If you medically retire (PDRL, RE says N/A) & your condition improves, but you attempt to re-join & are denied, can you lose your retirement?

2016-12-07T14:33:21-05:00

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2016 7:51 PM

2016-12-07T19:51:10-05:00

I am currently going through something like this. Trying to get back into the Air Guard after having received a medical discharge for what they claimed were migraines. From what I understand, the only issue is that you may get your disability pay deducted from your check. Not sure if there is anything further than that.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 8 at 2016 1:52 PM

2016-12-08T13:52:57-05:00

Medically retired means drawing some type of pension check from the military. In that case there are 2 types of medical retirement. Temporary and Permanent. If you are labeled as permanent then yes you can possibly lose your retirement just for trying. If it is just temporary then you would lose your pension and can rejoin.

Now the flip side if you are not Medically retired but just discharged for medical and collecting VA compensation, it would depend on how your DD214 is coded and if it allows you re-entry into the service. If you come back in (Reserves/National Guard) you can still collect your VA payment but they would deduct whatever drill payments you are given from your VA pay. Or you can decline the Drill pay all together and just get retirement points only. If you go back to Active duty then you lose whatever compensation you are receiving from VA.