My medical board starts April 1. Background: I had surgery a year ago, to help with my hearing and to remove a tumor. Since the surgery I have a loss balance and attacks of dizziness lasting anywhere from about 30min to an hour and half before the medications I have to take knock me out. I have been diagnosed with Meniere's Disease (currently no cure). I am a BM, obviously the CG didn't think it was a good idea for me to be driving boats or shoot guns, so I have been driving a desk ever since. In an effort to help me out, my command at a station and the co-located sector decided I could work as a SAR Controller/OUC. After the "C" school, within 2 months I certifed, and I was PCS'd as part of the whole TLD process. Although, I want to make sure I didn't set myself up for an admin sep. Meniere's disease is rated anywhere from 30-100% and will be a long road for me. So, I have been front-loading myself about the MED board process. In the PEB they determine if I can do my job and base it off of office, grade, rating, etc.; so, I can do my current job...yes because I am sitting in a chair for most of it...but, I ended up here because I could not do my job as a BM. I will never be able to underway on boats/cutters because of the unpredicatbleness of the disease. I would appreciate any feedback anyone may have to offer...thank you in advance.
MED Board
- Thread starter Andi
- Start date
Sorry for your troubles. I have Meniere's disease myself. It sucks. I have been in 19 years just trying to get to retirement before the whole meb peb ends. I take several meds that kind of help, but nothing can stop a full attack. I am new to the forum, so others can give better advice, but I can tell you to try and get as many letters from supervisors, the commander, or docs that say you can still ride a desk and that your condition is stable or controlable with meds (if its true) and if you want to stay in. There is a surgery where the doc goes in and drills a hole behind the ear and drains all of the inner ear fluid. It has been shown to relieve some of the dizziness problems, BUT, there is a slight risk of going deaf in whichever ear they work on. I am not willing to take that chance right now. If you want to get med retired, go the other route. I want to stay in myself to get my 20 year retirement. But again, if you want to get out, meniers can do it. I am on tricare remote, civilain docs. I didn't even know about this or ask for it, but they gave me an official Department of Labor form stating the severity of my condition. I asked what it was for and they told me that I am or would be eligable for social security disability benifits. I am 39 years old and have been working for around 25 years, so they said I was eligable to receive around $2400 a month (I think). I cant remeber. Thats another meniers problrem, memory loss. Anyway that $2400 would be in addition to any military ar VA monitary benifit. If you did not have meniers before you joined, that should be at least 30%, so you might be able to get med retired. Look into the social security benifit for meniers. Check your options and choose the route you want to take. Hope this helped you out. The site below is a good site for meniers info.
JT
Meniere's Disease Information Center -- Disability Resources
JT
JT
Meniere's Disease Information Center -- Disability Resources
JT
Andi,
Welcome! Sorry to hear about your medical problems.
First thing that I think you should consider is what is your desired outcome. Much of how you prepare for this process will be driven by this question.
Best of luck!
Welcome! Sorry to hear about your medical problems.
First thing that I think you should consider is what is your desired outcome. Much of how you prepare for this process will be driven by this question.
Remember, the question of fitness is how you can perform as reasonably expected of someone in your grade, rank, rate, and office. So, it is not necessarily how you perform in your current job (though, if this is a normal position of someone in your career/rank, it may bear on fitness) but more can you reasonably perform in a normal job. You have to be vigilant about this issue because if the documentation in your case focuses too much on your current job, but does not address the normal jobs, you can end up with an incorrect result. The PEBs do not always get this right (or sometimes do not have all the relevant information from the MEB and/or your command).
Best of luck!
JT,
Thank you for your feedback and my heart goes out to you. I certainly appreciate the information you have provided. I have not met many other people with the disease, none in the military, until now. I find it reassuring, so thank you. I wish you the best of luck and take care.
Thank you for your feedback and my heart goes out to you. I certainly appreciate the information you have provided. I have not met many other people with the disease, none in the military, until now. I find it reassuring, so thank you. I wish you the best of luck and take care.
JT,
I just got my results back from the IPEB and they didn't even give a rating to my Menier's disease even though I have 3-4 episodes per month. They said it is not an unfitting condition. VA tables say anything more than once a months warrants a 60% rating. Also got no rating for tinnitus.
I just got my results back from the IPEB and they didn't even give a rating to my Menier's disease even though I have 3-4 episodes per month. They said it is not an unfitting condition. VA tables say anything more than once a months warrants a 60% rating. Also got no rating for tinnitus.
wish you the best of luck