Help Please Pending Medical Board

[LCDRJJ]

Hello everyone, thanks for viewing my post. I may be sent to a review board and am very stressed out right now. I have bilateral plantar fasciitis,degenerative disc disease, chronic bilat knee pain,and possibly Ankylosing Spondylitis. I have 2 childern and a wife to support and I am the only breadwinner. I have been in the service for 14 years. I have been battling plantar fasciitis for 2 years and nothing is working. I have used ice,night splints,stretching,inserts, changed shoes numerous times. I have failed treatment with 3 different physical therapist. I have had 3 rounds of shots on both feet. It is difficult for me to walk more than 5 mintues w/o pain. MRI shows evidence of "chronic plantar fasciitis". It is very hard to get around and I walk with a noticable limp. At home I use a stool to get around most of the time. I also had an MRI of the lumbar spine showed 2 bulding discs touching the spinal cord, 1 additional proturding disc touching the s1 nerve root on each side of my spinal column. I have "marked" arthritis with ligament hypertrophy at L4-L5 and L5 -S1, and central stenosis at L5. Lower back hurts all the time but tramadol does help and occasionally I take vicodin. I was sent to a rheumatologist and diagnosed with "possible" ankylosing spondylitis, he thinks it might be the early stages. I am currently on Humira for that. I also have achey pain and tenderness in my mid back and neck on and off, however have not had an MRI of that. They think the plantar fasciitis might be releated to the Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). I say possilbe AS (I have all the risk factors: HLA b27 pos, male,family history,arthritis in back), my inflammation markers are not elevated, but the MRI showed obvious inflammation in the back, my SI joints are also normal. However it can take up to 10 years for AS to show changes in the SI joints, he thinks it is the beginning but not certain. I don't know how the review board would view this. Because AS is a chronic progressive disease that would just get worse with time. So would the board just consider it Degenerative Disc Disease or AS? I I am taking Humira and it seems to be helping but it still hurts. I also have had increase bilat knee ache in the past year, no xrays or MRI yet on this. So my question is any suggestion how to get ready for the board? I am worried I am going to get 10 or 20% and won't be able to work or support my family. Do I need a lawyer? If so what type? Anybody have had experience with this or an estimate at %age of disability? Any information would be helpful. Thank you.

[justrluk]

@ LCDRJJ: Went through the process myself. JMHO, but if you can get a lawyer that specializes in this (a pro bono), do it now.

1. Decide if you want to stay or exit. This will impact your strategy for responding to the MEB and PEB findings and recommendations.

2. Make sure all of this is documented in your medical records, to include tests, test results, opinions and prognosis.

3. Get a copy of your records and keep them up-to-date with any added info from both your boss and your doctor.

4. Talk to your local PEBLO (PEB Liaison Officer) re: the process; get your questions answered and know your rights.

5. Before your file ever goes to the PEB, make sure ALL the conditions you're tracking are listed as disabling in the reasons for coming before the board.

6. When the decision comes back, make sure the disability % is as high (at least in lay opinion) as the VASRD allows by description. I know, this is only a guess, and there are 2 different systems at work, but at least you'll get a feeling of whether you should appeal or not.

7. When processing the results of this process, refer to #1. Don't get emotional; use your lawyer to lay out your response.

8. Be patient. I was notified in April 2003 that I would be sent to MEB, and didn't find out the results of the process until July 2004 that I would be removed in October the same year. The entire time I waited, called, bugged people, etc., I was told it COULD be within the next 30 days. I lived on eggshells the whole time, not knowing if I’d have a job from month to month.

@ usmcgirl: I was given severance, and still get my VA benefits. I don't know if it's based on a case-by-case, time in service, or because the amount they take out will pay off the balance and the residual still allows for monthly pay or what, but it can happen. Again, this is JMHO and only represents the hoops I had to go through. Your experience may be very different.

[iceturkee]

ok.welll... first off this was my experiece....

med board are a process all in themselves as i was on 3 of them for my injuries. your boss can frown all he wants. it isn't up to him to send you on one and he isn't a doctor. he has no say. the only people that do have any say are your doctors. they are the only authority on them.

secondly. if you get put on a meb that is to see if you meet retention standartds or not. if you get put on meb and you meet the standards to be on duty you return to duty. if not then you get put on a peb. they do one of 2 things. 1st they look to see if you can be found fit and 2. they look to see what your disalities are and what you will be rated for at military level. you can appeal their decision and i would be ready to appeal their decison if you think you are rated too low. but be wary of any severance pay from the military because if you take that in lump sum - you can not get any VA compensation until that lump sum is paid back. usually after the peb decision is made for unfit you have 30 days till you are handed your DD 214. as it was in my case.

i had a commanding officer who didn't like me and sent me to bethesda for a medical evaluation since i had been waived from doing physical fitness test. i already had had one med board (for my back) which found me fit for full duty. i saw a doctor who asked why i had been sent.told him my story. he noticed i had earned a meritorious service medal and wrote in my record i should be continued to be waived from pft because how dare my command call me a liar. he actually wrote, from what i can tell, she is totally fit to continue working as a journalist.bought me a few years too until a new duty station brought the inevitable medical discharge.