Read This if You Have Been Denied LOD Initiation or Had NGB Find Your Condition NILOD!

bglynn07 said:
hopefully someone on here is still checking the thread and can help me. I will try to be short in explaining what happend.
I am a reservist who was in a car accident on my way to drill in jan of 2023. I live in Florida and was traveling to south carolina i was in a car accident while stopped at a red light. I called my unit since it occured two hours from home and i would still have to travel 5 hours to get to drill they told me to go home. I told them a couple weeks later i was seeking medical attention for the accident i was suppose to deploy in april of that year. The doctors said i could not deploy because of neck andbac injuries i went through 3 neck procedure and was on waiver for close to 18 months because of the accident they collected my doctor notes and said they needed to do a line of duty because of the deployment once they were ae to get reserve command to remove me from the deployment because of the accident any discussion of the LOD stopped i never was told to see a medical technician from the military i did not have any kind of face to face with the commander and i paid the medical bills. I am currently deployed in the middle east almost done with the deployment and all the injuries have come back. I asked my unit about the LOD and they have no paper work the former commander called me a week after asking about it and left me a voice mail saying it was denied by legal because i did not seek medical in a timely fashion. the accident was jan 6th i was at the doctors jan 22nd. The wing knows about it and that seems to have helped a little but no real help has been given except a few phone numbers to tricare. Considering i am on active duty orders this is the best time to get things done i have all my docrs notes and some emails back and forth with the agr from when it happened but no one can find anything to do with a lod. My concerns are i want to be reimbursed for the 30k in medical bills and this is service connected and i want to make sure when i get out i can claim it. I have 15 years in i was a former sowt and everything is flaring up. I have been going to pt here for the last two months so that is documented. My questions are where do i go from here? Do i need to talk to IG or JAG or how do i appeal something there is no record for?

thank you for an advice you can give me
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Send me a DM.
 
i was not on active duty orders i was traveling to drill at the time of the accident
 
bglynn07 said:
i was not on active duty orders i was traveling to drill at the time of the accident
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Bottom Line is that you did what was required of you. You were in a qualified duty status, injured, reported the injury, sought medical treatment, and requested a LOD. This process is completely broken and has been weaponized by SAF M/R to deny care, benefits, and treatment. You should have been granted an informal or administrative LOD when you were first injured. As you received care and as the injury began to present itself (evolve) subsequent LODs should have been initiated. Your command and leadership failed you. I fought this same issue for the last 5 years. The confirmed Under Secretary of the Air Force, the Honorable Matthew Lohmeier is aware of this issue and he is actively looking into it. It would be beneficial for you to email him. When I did, he got back to me immediately and told me that I am one of many that his team is looking into. I guess the considerate thing to do would be to inform your command that you are going to make a protected communication to Secretary Lohmeier due to their failing.

DAFI 36-20190
1.2. Personnel Who are Subject to LOD Determinations.
1.2.2.2. Traveling directly to or from the place where the member performs active duty, immediately before the commencement of IDT or within the vicinity of the site of the IDT. This also includes when the member remains overnight and overnight between successive periods of IDT, the member is eligible for initiating an AF Form 348 for care or treatment.

3.2.2. Informal LODs. When administrative processing is not appropriate, an informal LOD determination is initiated on an AF Form 348. See Attachment 2 for additional LOD determination situations.
3.2.2.1.5. The member dies, incurs, or aggravates an illness, injury or disease while remaining overnight immediately (including members in direct travel status and local residents) before and between successive periods of IDT, at or in the vicinity of the site of the IDT, if the site is outside reasonable commuting distance from the member’s residence; or

Note: if the diagnosis evolves, another LOD may be warranted for subsequent benefits.

DODI 1241.01
qualified duty status. The period in which an RC Service member is: On AD or FTNGD for more than 30 days; Performing AD or FTNGD for 30 days or less; Performing IDT; Performing FHD; Traveling to or from the place where he or she is to perform or has performed AD or FTNGD as provided in this definition, IDT, or FHD; Remaining overnight immediately before the commencement of, or between successive periods of IDT at or in the vicinity of the site of the IDT; or

2. INITIATION OF IN-LOD DETERMINATION
a. Request for in-LOD Determination.
(1) Unless already initiated by a member’s command, the RC Service member or, if she or he is unable, a designated representative or the Military Service concerned, will initiate the request for an in-LOD determination.
(2) In general, an RC Service member or the Military Service concerned has up to 180 days after completion of the qualified duty status to request consideration for an in-LOD determination absent special circumstances. Special circumstances are those in which the covered condition pre-dated the 180 day period, e.g., latent onset symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. b.

Emergent Care. An RC Service member requiring treatment for an emergency medical or dental treatment condition while in a qualified duty status will be authorized an interim in-LOD determination in order to authorize emergent care, unless clear and unmistakable evidence shows the condition was the result of the member’s gross negligence or misconduct. An interim inLOD determination will be adjudicated within 30 days of completion of the qualified duty status to continue further medical and dental treatment, if indicated, for the covered condition. The appropriate DHA office will serve as the MMA for any approval and authorization for emergency medical and dental treatment with a civilian provider using the SHCP.
 
Update- my NGB Not In the Line Of Duty (NILOD) appeal is still pending at the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force (SAF). However, I had finally had a LOD pushed through my Wing (I'm Air National Guard and my conditions are mental health related) which my Wing found me In the Line Of Duty. It went to NGB and today, my JAG lawyer told me that NGB found me In the Line Of Duty (ILOD). I couldn't be more ecstatic that it ONLY took over two years (yes, I'm being facetious). So now, SAF will return my appeal without action and let me get processed through the Duty Disability Evaluation System (DDES). This process may take a year as I will elect to go through the IDES process although I'm already 100% P&T with the VA since 2019.

Why, may you be asking? My lawyer advised me that, with my mental health conditions already rated 50% with the VA since 2019 and the medical evidence I have since compiled then, I have a strong case for getting the mental health rating bumped up to possibly 70% with the DoD, which of course means I could get some money from the DoD AFTER the VA offset...
 
nomad_romad said:
Is his initials RH?
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I thought I answered this already; my bad; yes. And thus far, he has been nothing short of awesome for me. Now realize this is after my IPEB, FPEB, him helping me with my LOD going through my Wing, and helping it along through NGB. I have talked to him even off-duty hours. He acts like he's my paid attorney to be honest. I recommend him to anyone going through this process and needs a JAG at the Office of Disability Council (ODC).
 
nomad_romad said:
I need your help!!!! If you look at my prior posts on this forum you can see what I have been up against the last 3 years with my Wing/NGB/ANG. I have been fighting relentlessly along with a group of other dedicated people. These include Retired/current Fighter Pilots, TACP, and Special Tactics folks. Recently we have been making a lot of ground.

Here is where I need your help. If you have been denied LOD initiation by your Wing or Battalion, for that matter any Guardsman or Reservist in any branch, then now is your chance to be heard. Due to our efforts we have the direct ear of Lt. Gen Davis and the Honorable Mr. Storcher of the SAF IG. His office is actively seeking complaints for violations of law and policy in respect to LODs. He is personally investigating this. Also through the bro network, we have a direct line to Rep. Anna Luna. She is on the House Oversight Committee, and she is a former USAF and ANG vet. Her husband is in Special Tactics. She is opening an inquiry as well through the House Oversight Committee. Lt Gen Davis' aid has personally reached out to me to ask that more people come forward.

What I need from you is to file a Reprisal Whistleblower complaint with the DOD IG. We have argued that this corruption is NGB wide. The violations of law and policy are willful and intentional. The complaint form that I will link is a little lengthy, but this is our shot to right wrongs and injustices. In the form you add people who you have had contact with that you made aware of your conditions, or that you made aware of violations. In the next section you list what reprisal action was taken against you. In most cases the reprisal action would be willful denial of LOD initiation that denied due process as well as pay, benefits, and treatment. If NGB overruled a finalized LOD, the reprisal is the same. It is a violation of law and policy to overrule a finalized LOD. Therefore, once again denying pay, benefits, and treatment. If you appealed a NILOD finding and were not provided a reason the reprisal is arbitrary and capricious abuse of discretion.

Please, I implore you to take the time and file the complaint. If anyone has any questions or needs help, I am available. I will monitor this thread to provide assistance. NGB underestimated the determination and conviction of a bunch of Special Warfare bros, and we are finally able to take the fight to them and turn the tables.


@Jason Perry
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Hi everyone,

I’m an Army officer currently fighting what feels like a brick wall over my **Line of Duty (LOD) denial**, and I wanted to add my voice to what many of you have been describing here.

On 26 Oct 2025, I sustained a serious **lumbar injury while reporting for drill** at DSCC. I immediately notified my OIC and sought emergency care, with ER/MRI documentation showing an acute aggravation of existing service-related back issues. Despite providing everything required under **AR 600-8-4** and **DoDI 1241.01**, my LOD was denied on grounds that don’t exist anywhere in regulation (“no prior disclosure,” “left for urgent care without permission,” etc.).

I’ve since learned this is happening across multiple states and components — Soldiers being denied LOD initiation, often with life-changing consequences. The information in this thread about the SAF IG and Rep. Anna Luna’s oversight inquiry gives me a little hope that someone is finally listening.

I plan to file a **reprisal/whistleblower complaint** with DoD IG citing improper denial of LOD initiation and obstruction of due process (loss of pay, medical care, and benefits). If anyone here has successfully filed or is working through a similar process, I’d be grateful for pointers or sample language.

Thank you to everyone who’s pushing back and refusing to stay quiet. We shouldn’t have to fight this hard just to be treated fairly under the regs we swore to uphold.
 
Brother, I'm sorry for this fight you have. I cannot honestly say that my Wing (Im Air Guard actually 'denied' my LOD process because they just never did it in a timely fashion. But once they started it, mine was found ILOD all the way to my Wing commander. I had to wait for NGB to find ot ILOD, which they finally did.

If I cant think of any way to help you, of course I will...
 
thizzle29 said:
I thought I answered this already; my bad; yes. And thus far, he has been nothing short of awesome for me. Now realize this is after my IPEB, FPEB, him helping me with my LOD going through my Wing, and helping it along through NGB. I have talked to him even off-duty hours. He acts like he's my paid attorney to be honest. I recommend him to anyone going through this process and needs a JAG at the Office of Disability Council (ODC).
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Do you have a phone number for JAG at the office of disability ? Or recommendations for lawyers regarding LOD formal …NILD and whistle blow retaliations ?
 
ARNG.SMx20 said:
Do you have a phone number for JAG at the office of disability ? Or recommendations for lawyers regarding LOD formal …NILD and whistle blow retaliations ?
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My bad, bro. Im on a much needed vacation and I saw your quesiton. The Office of Disability Council is out of Randolph Air Force Base and the number is 210-565-0739.

I have been nothing but pleased from my representation of their office. Just when I thought that I would not get the results I deserve, I was wrong. Even if the results wouldn't have went in my favor, I am still pleased with their work.
 
I have an update for y'all that I just got today-

SAFPC has reviewed the appeal for LT COL JOHN DOE assigned to PAS Code X88XXXXX. SAFPC has determined that one or more of the appealed conditions was found In the Line of Duty (ILOD) in accordance with DoD Instruction 1332.18, Disability Evaluation System (DES). SM's case should be processed as an Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) case verse a FITNESS case for the condition(s) that were found in the Line of Duty. A copy of the SAFPC memorandum is also available in the myFSS Case #XXXXXXXX and must be included as part of the IDES case file when the new case is submitted. Please advise the commander and SM of this decision as soon as possible. The case will now be transferred to the IPEB case manager which will close the current fitness case based on these findings.

If you have further questions pertaining to this case, please feel free to contact the IPEB Case Manager

Thank you.
v/r

ANGELA HARRIS, GS-09, DAFC
FPEB Case Manager

Took me a long time to get to the door I should started at in the FIRST place, but I thank God that I'm here now...
 
thizzle29 said:
I have an update for y'all that I just got today-

SAFPC has reviewed the appeal for LT COL JOHN DOE assigned to PAS Code X88XXXXX. SAFPC has determined that one or more of the appealed conditions was found In the Line of Duty (ILOD) in accordance with DoD Instruction 1332.18, Disability Evaluation System (DES). SM's case should be processed as an Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) case verse a FITNESS case for the condition(s) that were found in the Line of Duty. A copy of the SAFPC memorandum is also available in the myFSS Case #XXXXXXXX and must be included as part of the IDES case file when the new case is submitted. Please advise the commander and SM of this decision as soon as possible. The case will now be transferred to the IPEB case manager which will close the current fitness case based on these findings.

If you have further questions pertaining to this case, please feel free to contact the IPEB Case Manager

Thank you.
v/r

ANGELA HARRIS, GS-09, DAFC
FPEB Case Manager

Took me a long time to get to the door I should started at in the FIRST place, but I thank God that I'm here now...
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Congratulations!
 
@thizzle29 I've been in a 3-year fight with NGB (ANG). Multiple NILOD determinations leading to a SAF/IG investigation that turned into a Report of Investigation (reserved for big-picture systemic problems). Basically, NGB/A1 and NGB/SG got a pretty significant rebuke if you read between the lines. Unfortunately, the complainants in the case were not made whole automatically, rather, we had to submit BCMRs. The only bonus was that we got put on the top of the stack.

I just got mine back last week and every NILOD that was upheld at the appeal the ANGRC/CC was overturned by SAF/MR (AFRBA), meaning that I now have 9 ILODs which makes a pretty strong case for a duty-DES. On top of it, SAF/MR agreed that I had a case to make against NGB/SG for "bias" during my first IRILO which was from June 2025. Essentially, NGB/SG ignored a bunch of unfitting musculoskeletal conditions and returned me to duty for two conditions they previously stated that I was never diagnosed with. As a result, my revised IRILO is going to go through AFPC rather than NGB...pretty huge.

2 takeaways:
1. The tide seems to be changing at NGB. I think that A1 and SG both both got slapped into submission with the IG report.
2. Bring your receipts if you're going to appeal or file an IG complaint/BCMR. Medical records, emails, documentation, etc. I basically built an irrefutable case and ended up getting about 8 months of back-dated MEDCON on top of it.
 
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