Medical discharge from Air Force basic... What now?

Question

My husband recently went into basic and suffered from Rhabdomyolysis within his first week. He was put on IV for three days ect.. He was told he had small tears in/around the heart from it and is being discharged. He has now been there for about three weeks.

I'm getting no info about anything and I feel I'm really sititng in the dark here. How long does it take to discharge people who get hurt within basic.. and what they do if there are any prolonged problems b/c of it?

He is sitting in a bed all day with all the other people who are sick, or pretending to be, getting treated like.. crap. He says they have no plans to send him home soon it looks like. He wanted to stay but b/c of his heart he cannot. Which he shouldn't of course.

I really would appreciate any informative answers about what I could do or he could do to get more info.. or should I look into legal advice? He isn't fit now to continue, he was when he joined.

If you want to be a smart a** don't post- Thanks

The condition he has is caused by excessive muscle exercise.. due to but not limited to; sports and military training, marathon running ect.

It's not something he had when he went in. He would have been on his way to the hospital instead of bootcamp! It's also not a disease. I guess I didn't make that clear ;) I really won't know all the details for him atm, but I've spoke with medical professionals about the condition.

What it does is break down the muscle tissue , which goes into the blood stream and so on, severe dehydration vomiting, kidney problems ect. They(AFB medical), have decided it caused some tears in the heart. Once that happens it is always weaker... So you have to see my concern here!

I'm not a person who likes to sit back and do nothing, I like to know my options. I understand he is not high priority but still this is all new and upsetting to me.

So thankyou all so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and experience with me. :) God Bless!

Answer 1

ok heres the deal. I had a buddy of mine get diagnosed with a heart problem in Basic.. It was treated and he caught up with me at tech school eventually, but you have to understand, the military is dealing with thousands of things like this, not just in basic but also the operational military, so it takes them a LONG time to deal with these things. Typically, someone who is safe in bed at Lackland will be pushed lower down the priority list than someone who just got shot in Iraq or someone who is operational and has just been diagnosed with cancer.

Your husband is stuck in the unfortunate hell known as "hold over status"
I remember it all too well and I even know which Squadron he's in, but I'm not going to say it on the internet. He's treated like "crap" because he's still technically in Basic Training and surrounded by Basic Training Drill Instructors. THeir job is to treat people like crap. Most people who are at that squadron dont have permanent problems and will continue to the air force so the drill sgts are obligated to continue treating them like basic trainees. Because he's in the same room, they cant afford to be nice to him and still treat the guys next to him like crap. But the only way in which they are treating him like crap is in the drill sgt broadway actor way. They are playing roles. Its all verbal and pschological. Rest assured that he is getting everything he needs even if it takes a LONG time. There arent many safer places than a Basic Training dorm on Lackland, even if its unbelievably boring and frustrating. Eventually he'll hit the top of that priority list and be dealt with accordingly, until then, be assured he's safe. Legal Advice wont get you any where seeing as they arent doing anything wrong, although it all seems VERY wrong. However, in many cases a long, unending, wave of phone calls and emails complaining and asking questions has been known to SPEED THINGS UP in the military.

The situation sucks and I'm sorry you and your hubby are going through it.
Godbless him for volunteering to join during war time and I hope its all solved as soon as possible.

Answer 2

Well that depends on the reason for the Rhabdomyolysis.

Rhabdomyolysis is usually caused by Trauma,though it can be caused by excessive exertion or heat stroke.

But it can also be caused by Hereditary reasons, such as McArdle's disease , Carnitine palmitoyltransferase deficiency ,malignant hypothermia , Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome .

So the first thing they are gonna do, is try and figure out what caused it.

If they determine that something during basic caused it, then it will take awhile for him to be seperated. Because then the military would be responsible for future care.

If they determine it was a pre-existing condition or due to hereditary reasons, then he will be seperated sooner.

But in either case, your looking at up to several months.

You really don't have the option to do anything yourself, except call your Congressman.

Your Husband can find out the info far easier than you would be able to.

He can ask the doctors or call the base Jag office of assistance.

Answer 3

it is possible this was a previously undiagnosed condition. If the Med Board decides this, he will not be eligible for any disability or VA assistance. if they instead decide that he knew about it and failed to disclose it, he will be given a Fraudulent Discharge and ruin any chance he ever had of ever getting back in, or getting compensation. If they decide that BasicTraining aggravated or caused the condition, they will award him a percentage of disability, and THAT CONDITION ONLY will be treated at VA hospitals for the rest of his life.

The reason it is going to take a while, on top of the other explanations that he isn't the only one there or indeed in the military waiting on paperwork, is that they are going to go over his medical past with a microscope now, instead of just a cursory glance that they gave for him to enter basic training.

Unfortunately, no one can tell you how long it will take, because it will differ from case to case.

Answer 4

Medical discharge, unfit for active duty out of basic. Since we are "at war" he has to serve a minimum of 90 days to be considered a veteran. They may be deliberately stalling his discharge so he goes over the 90 days so he will be eligible for benefits. If he goes over 60 days and they start talking about discharging him, that is the time to ask that he be transferred to a bigger facility for re-evaluation. If they do an informal Physical Evaluation Board (PEB) based upon his medical records, demand a formal PEB. Get him past that 90 day limit and he will get many more VA benefits.

Go to a veterans group (DAV, VWF, AL, AmVets) and talk to one of their service officers. They will be able to give you specific details and help you deal with the situation after he is discharged.

Remember...90 days......Get information NOW so you do not get rushed into a discision that back fires on you.

Answer 5

Unfortunately, I can sum up the answer in three letters: M.R.B. this stands for Medical Review Board. In you husband's case, he will be low on the list due to his initial entry trainee status. These MRB's are currently swamped due to the combat theaters in Afghanistan and Iraq. I do not believe legal advice is necessary, but I would recommend you contacting your husband's chain of command, and formally request the status of his Medical Review. If this proves fruitless, or they try to stonewall you, the next best thing is to look up your local congressman (or congresswoman), and contact their office. You would not believe how quickly they can acheive results. Before you do call your congressional representation, it is imperative that you contact your husband's chain of command first. Doccument all questions and answers (if any) you get from those channels. The first thing your congressional representation will ask you is what have you done to get his status (which is why you should doccument it). Try keeping a journal of your attempts, as detailed as possible. Who you contacted, name, rank, contact telephone # and date. If you do this, this can also prevent you from getting the runaround from a clerk who just wants you to be somebody else's problem, and not theirs. I hope this info is helpful. Good Luck!

Answer 6

He needs to start the paperwork now for VA benefits for disability. He can receive these while you are still in the military. Next he needs to contact DAV or someone to help him file and to fight for him. Your local VA or Vet Center can give him that information. It will take a LONG time because they are swamped with applications. When he is turned down (which almost always happens no matter what) he will need to refile, and the representative can help with this also.

Answer 7

ok here is the deal they are keeping him one becuase he is not the only thing going on, I am not saying that to be smart but everything with the military is hurry up and wait. plus they have to cover their own **** when it comes to things like this. if they were to let him out without all testing done and he fell over dead they could be responsible due to not providing proper medical treatment.

As far a legal advise you would have to talk with the military lawyers your husband signed away his right to bring legal issues up with the goverment when he joined.

As far as getting disabillity benifits he might be out of luck becuase if i remember right there might be a minimum time he would have to be in before a condition like this that they will most likley claim was pre existing and missed in physical. although he may very well get a service connected disability out of this.

I was discharged medically from the marine corps due to a helicopter crash that ruptured 4 of my disc and cracked 3 vertabre. it took them almost 6 months to discharge me aster they decided i was unfit for duty.

expect a long drawn out proccess becuase his case will have to be formed then sent to a medical board where they will decide what they are going to do. with so many people being wounded in iraq and afganistan there will be a huge back log.

I am in the process of having my disablity rating increased I filed it 2 years ago and it is just now in the hands of the rating medical board.

i know its not what you wanted to hear but it is the info you wanted, hope it helped

Answer 8

If he was in AirForce basic then he is at Lackland in San Antonio. At that facility they have a nice place for families of Airmen who get hurt to stay so they can be with their loved ones. It is called the Fisher House. Contact them they will be glad to help. www.fisherhouseinc.org

7323 W. Highway 90, Suite 206
San Antonio, TX 78227-3562
Tel: [phone] * FAX: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

more information about the Fisher House foundation can be found at www.fisherhouse.org

They have a great program in San Antonio I highly recommend you contact them. Good Luck.

Answer 9

Can't help with the holdover status. I suppose they want to make sure he's stable before they release him. Sounds like this happened as a result of his military envolvement so I'd start looking into VA disability. He'll likely collect it for the rest of his life. I doubt that I've helped much but there is that silver lining.

Answer 10

You can contact your Senator and Congressman.

www.congress.org

www.senate.gov