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Medical discharge question

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: 2005 Sep. ~ Nov.: Medical discharge question users admin

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Buggybee_06
Member

09-19-2005

Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 6:48 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Buggybee_06 a private message Print Post    
hey i have a problem, my man is in the navy and has hurt his back real bad. well he has tried going to medical many times. just the other day his back went out and the chief seen for himself just how hurt he really is. and he is pushing to try and get a medical discharge. do you all think that if he keeps going back to medical and complains about his back that they'll give him a medical discharge? and if so how long do you think it'll take them to give him one.}}}

Nickovtyme
Member

07-29-2004

Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 8:24 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Nickovtyme a private message Print Post    
Buggybee...I got out of the Navy with a medical discharge. I broke my hip and its a really long story, but it took over a year for all the medical boards and reviews to be over with. The whole time I was going back and forth between doctors and hospitals, until the medical board was satisfied and recommended discharge.

I know each case is different and for your man it may be quicker or longer. It really all depends on the situation of how he hurt his back. They will want to determine whether he is due any disablility when he gets out or if this was a prior Navy problem and he should have let them know before he joined. Its kinda like insurance companies trying to find ways not to have to pay.

Mor than likely, even if he gets out with nothing, he can go to the VA and get re-evaluated and they usually will give veterans some kind of disability.

If you have any other questions, shoot me a PM and I'll try to answer the best I can.

Buggybee_06
Member

09-19-2005

Thursday, September 29, 2005 - 6:44 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Buggybee_06 a private message Print Post    
hey nickovtyme thank you for the advice. i think now he understands that it's something to try and do. but we were thinkin that maybe if the chief was to see his back go out that they would at least do something about it. but it's the military and they are strict. alright catch ya later.

Serate
Member

08-21-2001

Thursday, September 29, 2005 - 9:54 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Serate a private message Print Post    
Buggybee by all means when your man is hurting he needs to go and report it. [the squeaky wheel gets the oil and all]. But back problems are tricky, and don't necessarily mean medical discharge. Could be he will get put on light duty - office work and such. You never can tell these days. If there is any way they can use him, they will keep him in.

My husband works with veterans helping them file for VA benefits and such. Nick is correct that your guy [and anybody else who gets a medical discharge] will indeed get medical care, and possibly monetary compensation. With back problems the pre-existing condition is hard to prove if the person was able to do his/her job to begin with, then all of a sudden starts having back problems. [Make sure any injury is reported and documented.] And if it's a "draw" or the statement that is used "as least likely than not" please don't criticize me on the bad grammar - talk to the VA it's THEIR statement *L*], the VA must always side in favor for the Veteran. Some service connected disabilities will be connected at 0%. This means there is no monetary compensation but all medical costs associated with this will be paid for if treated at a VA Medical Center or Clinic. If the condition gets worse you can be awarded monetary compensation. If you start having other problems that are related to your original problem, these can be service connected as a secondary condition to the first condition.

Oh and the above goes for anybody who leaves the service with any type of honorable discharge [medical or regular]. If something happened to you while you were in the service and it causes lasting problems even if you don't get a medical discharge apply for benefits at the VA. Personally I'd recommend you contact a service organization to represent you instead of trying to represent yourself. The legal and medical jargon the VA uses can be confusing and just getting one or two words out of order can get your claim denied. Some of the organizations you must be a member before they will represent you, some not. My husband has been represented by the DAV since he got out of Iraq in 91. They just happen to be one of the organizations that you do not have to be a member of, just have service connected disabilities. There's also AMVets, American Legion, VFW, etc.

OK so TMI, alot more than you asked for, but this is a subject I'm very passionate about.

Buggybee_06
Member

09-19-2005

Friday, September 30, 2005 - 7:14 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Buggybee_06 a private message Print Post    
hey serate, my man just got home yesterday he got to come home for a month after being in japan for 15 months. he seen your advice today and said that you did seem knowledgeable with this topic. when ever he first started out in the navy they did know of the back problems that he did have. and it's been happening after an incident on ship. and the medical in there did file it. but he does keep going back to medical trying to at least get something done about it.he don't want to leave the navy but his back keeps going out. also i appreciate the advice you gave me.

Jkm
Member

07-10-2002

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 - 6:56 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jkm a private message Print Post    
It wasn't so hard for my dh - medical discharge -- weight -- only problem I was 8 months pregnant at the time and the cobra type insurance back then considered pregnancy a pre-existing condition and would not pay anything... We ended up contacting our congressman but it was too late for him to help us.

Buggybee_06
Member

09-19-2005

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 - 8:31 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Buggybee_06 a private message Print Post    
jkm,
even though you were pregnant they still didn't pay for anything? i don't think that was right at all. aren't they responsible for things such as pregnancy while your in the military? but it does seem like they stick people in the butts after it's all happened and expect you to pay for it all. well i wish ya the best of luck. my fiance has signed up for 4 years. he only has 2 years to go but he's went to medical several times over incidents that they wouldn't do nothing about. send him on his way with some pain killers that wouldn't do nothing for him. it's getting even harder for him to do the work. he is a fleet shipbuilder. we're just hoping that the last two years that he has to go goes by fast. while he's still in there i think they should have to at least do surgery or something else besides what they're doing. in the navy, i don't think it's as hard as the army but it's still working and they give him like a week to rest and put him back to work. not giving a shit (excuse my language) how he really feels as long as they get someone to do theyre dirty work.