The Email below came to my inbox today, providential.
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Facing an MEB -- Call OAC!
We are the attorneys and paralegals of the Office of Airmen's Counsel (Team OAC!). We are a Division of the Community Legal Services Directorate under The Air Force Legal Operations Agency.
As chief of the OAC, I lead nine lawyers (two of whom are currently reservists) and four paralegals, to represent Airmen from the time they are entered into the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) - a.k.a. MEB process-to when they meet the Formal Physical Evaluation Board (FPEB), through their appeals to the Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council or the Veterans Administration. Our legal office represents Airmen worldwide, active duty and reserve. This workload translates to more than 2,000 clients and over 700 hearings in 2013! Our attorneys enjoy an attorney-client privilege with their clients and work to preserve their clients' interests, whether it be a disability rating increase, a return to duty finding, or a disability separation or retirement that the wounded or ill Airman so richly deserves.
Here's the challenge--many of our prospective clients do not know of our existence! We do not have the resources to have a PEB attorney at each Military Treatment Facility, where the clients may initially think to look for us. The Air Force currently has nine PEB attorneys available to represent Airmen. While there is no way of knowing how many Airmen have faced the MEB process without the benefit of legal counsel, Congress recognized in 2008 even one Airman is too many.
With innovative outreach activities, including an Armed Forces Network commercial; news articles such as this one; and posters throughout Air Force installations, we are making a difference to Airmen who are not familiar with Team OAC. When an Airman is put into the IDES at the Medical Treatment Facilities, they generally do not understand they can seek immediate legal assistance from the OAC. Outreach becomes very important because without the OAC guiding Airmen, their rights and benefits may be negatively affected due to the numerous filing deadlines that run throughout the IDES.
JAGs and paralegals in the field can help us by getting the word out about what we do. Many of our clients erroneously believe the base legal office or the Area Defense Counsel can help them through this process. We want you to know to refer these Airmen to us. The nuanced legal issues involved in the IDES require early and often communication between the Airmen and the OAC. You can help in this endeavor.
So for you and anyone who is facing an MEB call OAC!
OAC Contact info is: Commercial 210-565-0739 DSN 665-0739 based out of JB San Antonio-Randolph
*********
Facing an MEB -- Call OAC!
We are the attorneys and paralegals of the Office of Airmen's Counsel (Team OAC!). We are a Division of the Community Legal Services Directorate under The Air Force Legal Operations Agency.
As chief of the OAC, I lead nine lawyers (two of whom are currently reservists) and four paralegals, to represent Airmen from the time they are entered into the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) - a.k.a. MEB process-to when they meet the Formal Physical Evaluation Board (FPEB), through their appeals to the Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council or the Veterans Administration. Our legal office represents Airmen worldwide, active duty and reserve. This workload translates to more than 2,000 clients and over 700 hearings in 2013! Our attorneys enjoy an attorney-client privilege with their clients and work to preserve their clients' interests, whether it be a disability rating increase, a return to duty finding, or a disability separation or retirement that the wounded or ill Airman so richly deserves.
Here's the challenge--many of our prospective clients do not know of our existence! We do not have the resources to have a PEB attorney at each Military Treatment Facility, where the clients may initially think to look for us. The Air Force currently has nine PEB attorneys available to represent Airmen. While there is no way of knowing how many Airmen have faced the MEB process without the benefit of legal counsel, Congress recognized in 2008 even one Airman is too many.
With innovative outreach activities, including an Armed Forces Network commercial; news articles such as this one; and posters throughout Air Force installations, we are making a difference to Airmen who are not familiar with Team OAC. When an Airman is put into the IDES at the Medical Treatment Facilities, they generally do not understand they can seek immediate legal assistance from the OAC. Outreach becomes very important because without the OAC guiding Airmen, their rights and benefits may be negatively affected due to the numerous filing deadlines that run throughout the IDES.
JAGs and paralegals in the field can help us by getting the word out about what we do. Many of our clients erroneously believe the base legal office or the Area Defense Counsel can help them through this process. We want you to know to refer these Airmen to us. The nuanced legal issues involved in the IDES require early and often communication between the Airmen and the OAC. You can help in this endeavor.
So for you and anyone who is facing an MEB call OAC!
OAC Contact info is: Commercial 210-565-0739 DSN 665-0739 based out of JB San Antonio-Randolph