Medical discharge

[grimfixer]

Having battled over the years with a bad back endemic with our rotary seating, posture and vibration I have finally lost. It looks like I will not be able to continue in the cockpit and am trying to sort out an uncertain future, either civvy or military. Would really appreciate any help/advice from fellow pruners who have gone through similar circumstances as to what happened to them via the discharge route and the way it was handled, financially and admin wise.
Cheers guys
Please feel free to PM me with any further info.

[effortless]

I really feel for you mate. I was invalided out a long time ago so I suppose my experience won't be much use to you. I hope that there is more help now.

I did get a bit of dosh which helped a bit but I never really got over losing what I had set my heart on since I could talk.

I would counsel you to do everything you can to move on. There is a lot out here for someone who has achieved as much as you have. So don't sit back and brood too much. I wasted thirty years of my life being bitter. It affected my marriage, relationships and my career.

Think carefully if you can bear to stay in and not fly. Watching the chaps hurts.

You may get summat off them to compensate if you leave which they won't give you if you stay in. I did.

Life isn't so bad out here if you take command of it. This could be one of the best things that has happened to you if take charge of it.

This is all a bit trite but your story comes just when I had met some mates at a funeral so it is all a bit raw at the mo'. Best of luck

[Pontius Navigator]

Contact the Royal British Legion. They will take care of the admin. You need to ensure you are categorised more than 20% then you get a tax free pension.

Anything else wrong as well? One thing they advise, only one problem at a time. I ignored that and ended up with 19%.

[Tiger_mate]

I fear that this sort of thread will become very much a trend in coming years if the govt maintain the stance at world politics. I had a friend go through this a few years ago and whilst he appears to be nicely sorted now, at the time he had a drama getting hold of medical documents which are the only source of official documentation accepted by medical assesors (sp?). You may wish to bank that one and confirm your access before it is needed.

The British Legion has also helped former colleques and is good advice. SSAFA can help should accomodation become an issue or family matters. I dare say that you have been paying RAFA monthly for years, and now may be payback time, even if only for good advice.

Whatever the future holds, good luck with it; there but for the....

What is really suprising, is how many first tourists this is happening to.

[ATCO17]

Good advice from Tiger re the medical docs. Mine were "lost in transit" some years ago. My medical centre cobbled a new set together. Attending my next annual medical, I was somewhat suprised to learn that I'd been medically downgraded since 1983. I didn't join up until 1985!!:}

[Sentry Agitator]

SORRY TO READ YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES AND GOOD LUCK!

Slight thread drift so I'm sorry....but whilst I was not medically discharged I had an incident 7 years ago that I thought at the time was pretty much career ending...I was lucky and I am employed with just a medical marker.

However, I would encourage all service personnel who have had an 'interesting medical history' to get a copy of their med notes periodically 'just in case'.

That doesn't mean all those fitter racing snake types by the way!

There is an application form available from the med centre within which you can specify a complete history or just certain parts (start date and end date) of importance. Once complete it can take a month or two to get the printout - similar to the old SAMA system......ahh SAMA......where did you go?

I keep my copies in a very safe place for future reference.

SA

[Winch-control]

Maybe worth a punt, but last overseas det I did I took my med docs by hand. On return they were 'lost', the system can't find them, I have not 'signed for them'. Just a thought...Also just as a point of interest, my dental docs are missing too!...but in this case I've never seen them!

[Specaircrew]

I can sympathise with you, I slipped a disc back in '82 and have been unfit helos and ejection seats ever since. The problem has recurred several times and in '96 I was unfit flying for over 2 years. As you're well aware your flying pay stops after 12 months and then after 18 months you're supposed to be invalided out or re muster to a different branch!

In my case the RAF was very good and signed me back on at the 18 month point as 'aircrew non flying' pending a back op that I was waiting for. When the medics cancelled my op 12 hours before I was due to go under the knife I was subsequently pronounced 'cured' and upgraded to A3G4Z1, re instated as Specaicrew and posted back to flying duties(multi engine).

I still have a bad back and still have the same med cat but it doesn't stop me flying to sandy places every week!

The trouble with back injuries is that they take a long time to get over, the RAF realises this and the best option is usually a ground tour to give the medics time to dither! Re mustering to the 'telephone answering' branch will be no kinder to your back than 12 hours in a Multi engine cockpit! I wish you luck.

[cornish-stormrider]

Make 100% certain you have copies to all relevant med docs, when I applied to the war pensions agency for mine it took months for my med file to come from the RAF and it was an awful lot thinner than it should have been, even down to copies of missing accident records....

Make sure when you are assessed that the doctor knows about good days and bad. Private healthcare and spinal surgery have come a long way in the last ten years.

And just remember the old adage.......87% of military medical services could be handled by a Brufen dispensing machine......

[Big Tudor]

Make sure you get it allocated as 'attributable to service'. This may entitle you to a further payment, how much depends on the severity and nature of the problem. It may also entitle you to free prescriptions for medication associated with the treatment/management of the pain. Things will have changed since I was discharged (11 years ago now) but the RAF Docs tried to attribute it to natural degeneration of the back! :hmm: The fact that the pain is right where a 100lb pine pole impacted it had nothing to do with it!
As has already been said, get in touch with British Legion & SSAFA at the earliest opportunity. There is also a welfare department in the War Pensions office who do (did) offer good advice. They will have a local office for you to contact.
If you do end up down the discharge route you will probably be entitled to a war pension which does give you some level of kudos down the local British Legion club bar! ;)
Finally, try and get as much treatment from the RAF as you can. Once you're out it is onto an NHS waiting list and your local GP's budget (unless you can get private). Treating broken ex-servicemen doesn't feature highly in the statistics so isn't a very high priority, especially if it is going to be costly. :(

[shawtarce]

I hope all goes well for you.

I have been off sick for almost 5 months now with a prolapsed disk, (it took them 4 months to diagnose the problem) and am now waiting to see the surgeon at Peterborough.

The consultant at Colchester was shocked to hear how I’d put up with “a bit of a bad back for years” and was even more shocked to hear how a large number of aircrew and the majority of the rear-crew I knew also put up with bad backs, putting it down to “part of the job”

The worse part for me is the lack of progress on getting any sort of treatment, especially when my colleagues are busting a gut, trying to cover the same number of shifts, with one less person.

What’s an even bigger kick in the b*lls, I have just heard that Peterborough have lost my notes, the military fast track scheme has ended, and I am now at the very back of the NHS queue, just to see a consultant.

It’s nice to feel valued isn’t it?

Sorry if this doesn’t help with question you posted, but I’m just venting a bit of frustration.

[Wader2]

Specaircrew The trouble with back injuries is that they take a long time to get over, the RAF realises this and the best option is usually a ground tour to give the medics time to dither!

I can't remember when I first went sick but suspect it was about 6-9 months into a 'rest' tour. What did my back then was the simple act of leaning forward to move some sheets of paper on the bed.

I briefed the doc, at the Harrier base, that it was Vulcan back with a cause going back at least 10 years when we had an early Mk 20 parachute with no padding and consequent pressure in the lower back area. I may have had pills before that but I don't think so. He was surprised that the problem occurred when I was not on that aircraft type.

Subsequent relapses occurred when sitting on broken Nimrod seats, especially in the Sim, again a trip tot he docs and 'Vulcan' back was in the notes. Next major failure was off a camp bed on a Taceval.

I had probably worked through a number of minor instances but made sure that I went to the Doc for all the major ones. But and I stress the but I had not thought of either surgery or disability compensation. I was aware of the crew room discussion regarding hearing and I was medically downgraded for hearing but it was the back problem that got me the greater level of compensation.

The lesson is to ensure that the Docs write down the cause as well as the complaint.

[miles magistrate]

Be advised the War Pension Agency has changed to the “Service Personnel and Veterans Agency” as of 1 April this year. You can see the website at
www.spva.mod.uk
Follow links to AFAB. Not over helpful, but lists some contact details (if you look carefully)
For those who love a good conspiracy, be advised that it is run by the same team as JPA. However, in this case the service is second to none!:D
SPVA have a new Telephone Enquiry Centre open:
Mon – Thurs 0830 – 1630
Fri – 0830 – 1600
Call 0800 085 3600 (if calling from abroad 0044 141 224 3600)
Grimfixer for Navy specific you can call Paymaster for advice on 0870 197 1520
All the advice you have been given so far by colleagues in this thread is sound and good. In my view the best way to ensure success is to get your MO on side. What he has to say and write on your behalf is key (obtain copies – you are entitled). In my case his was the only advice the board took from an external source to supplement their own enquiries during a very brief interview.
Good luck

[It's Not Working]

Shawtarce

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