you for that answer Loco Moco. I guess he needs to wait until the remaining 30 days of his "observation/physical therapy" time is over, or should he try to put in for a transfer now or does he need to wait until after this period is over and he finds out if they are going to try to do an MEB? I have a good understanding of disc injury and with what he has, it isn't going to fix itself. Is a WTU a post where he could possibly get the needed surgery and rehab to perhaps be able to stay in?

Daveesl77, you are right, it might not fix itself just by therapy alone. once that time frame is up for physical therapy and he get his reevaluation for treatment and the medical providers determine he needs more complex care. They should recommend assignment to a Warrior Transition Battalion for treatment, surgery, and recovery, and if that doesn't help after time, then there is the possibility of a job reclassification or medical evaluation board. I stress "his medical providers should recommend assignment to a WTB." This doesn't always happen this way, he might need an advocate like his chain of command or others to help facilitate this process to be able to transfer to a WTB for treatment of his injuries and allow the proper time for recovery.

See the below link for information about Warrior Transition Battalions and the criteria to be assigned to one. It should answer some of your questions:

http://wtc.army.mil/faqs/faqs.html


Sorry for all the questions on this. I'm a moderator on a fairly good sized Army family support board, but we primarily deal with people and families that are just entering the service, not things like this. In fact, our main admin is who directed me to this site, which I really appreciate. As we try to clear away the rumor from the fact in the initial stages, this site seems to do the same for the injury area, which is a fantastic asset.

dave
Click to expand...
 
I am in Korea right now and just today I talk to my MTF in Yangson and he said that I will be receiving orders next 60 to 90 days. I am wondering if anyone here knows the step by step of things here in Korea.
 
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