Should I accept an MEB or or pursue retirement?

Retirement is clearly the best option. If you take MEB findings you cannot receive concurrent receipt (CRDP) meaning you cannot get both your VA AND a DoD retirement. You will get only your VA and your medical insurance. If you have combat related injuries rated by the VA or MEB you can however apply for CRSC (combat related special compensation) which will give you a slight increase to your monthly income and is also tax free. Push to your 20 or your income will be cut in half. I just went through the MEB myself after 12 years of service and multiple combat tours I now rate the same as the PFC who gets his VA disability. Retire if you can make it!!!

I am not sure about what is going on, I was under the understanding retirement now is a "high three" you get the to retire at whatever your highest three years of pay was.

Best advice either way, stay in retire, and get rated through the VA, so you get both your retirement and your VA payment, you are too close to not retire no matter what retirement you get.

CPT Sean Begaye, take this advice from someone who in 2015 accepted his MEB. I had a bad jump therefore to make this short it was better to take a MEB then retired because you will get both, your VA & retirement at the same time. If you only retired you have a big problem with VA therefore take MEB, trust me it

Have you checked with the VA? Ultimately they are the percentage people, also they are the final word in whether it combat -related. Good Luck

Your ombudsman on post will be some of the greatest guys to talk to concerning a lot of things, and they're impartial since they don't report to the military.
Peblos also are not the greatest at making these guesses (the civilian legal people that they send you too are pretty decent however). And that's just what it is, a guess.
You can look up the VA disability ratings tables and try and figure your own educated guess out as well. This can be beneficial for things that have ranges that determine severity.
Look into CRDP as well.

Have you spoke with your Soldier's MEB Counsel?

Work your way towards retirement then follows suite with VA claim on your last 1.5 years.

Take the retirement then go straight to the VA and file a claim

Just curious, in my travels through the SW US, the name “Begaye” was very common in the Navajo Nation. Are you a Native American?
At any rate, I hope you stuck it out to get your full retirement. And, as others have said, applied for a VA disability upon retirement out processing.

I faced a similar problem (having over 8 but less than 10 years of Commissioned Service). If you retire in your enlisted pay grade, once you reach the 25 year mark in the retired reserve (active duty time plus years in retired reserve) your rank will be advanced back to your officer grade and you’ll get your officer retired pay on that date. Try contacting your branches personnel retirement center for information. That 25 year date they calculate specific to you will be placed on your retirement order and also goes to DFAS.