I am trying to get my benefits etc corrected. These are some government comments on the situation.
------------------------
The Board did not find your disqualification for enlistment in the Army in 1998 to be particularly
probative of your claim that the Navy should have referred to you to the DES.28 The evidence
regarding this disqualification is insufficient for the Board to reach any definitive conclusions,
but it did not agree that a medical disqualification for enlistment would have triggered the need
for a MEB referral. First, the medical standards for enlistment into the military are very different
and far more restrictive than are the medical standards for retention in the military.
In 1998, the San Diego Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) conducted a physical evaluation in conjunction with your request to transfer to the Army. You were permanently medically disqualified (3P) during the physical due to “Spine, Other Musculoskeletal/Psych,” and did not transfer into the Army.1 On 13 August 1999, you were seen by Dr. Killian, a Navy physician, who documented mental health concerns in your record, to include a history of depression, disturbed sleep, decreased interests, increased guilt over a recent relationship, decreased concentration, decreased appetite, and stress of breaking up with a girlfriend. The August 1999 notes in your medical records reflect a referral and follow-up for a mental health consultation. In-service medical records from 15 June 2000 indicate that you reported multiple stressors, and that you had stopped taking prescribed medication due to side effects. The medical notes also reflect that you reported feeling stress and physical symptoms resulting from worry.
The Board considered whether you should have been referred to the DES in 1998 when the Army found you to be medically unqualified for transfer and subsequent enlistment due to an unspecified “Spine, Other Musculoskeletal/Psych” in your record. This record provided insufficient evidence for the Board to make any determination regarding whether it should have triggered referral to an MEB. The Board believed it likely based upon your communication with the OIG that your transfer request was not processed correctly, and that correct processing may have provided information that is more actionable.
------------------------
The Board did not find your disqualification for enlistment in the Army in 1998 to be particularly
probative of your claim that the Navy should have referred to you to the DES.28 The evidence
regarding this disqualification is insufficient for the Board to reach any definitive conclusions,
but it did not agree that a medical disqualification for enlistment would have triggered the need
for a MEB referral. First, the medical standards for enlistment into the military are very different
and far more restrictive than are the medical standards for retention in the military.
In 1998, the San Diego Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) conducted a physical evaluation in conjunction with your request to transfer to the Army. You were permanently medically disqualified (3P) during the physical due to “Spine, Other Musculoskeletal/Psych,” and did not transfer into the Army.1 On 13 August 1999, you were seen by Dr. Killian, a Navy physician, who documented mental health concerns in your record, to include a history of depression, disturbed sleep, decreased interests, increased guilt over a recent relationship, decreased concentration, decreased appetite, and stress of breaking up with a girlfriend. The August 1999 notes in your medical records reflect a referral and follow-up for a mental health consultation. In-service medical records from 15 June 2000 indicate that you reported multiple stressors, and that you had stopped taking prescribed medication due to side effects. The medical notes also reflect that you reported feeling stress and physical symptoms resulting from worry.
The Board considered whether you should have been referred to the DES in 1998 when the Army found you to be medically unqualified for transfer and subsequent enlistment due to an unspecified “Spine, Other Musculoskeletal/Psych” in your record. This record provided insufficient evidence for the Board to make any determination regarding whether it should have triggered referral to an MEB. The Board believed it likely based upon your communication with the OIG that your transfer request was not processed correctly, and that correct processing may have provided information that is more actionable.