Posted on Aug 26, 2021
PFC Electronic Warfare Specialist
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Looking for advice on best approach, what to expect, can I do it alone? I'm hoping to change my reason of separation based on error of handling. I have contacted lawyers, however, they are all very busy, I do have consultations lined up. I don't want VA benefits or an RE code change as I think they're fine as they are. I don't feel that my discharge was done properly based on procedure. If anyone has experience or knows someone who may have advice, feel free to reach out. Thank you all for your time.
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SFC Retention Operations Nco
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It will be a lot easier and faster for you to get a waiver from a branch than it will be to get your case before a discharge review board. For one, your purpose for requesting the change is for reentering the military and that can be accomplished through a waiver, meaning that a discharge review isn't necessary. Review boards can take years to review a case if it's not a high priority, and this wouldn't be a high priority case. Second, you have to show that the Separation authority was completely incorrect. Not that it could have been, might have been, or that there were mitigating circumstances and you don't agree with the outcome. Commanders have wide latitude to choose one separation over another and a review board will not lightly overturn a Commanders choice without proof that your separation reason "should" have been something else and not "could" have been something else.

I can tell you that based on the information you provided below there are some things the board will take issue with. Pseudoephedrine is not meth, it's not like meth, it's not even a prescription drug, it's an over the counter drug in most states. You can use it to make meth with some backyard chemistry, but you can use mold to make LSD and that doesn't mean ergot fungus is LSD. You don't know that a medical officer broke any protocol by referring you somewhere. It is the duty of the medical officer to determine when a person needs to be referred to a higher echelon of care. You also don't have a copy of the protocol on hand. Even if you did, and the medical officer broke that protocol, they are within their duties and responsibilities to make that call. Your psych eval may have been haphazard but adjustment disorder is a common enough reaction to a stressful situation that it doesn't take a PhD to meet with you in person to identify.

When you remove these parts of your story, as the board members will, it will read like this:
Serious inner ear infection caused disoriention and extreme pain that led to emotional breakdown during training. No prior history of anxiety disorder and no post history of anxiety disorder afterwards.

That is a much easier sell for the board, that's not to say they will change your separation. But that's also a much easier sell for a recruiter putting in a waiver.
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PFC Electronic Warfare Specialist
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I appreciate your input sir. Clarification, I mentioned pseudoephedrine because the main side effect is anxiety, if it changed my behavior unknown to me. I'm not really one to be sick so I've never had it before or really anxiety, new territory all around for me. You mention a diagnosis
dor Adjustment Disorders doesn't need a PhD. For the military to meet bar they need to be diagnosed by a professional who is using the DSM V and not IV in regards to adjustment disorder diagnosis. I'm not a law expert obviously.
I've tried to abbreviate the story, however, you're not wrong with how the board will view it and I agree with you.I guess crying can been seen as an emotional thing beyond it being a response to pain. An emotional distress signal regardless of the scenario. I will certainly consider that and thank you sir very much.
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SFC Retention Operations Nco
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PFC (Join to see) actually what I said is that you don't need a PhD to recognize the signs and the PhD does not need to meet with you to diagnose it. The way military medicine works is that the lowest person possible who is capable and certified/licensed to record your symptoms does that and the person required to approve it does that. That means that a nurse or PA, who are licensed to assess and treat mental health issues, records the notes. The Doctor reviews the notes and certifies the diagnosis when appropriate. With the amount of entry level separations a training base goes through, you are not going to get an in depth sit down with a Psychiatrist or Psychologist. If you check off enough criteria you can be diagnosed. I'm not sure why you're pointing at the DSM 4 vs 5 criteria but it's this: the presence of emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to an identifiable stressor/s, which occurred within three months of the beginning of the stressor/s.
You met that criteria enough for a medical provider to tag you with it. You are mistaking the bar that the military must meet to separate you under anxiety disorder. You do not have to go and sit down with a Psych, your packet with your info goes before the Behavioral Health team for that post who stamps off that based on your symptoms you are displaying adjustment disorder.

As I said, you have an unreasonably high bar to overcome in order to even get a review board to look into your case. It will be much easier to simply get a waiver, once you're in your old separation is behind you and no longer a hindrance
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PFC Electronic Warfare Specialist
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SFC (Join to see) - Thank you very much for being so in-depth and informative, sir. I really do appreciate it, there are a lot of layers in the military that I do not understand as many others do not, all I can do is try. One challenge is misinformation and I appreciate your insight.
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A1C Chris Pointer
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Can you do it alone? Yes I did mine alone (for the most part anyway). It really depends on what you're trying to change it from, to.

Couple questions though:
1. If you're not upgrading for VA benefits or a change in RE code, what's your goal?
2. What are you trying to change the reasoning from and what do you think it should be?
3. In what way do you think your seperation was mishandled and what proof do you have to support it?
4. How long have you been out?
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PFC Electronic Warfare Specialist
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790d2865
Here is a correction to my statement about pseudoephedrine. I misspoke about it with the intention of pointing out its adverse effects. Whether it is relevant in my story or not, I have no idea!
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SSG Bill McCoy
SSG Bill McCoy
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PFC (Join to see) - Indeed ... a side effect is anxiety in some people. Comparing it to meth however is omething you do not want to state in any appeal or waiver effort. Best of luck to you - as others have said, the waiver is probably your best bet. MEPS will require at least one physician's statement to validate your claim that it was the meds that caused your anxiety. Or, if you can, get an MD and a psychologist/psychiatrist before even going for the waiver. That will sho initiative; but of course that depends on whether or not you have insurance or can afford it out-of-pocket.
Again, best of luck to you.
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PFC Electronic Warfare Specialist
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SSG Bill McCoy - You are right about the meth comment, hence why I clarified it.Thanks a million for the input sir, I do have insurance through work and that's a great idea.
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PFC Darrell Delmundo
PFC Darrell Delmundo
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The review board will not procure or review any documentation that is not provided by you. The More documentation you can provide to support your appeal the better. They also will not grant approval for appeal that are for the sole purpose of reenlistment. PFC (Join to see)
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LTC Program Manager
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If PTSD is involved at all I believe there is a group in DC funded to represent vets upgrading their discharge
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PFC Electronic Warfare Specialist
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Thank kindly sir, I appreciate the information.
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Any Advice for Reason of Separation Upgrade Not RE-code Navy?
PFC Darrell Delmundo
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If everything you have stated is accurate. You are looking to prove that your separation was not due to a “adjustment disorder” and that your narrative reason for separation was inaccurate.

I had a similar situation where I had to change my narrative due to the fact that my diagnosis for a psychosocial disorder was given with minimal to little testing and review to justify a diagnosis that was given and that many other fully qualified professional physicians have rejected the diagnosis since.

A “adjustment disorder” is defined as a “maladaptive response to a psychosocial stressor that occurs when an individual has significant difficulty adjusting to or coping with a stressful psychosocial event.”

However your situation sounds like you had physical difficulties dealing with physical injuries.

If you’re looking to change you narrative then your focus should be on how that diagnosis was inaccurate because you did not have psychosocial stressors at the time of separation.

Trying to get these types of changes done through an appeal etc is a long and rigorous process but it sounds like your situation may qualify for a correction.
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PFC Electronic Warfare Specialist
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Thank you for taking your time to reply to my post. Your answer is wholesome to the situation that did take place. They had me put liquid in my perforated ear that rendered me entirely deaf about 18 hours of the day ontop of it. My RDC noticed I couldn't train and singled me out and people started getting physical with me during training. That started to get to me so I tried my best to get it resolved and it seemed like what they had me do made it worse. I asked for medical hold over and they weren't interested beyond bed rest for 3 days.it went on for 1 month like that. They wouldn't let me separate either because of it and said I was not "fit for flight" they were concerned about the pressure. I guess if I could do it over I'd go back to college and do OCS instead
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PFC Darrell Delmundo
PFC Darrell Delmundo
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Based on the situation you mentioned above, you may have qualified for adjustment disorder at the time due to the psychosocial stressors imposed from the difficulties faced when you were trying to resolve the situation and dealing with your peers negative views toward you.

I am by no means a license/trained professional to make that determination but if you choose to pursue an appeal than you’ll have to prove that those things were not a factor especially if any of it was documented in your records.

What I can say is that it’s not impossible to have something like this corrected but it is reviewed on a case by case basis and it is difficult to prove.


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CPT Lawrence Cable
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First, have you applied for an upgrade with the Discharge Review Board? You can find the application on line, or at a DOD or VA facility. Fill it out and list all the reasons why you think it is incorrect. If you have done that, then you just wait until the initial findings of the board. The Review Board can correct errors and change the discharge reason also. Make sure you list all the relevant reasons as completely as you can, if it isn't on the form, you can't bring it up at a hearing or appeal.
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PFC Electronic Warfare Specialist
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I have not initiated anything, I have watched lawyer training videos for hours though on how it works and how to create a factually based argument appropriately. However, the "bars" that need to be understood are not so readily available and I'm not confident if I'm not educated. I read they suggest a documents review first before anything else.
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CPT Lawrence Cable
CPT Lawrence Cable
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PFC (Join to see) - I see that you added to the story last night. SFC Boyd is correct. Especially with Entry Level Discharges, it would be easier and faster to get a waiver through Recruiting than it would be to get results from a Discharge Review Board. Pull your medical records and see the recruiter.
Do the simple things first, then go to the next and more complicated step if that fails.
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