Wounded in Iraq being put out?

Question

My husband was wounded in Iraq and now they are putting him out with a 10% disability rating so he is getting a severance one time pay and hes out. Has anyone been through this?. And if so how long after your orders do you get your money?

Answer 1

Where is your WTU rep/case manager?  If your husband was injured he can request to be put into a Warrior Transition Unit and be assigned a case manager who will answer all these questions for him.  And as some one else said, your husband should have gone through a med board (medical evaluation board) and they can either reclass you, give you a profile level, or board you out.  But start asking more questions.  Something doesn't sound right.

Answer 2

If they offer you the choice of taking medical retirement or a disability rating and severance pay.

Take the medical retirement.

Actually you should demand to be medically retired.

While you will not get the severance pay up front.

Over the long haul, medical retirement will provide much more than disabilty will.

You will have the same benefits as any other retiree has,

And the same VA benefits as anyone with a disability.

Answer 3

bobalue7 -

something doesn't sound right....why would the military discharge your husband, and yet he's only getting a 10% disability.  Either the medical situation isn't being addressed correctly, or the military is improperly discharging him.  Are you sure he didn't vol for discharge?

Answer 4

They are doing that to that are Wounded...

Even going so far as to say that they have No Disabilities on their DD 214...

If they give you Severance...DO NOT SPEND IT...

as when you file with the VA they will recoup that amount before paying you anything...

He needs to register at the VA Hospital the day he gets out...He needs to File a VA Compensation claim with the DAV or some other Veterans Service Organization..it is a FREE Service...

You cannot go it alone...

Just because the Service only gives you 10% doesn't mean anything...

The last two we put through, one was 10% is now at 100%..

The Second one that had No SC..now has 150%

Make sure he has Copies of any and all medical records...

They are his and he can have them...No matter what any Lifer or Officer says...

If you wish more info, mu email is...

[e-mail]

SEMPER FI...

Thanks to Both of You for your Service...

Answer 5

Yea...that doesn't sound right.  10% is almost minimum disability.  Anyone with a year in service could walk into the VA and file 10% no problem and not even have it affect their enlistment.  We have guys that are on 20%-30% and still working.  What's he got that they are putting him out at such a low rating?  I'd tell him to get copies of all his medical records...everything....down to the most minor c**p that he ever went in for.  When he gets put out immediately go to your local VA clinic and get registered.  Then see the doctor and have them record everything that ever happened to him in the service.  Don't forget exposure to oils, fuels, fogs, and other chemicals....get a rating for hearing loss 'cause guaranteed if he was in combat he'll be able to claim it....bad dreams...difficulty sleeping...bowel problems...back problems...joint problems...anything and everything that is wrong that is or may be connected to his service.  Then take that record of service related problems to the county VA rep and refile disability through them.  I can almost guarantee he'll get more than 10%.

Oh, and..as he gets older....don't forget to refile periodically.  A lot of the things that get listed are going to rate for 0% initially...but the point is to get them on the disability worksheet.  Later, as age starts taking its toll and some of those things that didn't cause problems before start catching up with him, he can have his disability rating reevaluated and some of those line items that didn't rate before might get increased to +5% or +10% as they become more apparent problems, but getting them on there right away is crucial.  It is much harder to get a service related injury added to the disability worksheet 10, 20, 30 years down the road than it is right after the fact when the proof is easy to come by.

Answer 6

He will receive the severance pay the day he is officially discharged. He will also be eligible for benefits from the VA but must apply for those separately. There will be a small payment monthly from the VA - somewhere around $110 a month if they also rate him at 10%. The payment from the VA will not begin until the severance pay has been repaid however.

For those of you who say that 10% is low and something isn't right - the way the medical board process works is the military member and associated injuries are reviewed to determine if the service member still meets the medical requirements for a MOS. If they do not, they can be re-class if possible, discharged without severance pay, discharged with severance pay, placed on the TDRL or medical retired. It depends on what conditions the service member has which keep him from performing his duties. While the VA and the services use the same rating system to evaluate the services look ONLY at the conditions which interfere with duty performance. The VA looks at all conditions.

The rating that the military gives you may or may not be the same as the what the VA gives you. The military is only looking at current while the VA looks at all. The amount of severance pay you get is based upon your rank and years of service NOT your rating.

Answer 7

Isn't the government terrible, they treat their finest like a bunch of numbers with no feelings. Im sorry to hear about your husband