I don't know much about what you can do while you are still IN the service because I discharged in 1968 .. honorable .. not medical.

If you were a veteran already, I would tell you to file TWO claims with the Veterans Administration ... one NONservice connected and one service connected. Of course, I had a diagnosis first. These are check boxes on the same form. That is what I did .. and here is what happened:

I was awarded 100% NONservice connected disability in about 1 1/2 months. AT THE TIME, that was just under $900 a month. This is tax free income. Meanwhile, my SERVICE CONNECTED claim started going through the 'system'. It took YEARS and several appeals, but I finally got 70% service-connected and 30% unemployability for a total of 100% which is $2673 a month .. nontaxable. I do not get both .. I get the higher of the two.

Of course you have to substantiate a service-connected disability.

You should know that there are new programs and policies for people like you that I am not aware of. You can find out a lot at

www.va.gov

You can even file online at that website, but I suggest you contact one of the orgs first .. and have them help you instead of doing it online (SEE BELOW).

I would think you could get a medical discharge .. but like I say, I have been out of the military for decades.

It SOUNDS to me like you need a medical discharge and a 100% service-connected disability. Know that the VA pays disability benefits .. not the military. While IN the military, you are either fit for duty and get nothing or you are medically not fit for duty and discharged. The benefit comes after that from the VA. Know also that you might only get like 30% for some stupid reason. If you do, then remember ... appeal, appeal, appeal. Never tell them you are 'doing OK'. The more you appeal, the more you can gain percentage of disability .. as long as you can make a case for it.

After your discharge, contact one of the organizations with an ASTERISK listed at:

http://www1.va.gov/vso/index.cfm?template=view

Contact them SOON after discharge .. don't wait. Those with an ASTERISK can and will HELP YOU file your claim(s). You will need their help.

Besides financial compensation, you are probaby also entitled to MEDICAL CARE. You can find out about that and other benefits at www.va.gov

If you are discharged, hang on to your DD214 (discharge document). Make copies of it. You will need them.

If you have any questions, private message me and I will try to help you if I can.

Thank you for your service. Be very careful, and come home safely.

"I am not sure if I would even qualify for a large enough percentage to get a medical retirement"

TO MY KNOWLEDGE, . if you served long enough and got the right kind of discharge (medical, general, or honorable), you are entitled to FREE MEDICAL CARE from the VA ... boom, just like that.

You will NOT (probably) get ANY TYPE OF RETIREMENT. You will more likely get some percentage of DISABILITY. You want to TRY to get 100% service connected disability (basically meaning you cannot work as a result of your injury). This is often done with several appeals. They may give you 30% ... but you appeal it to as high as you can get it.

Thank you so much for the advice. I am not familiar with any of this, largely because I keep getting thrown back to duty (partly my fault because I like to work) and have not been told about my options. I plan on getting out and going to medical school, so I know that 100% disability would probably prevent me from having a career in the medical field; however, I am very concerned IF I get out about retaining my entire GI Bill benefit, and the ability to obtain health care for the rest of my life.

It is so hard. I know how much pain I am in, and I know its in my body's best interest to get out... but I want to finish my enlistment so badly. If I finish my enlistment do I still go before a medical board?

It is very confusing .. and I have to tell you, I am NO expert. Here is what I think from my past experience:

Nothing is going to happen while you are still IN the service. They OWN you, body, mind and soul. If they think you are 'fit for duty' you do duty. If you have a medical problem, they are compelled to treat you. When you are back 'fit for duty' you go back to duty. If they cannot 'get you fit for duty", they will (usually) give you a MEDICAL DISCHARGE.

On the OTHERHAND, if you are not fit for duty but they think you ARE, you can go "through the motions" of 'getting' a medical DISCHARGE. I do NOT KNOW what the motions are .. I have never done it, but many have. You will have to 'find out' how to get out of the service on a medical discharge. I do not know how to do that.

After you get a MEDICAL DISCHARGE, you qualify for 'benefits' from the US Veterans Administration IF YOU MEET THE REQUIREMENTS. NOTHING with the VA is simple .. it is ALL complicated. Here is the BASIC information from their website:

Basic Eligibility
A person who served in the active military, naval, or air service and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable may qualify for VA health care benefits. Reservists and National Guard members may also qualify for VA health care benefits if they were called to active duty (other than for training only) by a Federal order and completed the full period for which they were called or ordered to active duty.

Minimum Duty Requirements: Veterans who enlisted after Sept. 7, 1980, or who entered active duty after Oct. 16, 1981, must have served 24 continuous months or the full period for which they were called to active duty in order to be eligible. This minimum duty requirement may not apply to veterans discharged for hardship, early out or a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.

www1.va.gov/opa/publications/benefits_book/benefits_chap01.asp

This means unless you are DISHONORABLY discharged and/or served less than 24 months, you ARE eligible for HEALTH CARE for life from the Veterans Administration. THAT'S HEALTHCARE

THEN, there is disability COMPENSATION. This is money paid to you from the VA for your disability. There are two types ... service connected and NONservice connected.

If you go on a weekend pass, and are blinded in one eye from some kind of accident, this would LIKELY be a NONSERVICE CONNECTED disability ... loss of sight in one eye. FOR EXAMPLE (I am no expert), you might get 15% disabled for loss of sight in one eye (maybe much less). They figure you can do at least 85% with one eye you could do with both. It would come from the NONSERVICE CONNECTED rate schedule. It would NOT BE much money .. because it is NONservice connected and it is not a LOT of disability.

If, on the otherhand, you lost sight in one eye from some guy poking you with a bayonet while you were doing your MILITARY JOB on duty, ... this would be a SERVICE CONNECTED disability. The percentage would (logically) be the same, but the RATE is higher. You would get more with this type of disability.

Soooo .. a lot depends on how you broke your pelvis.

Remember I told you I filed a claim for both .. NSC and SC? That is because I claimed that at the moment, I did not know if my disability was SC or not. I had a diagnosis, but not a cause. So, with the diagnosis, they paid on the NSC claim .. THEN, .. I proved it WAS SC and they (eventually) paid on THAT.

You MIGHT want to only file SC or NSC ... depending on how you broke your pelvis. For me, my disability left a question until I proved it. For you, there may be no question.

IF your injury/disability is NO WAY SERVICE CONNECTED, then you would file for a NON SC claim. They will either DENY (so you appeal it) or assess it to some percentage of disability and start paying you. It will be LESS than if it were SC at the same percentage.

If denied or you feel the percentage is too small, you APPEAL it .. with letters from Doc, friends, family, civilian doctors if you have one, etc etc. Keep in mind, as a veteran, you are receiving MEDICAL CARE from VA doctors. Your MILITARY records and VA Healthcare records will help you appeal.

Same story for an SC claim.

Now .. the 'steps you take'. IF YOU QUALIFY for HEALTHCARE, take your DD214 to a VA facility in your area. Walk in, ask where to go to get enrolled in healthcare? You do this with a DD214 and a visit to a VA facility. You MIGHT be able to do it ONLINE, but I did not do it that way .. so I cannot advise you.

For COMPENSATION, you contact one of those 'organizations' .. like American Legion .. and you talk to an AL representative about claiming for a disability compensation. You can do this ONLINE ALSO, but I did not do it that way, so I cannot advise you.

Again, you can learn a lot from www.va.gov Also, know that there are (probably) new programs for vets such as yourself (since I was in the service) .. so as you approach a medical D/C, ask the military where you find out about Veterans benefits.

With your desire to work in the medical field, it brings up the question ... if you are receiving VA disability compensation, can you still work? Yes and No. It is too complicated to explain here. It depends on many circumstances. You may find out about that at the website. Is it worth it? I don't know. The American Legion representative (or the like) can answer those questions for you.

AH ok, that clears up alot.

Mine would definitely be service related. I broke my pelvis from overuse. I have wide set hips on a relatively thin body, which is a bad combination when you are the only female in your company and have to keep up with the men on long runs, 4 days a week! To compensate for the enormous loading being done on my body, my pelvis snapped. The shitty doctor said I just had a sore groin and told me to take ibuprofen. 5 months later, our battalion CO saw me at PT and I couldn't get my left leg off the ground; at that point, they finally decided to send me for an x ray where they saw a very severe fracture that I had been running on for the whole time!

The Army hasn't really allowed me to heal, which is the problem, 2 and a half years later almost. Instead of letting me complete a whole round of therapy, or actually giving me some kind of convalescent leave for healing, they keep forcing me to take PT tests, and all kinds of other things like pressuring me not to make appointments or else I will suffer at work by not being tasked out on real jobs. In my job, females already earn little respect, and if you are hurt they really make your life hell.

I guess we will see how a fare through Afghanistan, and then I will ask my primary care provider what he thinks about a med board. :)

LIke I said, .. I got out of the service in 1968 .. so don't know much about such things. I have no idea what you should do, .. but it doesn't sound good .. your situation, that is.

Maybe your Congressman? I just don't know ANYTHING about such things. Sorry.

The one thing you missed WV.....if you are given a service connected 100% disability you should also file for Social Security Disability if you have enough earnings or SSI. If you get SSD you will collect both checks. If you get a non-service disability like I got and you get SSD like I have, you collect the higher of the two.

One thing you should do Longbow is talk to a lawyer. By seeking a discharge under medical conditions and proving you were denied treatment, you may be able to sue the military for failure to grant treatment for injuries. As for you CoC making you do PT, seeing JAG might bring charges of direlection of duty.

I was under impression that you cannot sue military doctors? I know that they are not required to pay for any kind of malpractice protection.

Ironically, I am talking with an attorney tomorrow (trying to sue a guy for destroying our house while my hubby and I were out of town for training) so I might have to ask him about that as well.

Thank you!

Right, Happy, .. I just thought that was 'too much' info at this point, but you make a good point. SS Disability .. another whole story. I was 'worn out' by the time I got finished with VA bennies.

Longbow, I made the assumption you are in Iraq. If you are now stateside, maybe seeing a CIVILIAN doc would be a good idea. At least you would have an 'ally' of some kind.

the other thing would be to contact your Congressman .. but you need to do it soon .. it is urgent if you are set up to go to AFGH.