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Basic Training |
My husband came home 2.5 years ago from overseas. He has been diagnosed with PTSD - a rather severe case of it. He has already been 100% service connected and receives compensation and health care from the VA. He has also been deemed disabled by Social Security. I have become an expert at putting together information packets and documentation for these types of things. He got 100% service connected from the VA on the first try in only 10 months; Social Security on the first try in only 6 months (we have heard that this is very rare). His file of documentation for a disability discharge from the Army Reserves is over a foot tall!
We have been trying to get him discharged for OVER TWO YEARS - since February of 2006. Issues we have run into: Unit refused to do an LOD (they were lazy - they eventually were pressured into it though), SFC at the unit actually told me they didn't want to fill out the paperwork for a medical discharge and were going to discharge my husband themselves by U-ing him (they gave him four U's for a drill in June 2006 he missed - even though he had a profile in the system excusing him from drill!), I called and raised all holy heck - SFC said he could call the commander to reverse the U's but that he didn't want to and it was no big deal. My husband's file kept getting lost or something - I have tons of documentation of phone calls, e-mails, etc. trying to get the process moving and nothing happening. I contacted the RRC, the head of his MOS, Senators, Representatives, VSO, service organizations, AW2 Hotline, nobody could get anything done. We finally got him to a base for the NARSUM and medical appointment and he has a PEBLO. The Psychologist who did the NARSUM and his PEBLO both saw his file and said that he should be getting a Disability Retirement, no questions asked. His PEBLO said that he has the most complete file she has ever seen. The packet got overnighted to the Med Board up in Washington D.C. Three weeks later a commander on the Med Board says that we have not met the burden of proof!!!!!!!!!!! He e-mailed a long list (a-p) of information that is needed. ALL of the information requested was either in the NARSUM or the letter from the commander of his unit!!! The PEBLO e-mailed the board and said that, and he just sent a generic reply saying they needed the information requested. The PEBLO is now telling me that we have to gather letters from people my husband was overseas with to prove that he encountered tramautic incidents. MAJOR PROBLEM - my husband has PTSD and severe memory problems (they are looking to do further testing to determine if he also has TBI due to the severity of his problems), he can not remember almost anyone he was overseas with! And doesn't the Army keep a record of major incidents on bases? Why do we have to run around and try to prove what happened on base? Why are we having to do all of this? We have met our burden of proof. Does this seem right? How do we gather additional documentation? Doesn't the LOD prove that the PTSD was service related? Doesn't that fact that he was normal before deployment, and is now a walking nightmare prove it's service connected? I have called anyone and everyone I can think of to help with this and no one can. AW2 hotline said to call Military One Source - they said they don't deal with discharges. Service Organizations and VSO's don't deal with discharge. I have contacted all of our Senators and Representatives to no avail. The only person he could remember overseas to write a letter was only with him for 4 months, and may not be enough to prove everything. I am so desperate - I have worked so hard - please someone help us! |
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Member |
You're saying you get 100% from both VA and SSI.
What else do you want? Something does not sound right when you say that he can't remember anyone he was there with. I am no doctor but I would diagnose him with how much free money van I get from the gov. |
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Basic Training |
Maybe you should read the message a little more carefully. I want my husband discharged from the Army. He will receive no pay for being discharged. And I said "he can not remember almost anyone he was overseas with!" (Keyword there - ALMOST) He was a chaplain assistant at a base with major turnover as it was a staging ground for troops going into and out of Iraq. The only person he worked with regularly the whole time was his Chaplain. No, you're not a doctor, you obviously don't understand what PTSD is or what TBI is. You don't seem to understand english either when I said "severe memory problems". He came home over 2.5 years ago and hasn't talked to any of these people since. He saw tens of thousands of soldiers during his time overseas. Let's see how many people you would be able to remember. If you are not here to help, you should get off the boards. Families of disabled service members go through enough without arrogant jack a**es like you attacking us. Get a life.
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Member |
Don't get mad at me. I know more about it then probably any chaplains assistant in the army. Check the profile before you talk smack. I am Infantry on a FOB that was'nt going "in and out" of Iraq, it was in the whole time. I have friends that died and a friend who had half his head blown off and had to fight for what you already got. He will never be the same mentally and physically and he drives on. Sorry if I am sceptical. There are too many people out there trying to scam the system taking care away from soldiers that really need it.
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Basic Training |
You have no right to say what my husband does or does not deserve, because you don't know him...I don't care who you are. I am not playing a "my trauma is worse than yours" game. And we had to fight for what for what we got too...appointments, phone calls, letters and calls to congressmen, tons of testing, insane amounts of driving (our nearest VA before was 2-2.5 hours away!). It still took 10 months. Now we are fighting to get him discharged because he can't even go on an Army base without having a severe panic attack - there is no way he can get in uniform and do his job. We have dealt with multiple appointments every week for the past 2.5 years. He has 11 providers that he sees. I can not work because I have to take care of him. He will not bathe, eat, or take care of personal hygiene without me reminding him. He can't remember when he changed clothes last. He will wear the same thing for a month unless I say something. We have tried lists, schedules, etc. but he forgets to check the list or forgets where he put it, or forgets to write notes or it just so frustrated that he can't do those things anymore that he doesn't want to make notes for everything that happens in his life. Wouldn't you be frustrated if you were only a shell of the man you used to be and your wife had to take care of you instead of you taking care of her? He believes he should be the man of the house and take care of his family. Do you have any idea how humiliating it is for him to have his wife tell him to take a shower because it has been days and he stinks and is dirty?
I would love to work, I would love to be able to actually pay off my student loans and my credit cards! I tried working though, and everything fell apart. Keep your skepticism to yourself, especially if you don't know the person, it only adds insult to injury. I don't need that kind of crap, I have enough on my plate as it is. I posted on this board looking for advice, not opinions. So if you don't have any advice for getting discharged, stop playing your pathetic games.
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Member |
You've probably already tried this but contact the Chaplin he worked with. There must be some record of the units that went in and out of that base. Then contact those units.
I agree you shouldn't have to do this yourself but unfortunately since some people have tried to scam the VA, and since there are so many injuries and PTSD cases these days the VA is overburdened. You could also try asking some questions on the spouse section of this board I know some of them have been through a similar experience. And you need support too, most people don't realize but the caretaker of a disabled person needs support it can be a thankless job. Good Luck |
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Basic Training |
Angela, This discharge "should" be a simple process, as he's already a disabled veteran according to VA (not to mention SS). If I were you, I'd contact the Chief, Army Reserve and Commanding General, UA Army Reserve Command. You can get his information from the www.armyreserve.army.mil homepage. God Speed and thank you (and your husband) for your Service, Sean |
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Basic Training |
Thank you for the information. Unfortunately, we just found out that there was only a 30 day window to gather further documentation (no one ever told us, and we only ended up getting 20 days because the person sat on the information for 10 days before even telling us that we needed additional documentation!) We will hopefully get a determination back in a week or two. If it is not a good one, we can appeal, and I will try contacting those people then. Thank you.
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Basic Training |
Angela,
I'm glad you're getting something accomplished with your situation. I know first hand what you're dealing with. I was pending an MEB for the last 3 years I was on active duty. The difficulty was they kept finding more "issues" and couldn't procede. The Blessing was that I ended up retiring before the MEB could put me out... Keep up your Faith and don't let them wear you down! God Speed! Sean |
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Member |
They are not doing your hubby a favor, that's for sure. I'ld be calling a congressman, the Inspector Generals office. He is due a med discharge, and if he is getting 100% from VA, then his unit admin people could face some disciplinary action for keeping him on the rolls. Don't sit back and wait for them, you need to get proactive.
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Basic Training |
Working on a medical discharge too. My husband was going on trips throughout Afghanistan and came back pretty sick. He came back almost 2 years ago.
He will have 20 years in the guards in less than a month. He is currently 70% disabled from the VA with his case still open. He takes 14 different meds per day, sleeps with a bi-pap machine.... I work as a HS foreign language teacher, and adult ed teacher( in the evening) and a sponsor for 2 community service clubs. During the school year, it is impossible for me to find time to fight for him and he foregets just about everything. When summer comes, however, that is all I do. Our family doctor of 15 years is an ltc doctor in the guards and he told us that other than "blown up", my husband is the sickest he has seen coming back. We do not know what we are entitled to, the guards are hoping we will just get fed up with the system and go away. I can understand what the lady before me was talking about. By the way, prior to the deployment, my husband was the PT officer, the guy who would run 3 or 4 miles a day to be in shape, the guy who got 300 on his PT test. He is also a warrant officer in eletronics and traveled to various places in that no man's land. He will not talk about what he has seen. However, I have had to roll out of bed and lock myself in the bathroom quite a few times in the middle of the night. We have two children. One in college and the other in high school. This has changed his life, our lives, our ability to provide for our children's education. Sometimes it is just so overwhelming!!! |
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Basic Training |
typo..."forget"
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Member |
AngelaGrace80, What a crock, that's the biggest B.S. story I have ever seen on these boards.
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Basic Training |
Good news! He has been officially discharged! They gave him a 70% rating. It is just such a relief not to have to deal with it all anymore.
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Member |
I agree with you, mplcs; this is su****ious. The one key item that gets my dander up is this quote from AngelaGrace80: "He was a chaplain assistant at a base with major turnover as it was a staging ground for troops going into and out of Iraq. The only person he worked with regularly the whole time was his Chaplain." I gather from that statement that he was in Kuwait. Unless he went into Iraq with the Chaplain, exactly when did he suffer this trauma or possible TBI? Also, he can only remember ONE person he served with? I've been blown up myself, and my brother has had half his body reconstructed after his IED incident, and both of us can remember more than ONE person that we served with. This reminds me of some aviation mechanics in Kuwait who put in PTSD claims for SCUD attacks that happened before they arrived in country. |
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Basic Training |
Wow, yet again, another idiot posting on the boards. Apparently you are illiterate as well. I believe I said, multiple times, "almost anyone". He can remember more than ONE person he served with. His unit only had about 40 people to begin with. He remembers several people, just not everybody. Apparently you don't know much about PTSD either. Iraq is not the only place on earth where people can suffer trauma ("Unless he went into Iraq with the Chaplain, exactly when did he suffer this trauma"). Did you know that people have PTSD from being in accidents, from being abused, from seeing people die, etc.? These things happen all over the world. Many people were diagnosed with PTSD after seeing the twin towers collapse, after helping clear the wreckage, after seeing people jump out windows. I guess you don't see all that as trauma though since they aren't physically injured, or it didn't happen in Iraq. Here, educate yourself: http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/index.jsp http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-st...der-ptsd/index.shtml
If people want to vent, open your own thread, stop posting where people are looking for help. If people don't believe me, come here and live with my husband for a week, I could use the break! I am defending all those who have had to deal with similar situations, all those who are dealing with PTSD, all those who are sick of having to justify the PTSD that is a daily reality for them. Get off your high horse simonferrer.
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Member |
Yep, that's what those mechanics in Kuwait said when they tried to buck the system for free money, too. I can see someone who came into daily contact with wounded soldiers succumbing to PTSD. However, Angela, a soldier has to sustain an actual head injury in order to claim TBI; it stands for Traumatic Brain Injury. Tell me, when did your husband do that as a Chaplain's Assistant in Kuwait? There hasn't been a shot fired in anger in that country for over five years now. Not only that, you stated previously that he could not remember 'almost anyone', then you mentioned that he only had a corroborating letter from the ONE individual that he could remember. "The only person he could remember overseas to write a letter was only with him for 4 months, and may not be enough to prove everything." Do you remember typing that? I do, and according to you, I'm 'illiterate.' I don't know you or your husband, but based on what you've written on this board, the whole thing screams "scam." PTSD is one of the worst things to befall a soldier, but it is also one of the easiest ailments to fake. That and the fact that this so well-documented should be open and shut incident has met with such resistance all along the chain from his unit up to your Senators and Representatives just naturally makes me su****ious. If your husband's condition is legitimate, then you have my sympathy and support. However, if you're just trying to scam the government for money that could go to supporting actual wounded soldiers, then you and your husband ought to be ashamed of yourselves. |
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Basic Training |
Thank you for again proving your illiteracy.
1. "The only person he could remember overseas to write a letter" This does not mean he could only remember one person, it means the only person he could remember and have write a letter. Not everyone he remembers would be able to write a letter. 2. "they are looking to do further testing to determine if he also has TBI". I never said he had TBI, I said they were looking to do testing. LOOKING TO DO FURTHER TESTING. 3. I never said resistance from Senators and Representatives. "I have contacted all of our Senators and Representatives to no avail". They were more than willing to work with us and help, there just isn't any action they were able to make happen. 4. Resistance from the unit doesn't mean scam, the Army is not very organized, I think most people will agree with that. I think many people will also agree that chain of commands aren't always the best. His unit had already had one congressional inquiry, and were working towards number 2. They were just a bad unit to begin with. And it wasn't just with my husband, they had some serious issues. You should be giving us your sympathy and support, because this is legitimate. "if you're just trying to scam the government for money " What money? Getting him discharged gives us no money! It just means that he doesn't have to sit on their rosters anymore having panic attacks thinking that he may have to drill or deploy again. We're saving the government money by getting him discharged. One less soldier who gets SGLI, drill pay, etc. We wanted the discharge for peace of mind, nothing else. We don't have fancy cars, nice furniture, and eat expensive food. We owe tens of thousands in student loans, have used and hand-me-down furniture, and eat cereal and mac n' cheese. We have morals and values. We are simply trying to do what we can to get by and stay healthy. We want peace of mind. I'm sorry that you have had bad experiences with mechanics, open your own "I hate scamming mechanics" thread if you want. I'm sure you'll find a lot of sympathy - I'm sorry for just wanting some sympathy and advice myself. As far as shots being fired in Kuwait, I don't know if that's true or not, but people still die there all the time. Soldiers being intentionally run over by locals, soldiers hanging themselves in the chapel because they can't go home to face their families after what they have done (true story - in the chapel - how would you like to be a chaplain or chaplain's assistant and walk in on that), soldiers shooting themselves because they can't handle the nightmares. Imagine having to be the one to get them help, help them, try to save them, inform their units/families/friends of their deaths. Imagine counseling soldiers day after day (with no degree or professional experience in counseling) who have seen and done things most of us can't imagine. I know you can imagine some of these things, you probably lived through them. Imagine hearing your stories 1,000 fold, day in and day out. Hearing the worst of the worst, seeing soldiers just give up on life. You may not think a chaplain assistant can have PTSD because he wasn't blown up in an IED, but he walks around with stories of a hundred soldiers who were. He walks around with stories of children and women dying, of friends, fiances, family members dying. I don't know about you, but I'd be pretty messed up if that was what was going through my head all the time.
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