I have a medical discharge from the army with a re-enlistment code of 3. I would like to return to service. I have been out of service a year and a few days. I have a few questions. One: How hard is it to get a wavier for a 3 code? Two: Is there a amount of time i have to wait before i can re-join? Three: I also have a va disablitly rating, how will this be affected if i rejoin? I applied and recived a 50% rating just as i was leaving the military without give it much thought and now im not sure how it will afect my re-enlisting. Im 24 so i wouldnt be under any age limit for any of the services. My injurie was i had two hernated discs in my spine with caused severe pain and lose of feeling to my legs. I was stationed in germany and had spinal surgery. All the german and some army doctors said in about 6 or 7 months i would be fine and didnt need to be discharged. The army disagreed and i was sent off. Now everything is much better and i want to return. Im sure i will need waivers out the hind quarters but is it possible and if so which is my best route?
you cannot return to active duty nor enter into the reserves for the rest of your life. Sorry. Do not take my word, ask your recruiter they maybe to help. You will have problems for the rest of your life especially as you get older. If the military thought you would be ok, they never would have discharge you. good luck
me12376, I was medically discharged and received 60% disability from the army and was rated 100% disable by the VA. I had a RE code 4 and was placed on TDRL (Temporary disability retirement list) Every eighteen months I had to be re-evaluated by army doctors to see if my medical condition had changed. After my first physical I convinced the dr's that I was better, and they sent a report to the physical evaluation board and they downgraded my disability to 0%. I then wrote a letter to the physical evaluation board and ask to be reinstated into the army based on the positive report from the doctor and it was granted. So don't believe it when you are told that you can't go back in because you can. I think with a RE code 3 a waiver from a doctor can help you achieve that.
To add on to the comments, don't always believe what someone say's. Always get a second or third opinion. You can rejoin the military because I was in "03" You have 3 years from the time that you originally got out to rejoin the military and not have to do basic again. Yes you do have to get a waiver, take a PT test, and get written approval from a doctor or VA doctor that show you are capable of active duty. The reason I decided not to go back in is because the lump sum they paid me when I separated had to be paid back so they was going to garnish my wages and me being a corp with dependants, I still didn't make that much to begin with.
I was wondering if someone could answer me a question relating to re-enlisting after you have been discharged and recieved a VA disability rating. I was discharged from the Marine Corp back in March of 2005, I was rated 20% disabled by the VA and have been recieving checks ever since I payed off my severnce. Anyways I got offered the chance to get my degree and get commissioned an LT through the ROTC at no cost but i had to enlist in the National Guard. So what I was wondering is will I have to give up my disability rating/checks in order to attend the ROTC and stay in the National Guard? I have been in the National Guard for a couple of monthes now and still recieved my disability checks, so if anyone knows the answer, Please let me know. Thanks PFC Leiter
I know of a friend that had that situation. The number of days you drill, or are on active duty trainig are deducted, or you have to reimburse a prorated amount. Usually not that much.
But contact the VA reps and ask them this question and try to get it in a written format.
I got a medical discharge in 1996 and the Army rated me at 10%. Within a few moths I tried to re-enlist in the Army Reserve and went through the physical and was told I couldn't. So I requested an increase in my rating and was told no. So I appealed and the VA rated me at 30%. Now nearly 10 years later I tried to re-enlist once again an the Reserve recruiter wasn't interested in pursuing it. So I tried the National Guard and the recruiter investigaed the possibility of me getting back in and told me that I had to proceed with much caution becuase there was the possibility that the National Guard could disapprove my request for a waiver to re-enlist and the VA could take away me VA rating becuase I tried to get back in. I really truely want back in but don't want to risk losing my VA rating in the event I don't get in. I would glady give up the VA rating if I was sure I could get back in. Any suggestions from anyone that has gone through a similar situation?
I would also like some insite from someone that received a medical and then was able to get back in. I received a medical in 2000 and have decided after the first of the year (2007) I am going to try and re-enlist but as a Commission Officer or Chief since I will have my degree by then. I receive 20% from the VA and would not want to jeaperdize my % if I am not able to get in.
I was medically discharge in 1999 and was considered 60% disable by the army. Any disability rating by the army of 30% or more that person will be medically retired and will receive a monthly retirement check, anything less will result in a one time monetary payment which consist of two time your base pay times the amount of years served not to exceed twelve years. Any money received from the VA will be forfited dollar for dollar because you cant receive both. As for re-enlisting after being medically discharged it depends on your situation. On your DD214 there is an RE code on the bottom of the form. A code of 3 or higher makes your chances of re-enlisting a little more difficult. If you were medically retired and not permanantly disable you is place on TDRL and is required to take a physical every 18 months to see if you condition has changed either for better or worst. If better you could be taken off of TDRL and considered fit for duty and this will open the door to re-enlistment. This is determined by the physical evaluation board. If you received less than 30% from the army get in touch with the PABLO or medical board section at the nearest Army hospital and they should be able to guide you in the right direction.
Originally posted by 4529950: I was wondering if someone could answer me a question relating to re-enlisting after you have been discharged and recieved a VA disability rating. I was discharged from the Marine Corp back in March of 2005, I was rated 20% disabled by the VA and have been recieving checks ever since I payed off my severnce. Anyways I got offered the chance to get my degree and get commissioned an LT through the ROTC at no cost but i had to enlist in the National Guard. So what I was wondering is will I have to give up my disability rating/checks in order to attend the ROTC and stay in the National Guard? I have been in the National Guard for a couple of monthes now and still recieved my disability checks, so if anyone knows the answer, Please let me know. Thanks PFC Leiter
At 20%, you can re-enlist (the husband is proof). However, the retention NCO said he couldnt get a commission because he has a permanent profile. Not sure if you have such a profile with your disability. Worth a shot, though.
I am in the same position but have a plan to convince the MEPS doc to let me back in. I'm going to have my 10% disability cancelled, get a physical with my regular doc having him give me a clean bill of health and specifically addressing the injury I was discharged for, get a referral to see the physical therapist that saw me for my injury and have him give me a clean bill of health, and if my doc feels it would help my case, I'll ask him to give me a referral to see an ortho doc for a consult. After getting the clean bills of health from the docs and a physical therapist, I'll complete an APFT to end of basic training standards proving that I can do at least that much. Hopefully the word of a family doc, an orthopedic surgeon, and a physical therapist will be plenty to convince the Army that i'm not kidding about wanting to get back in.
It seems the 30% mark is the cutoff...based on all the responses here.
So it's a valid thought that with 10% Army rating and 20% VA rating I could technically get back in, even with a permanent profile?
As for commission, couldn't you side step the whole process by doing ROTC? Not to mention, that extra $350/mo can't hurt, especially if/when you loose your VA disability pay!
I have been to several different, active duty recruiters. Most of whom said, sorry, but no. The last guy told me that I would have to pay the VA back, get a "Doctor" to clear me and formally declare that I was never injured. Then, and only then, would I be able to "negotiate" my reinlistment. Maybe I should try the Marines?
You can re enlist, you will have to get serval waivers and pass a "fit for duty/sea duty" screening, one of the drawback also is that going to medical for the same condition that put you out, could potentially put you out again. You cannot collect a disability check from the VA for any period that you are on active duty. My recruiter said I wasn't worth the time until, the Navy said they need to send more people overseas, then she was willing to jump through hoops to get my waivers, even though my VA doctor said my medical condition still exists.
Hi, I was discharged in 1995 with a medical for my back only 10%, because they said nothing was wrong and I was fit for duty, but I pushed the issue andwanted to get out because of my daughter. I now have 30% form VA, but not for my back, just the same VA says there's nothing wrong with my back also. I got 30% for female issues and I just can't have children anymore. I called a recruiter and asked about going in as a officer and told him about the code 3 on my DD214, and he said it might be hard to get back in and I will have to go through VA and bring in all of my medical paper work from the military to them and they would see. I would like to go back in, but it seems like it would be a hassle to do it.
I was wondering on a similar issue. My husband is the one that was medically discharged. He got 10% severance from the Army and the VA paid that back with his disability from them for two years. His VA rating is 30%. When he went to the VA doctor they actually said that what the Army put as his disability does not exist in him. They said he has degenerative disc disease. The VA doctor looked at his x-rays and MRI and said he doesn't. His whole problem was muscle spasms in his neck caused by an injury that the military did not treat properly. Now he is doing accupressure therapy and the spasm are going away. He has only seem the VA doctors a handful of times since he got out in 2003. He already talked to a recruiter who said if he can get a letter from the VA doc stating one that he does not have DDD and two that he is now fit for duty that he can send it off to the board for a waiver. The question is what are his chances of getting back in. If the VA doctor waves his disability will the medical board. His re-enlistment code is a 3 which the only thing I have found on that is it means he needs a medical waiver. Can anyone give me some insight to help him out?
Originally posted by 4529950: I was wondering if someone could answer me a question relating to re-enlisting after you have been discharged and recieved a VA disability rating. I was discharged from the Marine Corp back in March of 2005, I was rated 20% disabled by the VA and have been recieving checks ever since I payed off my severnce. Anyways I got offered the chance to get my degree and get commissioned an LT through the ROTC at no cost but i had to enlist in the National Guard. So what I was wondering is will I have to give up my disability rating/checks in order to attend the ROTC and stay in the National Guard? I have been in the National Guard for a couple of monthes now and still recieved my disability checks, so if anyone knows the answer, Please let me know. Thanks PFC Leiter
Did you go through the ROTC program without losing your disability checks? I would like to get more advise from you outside this forum. Please contact me via PM if possible. I tried to PM but my permissions were not allowed. Thanks in advance SRA Pascual
OK people I just did it. I got back in! Here is what I did. 1st I went to a reserve recruiter, he wasn't interested, said it was a big hill to climb. 2nd I went to a Nat Guard recruter, he was interested, but not sure how to go about it and said I might loose my VA % and still not get in. 3rd I went to an active duty recruiter, he got me in. Here is how: I went to a doctor on my own (in my case an ortho specialist) and got a letter from them. I used the army PULES criteria to get the letter to have the correct wording. Then I got a letter from my current employer stating I haven't had any problems at work relation to my injury. Then I typed a letter stating I feel fit for duty. My recruiter submitted all of that and I went to the MEPS and passed the physical. After passing the physical my recruiter sent the results to the waiver people (whoever they are) and my code 3 reenlisment status was changed. I reenlisted! ITS NOT IMPOSSIBLE...shop around for a recruiter that is willing to and knows what they are doing. I had a 30% rating and am now a soldier agian. Good luck, don't give up becuase it feels great to be a soldier agin.
Hello, im in the same exact situation. I have found a recruiter that is willing to help me. I get 30% and have been out since 2000. What was you r medical issue? Mines chronic plantar fascitis. Like you said i need to get cleared through the VA, and get 2nd and 3rd opinions. I do have xrays from the army stating there was nothing wrong but they medical boarded me out anyways. Since 2000 there are so many new things that can help my feet, back in 2000 there was nothing at all. Well now i dont have any problems. Can you please let me know more info, you can write it on here or email me missessaenzz@hotmail.com thanks.
