The MEB tries to assess troops condition by assigning a number - a percentage - to which that troop is unable to perform "normal" activities.
Unfortunately disability rating has become quite murky.
There are Functional Assessments available for the military to use and more accurately assess a troop's disability, but not too many troops go through those assessments. Instead, the MEB generates a percentage based on medical records.
Activities of Daily living are a decent measure for a troop to describe how an injury affects them on a daily basis. [This page] has an ADL worksheet that a troop can use to better describe their limitations. A form such as this can be very helpful in a situation where a troop may disagree with what the MEB states.
This form makes a great attachment to any MEB Appeal.
Showing posts with label PEBLO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PEBLO. Show all posts
28 March 2007
10 March 2007
playing doctor
Sometimes I feel like I'm watching an episode of Whose Line is it, Anyway when I'm looking at the standard procedures of evaluating the medical fitness of soldiers in the Army. Total confusion, total "cover my ass," total ad-hoc, and inconsistent application of Army Regulations.
First of all GAO has already called this an "overly complex system" but still the system remains in place, unchanged.
So who determines the actual disability ratings for a soldier? WOW, that's a loaded question.
The Physical Evaluation Board (PEB) is made up of three people, only ONE of the three needs to be a doctor, and they are the final authority for determining the disability rating a soldiers will receive upon exiting the Army. That's according to Army Regulation 635-40 Section IV, Chapter 4-17 paragraph b. Check it out
But where do they get the information to make such an important decision?
Referral to the PEB comes from determinations made by the MEB after a long, often ugly process that soldiers must endure. The system really isn't all that bad - once understood. The problem is that the administrators are corrupt as all hell.
The PEBLOS will tell soldiers things like "the VA will take care of you," or any other of a series of lies that will encourage soldiers to hurry-up and leave the military, even if the soldier will lose benefits in the process.
One PEBLO had the audacity to tell me that my wife "didn't deserve a second opinion," and that she just needed to "learn to deal with her disability."
So who are these PEBLOS who "play doctor" or try to "play god" with patients' medical care, future benefits, and their lives - they are AGENTS OF A GOVERNMENT SYSTEM. They don't represent anyone's interest accept the Army's - and that means saving money - even at soldiers' expense.
And to make matters worse, severely injured soldiers at Army Community Hospitals, like at Fort Benning (Martin ACH), Ft. Campbell (Blanchfield) and many others, are seen by Primary Care Providers (PCMs) who are General Family Practicioners, Physician Assistants, or Nurse Practicioners. These PCMs write the MEB - the document used by the PEB to determine the disability rating a soldier will receive. These PCMs are NOTORIOUS for falsely recording patients' conditions. These PCMs lack the specialized training often required to properly describe and document the ACTUAL condition that a soldier suffers - yet the PCM can over-rule the opinion of any specialist, and the PEBLO will send the botched MEB forward. Sure a soldier can appeal - but why put a soldier through the extra work of appealing, why not just properly document the condition in the first place.
My opinion, and I share this with many others, is that the "agents of the system" (PCMs, PEBLOS, etc.) hope that soldiers will quit asking for help, will get worn down by the system, accept defeat, maybe even believe that the VA will help. They want the soldier to sign away their benefits and leave the Army.
One quality control mechanism I propose is instead of rating a hospital's performance on how fast soldiers get booted, rate that hospital NEGATIVELY for every appeal it generates. Army Medical Command Officials should want to know why certain hospitals have left more soldiers dissatisfied than other hospitals. HOLD THE LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABLE!!
First of all GAO has already called this an "overly complex system" but still the system remains in place, unchanged.
So who determines the actual disability ratings for a soldier? WOW, that's a loaded question.
The Physical Evaluation Board (PEB) is made up of three people, only ONE of the three needs to be a doctor, and they are the final authority for determining the disability rating a soldiers will receive upon exiting the Army. That's according to Army Regulation 635-40 Section IV, Chapter 4-17 paragraph b. Check it out
But where do they get the information to make such an important decision?
Referral to the PEB comes from determinations made by the MEB after a long, often ugly process that soldiers must endure. The system really isn't all that bad - once understood. The problem is that the administrators are corrupt as all hell.
The PEBLOS will tell soldiers things like "the VA will take care of you," or any other of a series of lies that will encourage soldiers to hurry-up and leave the military, even if the soldier will lose benefits in the process.
One PEBLO had the audacity to tell me that my wife "didn't deserve a second opinion," and that she just needed to "learn to deal with her disability."
So who are these PEBLOS who "play doctor" or try to "play god" with patients' medical care, future benefits, and their lives - they are AGENTS OF A GOVERNMENT SYSTEM. They don't represent anyone's interest accept the Army's - and that means saving money - even at soldiers' expense.
And to make matters worse, severely injured soldiers at Army Community Hospitals, like at Fort Benning (Martin ACH), Ft. Campbell (Blanchfield) and many others, are seen by Primary Care Providers (PCMs) who are General Family Practicioners, Physician Assistants, or Nurse Practicioners. These PCMs write the MEB - the document used by the PEB to determine the disability rating a soldier will receive. These PCMs are NOTORIOUS for falsely recording patients' conditions. These PCMs lack the specialized training often required to properly describe and document the ACTUAL condition that a soldier suffers - yet the PCM can over-rule the opinion of any specialist, and the PEBLO will send the botched MEB forward. Sure a soldier can appeal - but why put a soldier through the extra work of appealing, why not just properly document the condition in the first place.
My opinion, and I share this with many others, is that the "agents of the system" (PCMs, PEBLOS, etc.) hope that soldiers will quit asking for help, will get worn down by the system, accept defeat, maybe even believe that the VA will help. They want the soldier to sign away their benefits and leave the Army.
One quality control mechanism I propose is instead of rating a hospital's performance on how fast soldiers get booted, rate that hospital NEGATIVELY for every appeal it generates. Army Medical Command Officials should want to know why certain hospitals have left more soldiers dissatisfied than other hospitals. HOLD THE LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABLE!!
08 March 2007
ARMY MEDICINE EXPLAINED?
This links to a page that helps explain the Army Medical Separation Process.
It can only HELP explain the system - the system is so confusing that even the administrators make mistakes sometimes. Actually I think they "make mistakes" on purpose, but that's my cynical nature, I guess.
What is the difference between the MEB, PEB, and MMRB?
It can only HELP explain the system - the system is so confusing that even the administrators make mistakes sometimes. Actually I think they "make mistakes" on purpose, but that's my cynical nature, I guess.
What is the difference between the MEB, PEB, and MMRB?
Hey, don't get confused yet. I still haven't SCRATCHED THE SURFACE of the VA stuff yet.
AND REMEMBER, THE VA IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT SYSTEM, AND COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE ARMY SYSTEM.
BUT YES, ABSOLUTELY, BOTH NEED TO BE FIXED!!!!
AND REMEMBER, THE VA IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT SYSTEM, AND COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE ARMY SYSTEM.
BUT YES, ABSOLUTELY, BOTH NEED TO BE FIXED!!!!
05 March 2007
More confilcts of interest
I know I already mentioned this once before but the conflicts of interest in Military Medical Care have come into the spotlight again.
At WRAMC soldiers did not feel they had any advocate - their case managers, doctors, nurses, chains of command, even the Medical Evaluation Board Liaisons seemed to have the system as a priority over the current and future care of the soldiers.
Baffling how this can happen.
But it was an MEB officer that told me my wife didn't deserve any further medical treatment - that worker had to sit through "sensitivity training" - probably just the annual required training of any hospital worker - when I voiced my opinion that her attitude was potentially harmful to the health of other soldiers and their families.
It was almost funny to hear GEN Cody talk about the MEB, PEB, and VA processes of disability rating. It's so fucking confusing. Yet soldiers only get a few days to weigh their options once given access to their rating paperwork. It takes weeks to grasp the ins-and-outs of that complex system, and "no one" can ever seem to explain it to confused patients. The MEB officers hide behind their position and case workers are too closely tied to the hospital command structure.
Case managers need to be patient advocates, not another obstacle. We had a wonderful case manager here, until it became clear that she was actually HELPING patients - then her supervisor - a Lieutenant Colonel limited the contact she could have with patients - the LTC was more interested in a faster moving system - never mind medical duties to help troops heal.
At WRAMC soldiers did not feel they had any advocate - their case managers, doctors, nurses, chains of command, even the Medical Evaluation Board Liaisons seemed to have the system as a priority over the current and future care of the soldiers.
Baffling how this can happen.
But it was an MEB officer that told me my wife didn't deserve any further medical treatment - that worker had to sit through "sensitivity training" - probably just the annual required training of any hospital worker - when I voiced my opinion that her attitude was potentially harmful to the health of other soldiers and their families.
It was almost funny to hear GEN Cody talk about the MEB, PEB, and VA processes of disability rating. It's so fucking confusing. Yet soldiers only get a few days to weigh their options once given access to their rating paperwork. It takes weeks to grasp the ins-and-outs of that complex system, and "no one" can ever seem to explain it to confused patients. The MEB officers hide behind their position and case workers are too closely tied to the hospital command structure.
Case managers need to be patient advocates, not another obstacle. We had a wonderful case manager here, until it became clear that she was actually HELPING patients - then her supervisor - a Lieutenant Colonel limited the contact she could have with patients - the LTC was more interested in a faster moving system - never mind medical duties to help troops heal.
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