Should I accept an MEB or or pursue retirement?

Edited: BLUF we can guide you in the general direction but your best bet is getting knee deep into the different regulations (Medical, Personnel, etc...). Your rater nor anyone in your COC really know a whole lot about the MEB/IDES or Retirement 'cause they haven't got those t-shirts. Good luck!

Stay the course until the 20 year mark. You can probably drop your retirement letter now if you want to begin to cut the ties. The military will reconsider spending anything more on you (I.e. training, promotion, relocation, etc.) after that letter is dropped. Those that I know that got the serverence under TERA or other RIF programs regret not staying in until their retirement year for the most part.

Do the math. If you’re around 40 years old or so and you live another 30+ years, what is your retirement worth at 50% of your highest 36 month (average)? It’s close, if not over $1,000,000 over the course of the rest of your life, depending your highest pay average. Are you making that in your serverence package? (If you’re divorced and you have to share your retirement with your ex-spouse then that changes things.) Never count on the VA disability to get you through. It’s a bigger battle than you think to get compensation that way. Go to a TAPS class to get the BLUF (bottom line up front). Contact a VSO (veteran service officer) like Disabled American Veterans or American Legion to name a few, and bring a copy of your medical records. You’ll want to utilize their knowledge and leverage when filing your disability claim anyway versus with the VA directly.

Only 17% of the military make it to their retirement year. You’ll want to be in that retirement population, without any regrets. Thank you for your service. Cheers!

after the MEB you can apply to stay in until your 20 year mark.

So a normal retirement at 20 years would base your retirement off your high 3 years, mostly Captain's pay at that point I assume.

As for the MEB, that doesn't mean you will need to be pushed out, but it can also be appealed. The process for me (and my injury was obvious and severe) took nearly two years to complete and I got medical retirement. Going through the MEB process, you should still be able to get to your retirement point and you can also request COAD for that last little bit.

If you are at your 20 or over do the retirement because you will fail for a claim and maybe get some kind of % and plus your retirement. If not your are only getting one when you MEB.

I know take from me. I retired with PTSD and they gave me 90% plus my retirement.

Work toward retirement if you can get it. Once you know you are eligeable find a valid reason why you need to remain that additional two months for full benefit. Since you have an illness, it may be service connected and you may have additional benefits with the VA. You do not have to wait until retirement to begin the VA process. You can do them simultaneously. Thank you for your service.

Medical Boards are a tricky situation, but separating you isn't the only possibility. I don't know what your chronic illness is, but in many cases it will come down to "can the member continue to perform their duties with minimal accommodations". For example, a person with Obstructive Sleep Apnea that requires CPAP is going to get boarded. The board will review the case, evaluate what accommodations would be required and will it limit the member's ability to perform their duty. They will also receive feedback from your chain of command on whether or not they feel you are worth those accommodations. That will lead them to the decision to either return to full duty, return with limitations, or seperate. In my case, sleep apnea, I was returned to duty with limitations (must deploy to hardened area with steady power, only on SGH approval). Even if it comes back with separation, that isn't the end all. You can still appeal, which will take time as well.

Most people at 18 years (unless they are complete wastes) are given the opportunity to continue until retirement. I would talk with your PEBLO and chain of command, but if you are given the option to get to retirement, it would definitely beat a medical separation.

Regardless of your rank you fall on the old retirement system so you’ll get 50% of your last 3 years which is irrelevant of what rank you might retire.

You are entitled to whatever rank it says on your DD-214 upon separation, and that goes for everybody, whether you retired or not and whether you separated as General of the Armies of the United States or as a buck Private. Of course there are the 'special' cases.

Lets see i was MEB out of the Army not by choice anyhow i had 8 yrs few months in and only 1yr till my ETS and my PEBLO told me no retirement combat related 40% no severance pay which he was wrong in the end got 40k severance and 60% combat related injuries. So things may take a different route unexpectedly like mine. But go talk to someone at the Order of the Purple Heart. They seem to open your mind to all sides of pros and cons.