How can I determine what a medical retirement would look like financially, and how do I go about the process?

2019-03-26T21:06:14-04:00

Army Reservist here with 5yrs Active Duty and 14yrs Guard/Reserve. On INDEF contract.

- VA rated at 80%- Mental and Physical Issues
- Reserve Unit has no idea- Im scared of this ramification..

Since getting out of Active Duty, my life has been beyond difficult. I have never had a job longer than 3-6 months at a time, exhausted Unemployment twice, and have never promoted past entry-level.

No real family support and do not know where to get help.

Trying to find out what a medical retirement would look like financially and how to go about the process?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Response by SFC George Smith made Mar 26 at 2019 9:12 PM

2019-03-26T21:12:44-04:00

Check With VA Or VA Reps
There Should Be Disability Comp For service Connected Disabilities... And Medical Retirement Should Or Did Draw pay at pay grade at Time retirement

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 26 at 2019 9:16 PM

2019-03-26T21:16:39-04:00

http://www.vetadvocates.org

I'm total perm disabled...when we started my whole thing, we had a vet group do it, they really tried, my thing was just way too involved for them...we found about this group, NOVA, they have a search engine to see who's near you, they also have an office you can also call directly...our NOVA guy did 3 yrs active, plus had done VA-disability law for 35-40 yrs, he also got pro-bono help from a large law firm he did stuff with, as my stuff needed the extra brainpower to deal with it...trust me, and call them, or look up who they have near you...all of theirs are well qualified, they also have vet groups involved, you can also try law school vet law clinics, though those don't always take all possible cases, depending on what the law-school faculty want the law students doing the cases under them to handle, what the faculty think the students are able to cope with, in terms of time and/or complexity...pay whatever consult fee is needed, they may not all deal with med retirement stuff, however, they're all well hooked into a good deal of mil/vet disability stuff that often overlaps, trust me, and call them, or use their search engine, OK? I've sent them in many times on here, as have others, I assure you, whatever consult money they need at first, and whatever VA would allow them of whatever back money they'd eventually get you, would be well spent, promise, they're part of the reason my wife and I, esp. I, found out there's a very definite reason God invented attorneys, promise, don't try to handle stuff like this yourself, stuff like this is serious pro law stuff, it's most definitely not pro se amateur night, I assure you, if you'd wanna chat, trust me, just ask, I'm here, whenever you'd wanna yak, I've been through a pretty fair fraction of what you described, so, even though I never deployed (I tried, I wasn't used), I can most definitely relate, honest, OK?

Home

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 26 at 2019 9:18 PM

2019-03-26T21:18:09-04:00

And they'll likely also know others who probably do MEB/PEB stuff, as well, they're pretty much the top of the food chain for vet disability, mil retirement I'd expect, as well as MEB/PEB stuff, I should also think they'd be able to help you with, or suggest those who could, OK?

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 26 at 2019 9:19 PM

2019-03-26T21:19:30-04:00

And believe me, my wife and I really have been through a good deal of what you described already for my whole thing, promise, I'm here anytime if you wanna chat, OK?

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 26 at 2019 9:23 PM

2019-03-26T21:23:26-04:00

Also, my whole thing took six and half years from start to finish, so trust me, I got a really good worm's-eye look at how the whole VA-disability thing actually works, from the user end...I never did the mil retirement and/or MEB/PEB stuff, though I've obv read some stuff on it....

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 27 at 2019 2:33 AM

2019-03-27T02:33:46-04:00

You may want to consider applying for individual unemployability with the VA, if:
You have at least 1 service-connected disability rated at 60% or more disabling, or 2 or more service-connected disabilities—with at least 1 rated at 40% or more disabling and a combined rating of 70% or more—and
You can’t hold down a steady job that supports you financially (known as substantially gainful employment) because of your service-connected disability. Odd jobs (marginal employment), don’t count.
I suggest starting with a Veterans Service Organization (VFW, DAV, etc) before a company that charges.
According to your post, it appears you only have a year remaining to reach 20. You should verify that all of your years are good years, and verify exactly how much longer you have to reach 20. I understand the check doesn't start until 60 for a Reserve retirement, and that you should have some protection of you have 19 good years. However, it doesn't hurt to be safe, and lock in the retirement before you raise/begin the PEB/MEB process.

Response by SPC Nicholas Wood made Mar 27 at 2019 6:59 AM

2019-03-27T06:59:44-04:00

Wife and kids? Because.that determines what you would get paid. It's not really liveable however you can still work a normal job for 40+ hours.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 27 at 2019 7:32 AM

2019-03-27T07:32:57-04:00

Also, there's a thing the vet group first.told.is about, then the NOVA attorney, TDIU (totally disabled.Indic unemployable)...above that, there's total.and permanent (T&P), for TDIU, one needs, for.a.single.VA diagnosis, as is been told.and read, a 60% minimum, then to.submit.for the TDIU separately, or, for.must VA diagnoses, a total.of 70%, with at least one being 40%, and again TDIU is applied for.separately...the purpose.of the TDIU, is to have VA class.you as effectively 100%, and pay you at that rate...sometimes, until you're deemed T&P, a VA Regional Ofc (VARO) can send you back for periodic rivals to.a VA hospital near you...if you can be classes as T&P, that means exactly what it says, never to be revisited, period, finis, done, finito, QED, that's as far as it goes, we had me also do a momentary cardiac thing for protecting my wife after my T&P, it was signed off by a very competent Cardio at the VA hosp near me, that was relatively trivial, so the same prof vet group we'd used was able to handle that one, we got no more money, though as I'd said, we had.me.do it for.safety, only...at the 10 yr point, any VA eating becomes statutory, is been told, such that an added feature, called.dependent indemnity comp (DIC) protects the spouse.and possibly any minor kids, in the fashion of a life insurance policy, I think, or functionally to that effect...if you're deemed literally or.functionally 100%, there's a separate life insurance thing, not SGLI or VGLI, those need to be continued when you get out of you lose them,.the one I'm speaking of is called.svc disabled.life insurance (S-DVI), Congress pays for the first $10K, then one can put for up to $30k more, taken out of one's VA disability, again to protect the spouse.or family, I think adult kids can also be named for that, I don't know if adult kids can be named for DIC, only minor.kids.and the spouse,.as.id.sakd...there's .also,.at.actual.or.functional.100%, a med insurance policy, for the spouse only, called.CHAMPVA, not.TRICARE (which was morphed from what had been called.CHAMPUS), their ofcs.are.in Denver, they're quite helpful, since my thing took six and half yrs to.get.done for the T&P for.me, I'm not.speaking of the added 10% Cardio thing, that was separate, as id.sajd, nonmonetary, we were able to.sjbmit.for.all.six.and a half hears for.back copays for.my wjfe, though we had to, I kid there not, air freight by Express Mail 10000 pages of.stuff to.Denver for.the CHAMPVA staff to go thrkugh, they said they'd never seen a claim that invklved, ever...then one is supposed to.also.get back copays on the slouse, though not for everything, CHAMPVA.follows.most.of.the Medicare rules, though not all of them, alsl, we have a secondary insurance after Medicare from my wife's retirement, I can use that, the thing is, I can't use CHAMPVA, that's only for her, if I need VA, we have to use one of the VA hosps, or VA Choice for me, getting copays back after the initkal.allowance is often more.problematic, one has one year to submit for any back money from one's 100% approval date, after that, we have to use CHAMPVA as her tertiary insurance, having clinicians or facilities send in HCFA 1500 forms by email mail to.Denver, with the cklpays marked on.them, thus far, we only got back money once after initial.big back money, I'm gonna a have to send them likely thousands of pages of.more stuff to get future copays back that's be allowed, that'll off take time, it's a good.plan, and well.worth the effort, the only thing is, since we have an intervening secondary insurance,.electronic rollover.to.CHAMPVA.isnt.possoble, that's why it's gotta be done by email mail.to a PO.Box.and.zip.code in Denver, Congress only allows.one electronic rollover.from.Medicare, after that, it's snail mail.all the way, hope that was useful.and explains more.about how the whole thing basically all.works, as kd.said,.we've seen just about all of.it,.trust me,.if I hadn't been clinically trained before.my disability, I'd never have known how to.dig that all out, I assure you, it took years to.learn and absorb it.all, honest....

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 27 at 2019 7:41 AM

2019-03-27T07:41:29-04:00

Read everything I added just now, I think it should help, I added some comments to.stuff others sent in, scroll down, you should.see it.all, hopefully, ask if you need me,.I'm here, OK?

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 27 at 2019 7:43 AM

2019-03-27T07:43:01-04:00

And I gather you're nearly 20 yrs aggregate time now, which I should.certainly think should help, at least from what I'd hope, at any rate....

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 27 at 2019 7:43 AM

2019-03-27T07:43:36-04:00

Though I'm not sure if course, ask about that aspect also, OK? Just a thought that occurred to.me....