Good afternoon folks
here is the scoop. after 15yrs of faithful service in the Navy i was just diagnosed with Crohnes. Im being told that i will more than likely be medically retired. Im about to accept the csb/redux payment but if im retired im afraid ill have to pay it back. anyone out there been in a similar situation? I dont want out, in fact ive been trying to go back to sea again. i really want to finish my last five yrs and retire normally. any thoughts?
thanks
mike
USNavy warfare information systems technician 1st class
Welcome to the board, Mike.
If you're up in PACNORWEST you might want to look up Steve McFarling, who had a similar retirement about six-seven years ago. His issue was slightly less serious than yours but he was medically retired. He claims it's the best thing that ever happened to him. As one of his shipmates working with his former chain of command, I have to agree with that.
If you're in San Diego I have another shipmate you may want to talk to, especially if you're interested in medical LIMDU shore duty at a training command. PM me if you want the info.
The govt may feel entitled to recoup CSB if you don't go the 20. However there are many out there who feel that CSB is already a bad deal, not the least of which is the fact that your retirement COLA would be reduced by 1% for the rest of your life (with a one-time catch-up at age 62). For example, take a look at page 4 of this PDF:
https://statmc.usaa.com/mcontent/st...ment_ebook_download.pdf?EID=aru_08_2007_09-11
Considering the possibility that you'd have to repay what's already a bad deal, I'd turn down the CSB.
Since you're going to become quite the expert at distinguishing among various people's opinions (of various credibility) regarding your benefits, I'd strongly recommend reading a copy of Chris Michel's "Your Military Advantage" (
Amazon.com: The Military Advantage: A Comprehensive Guide to Your Military & Veterans Benefits: Books: Christopher P. Michel,Norman Schwarzkopf). You may also want to browse the boards at Military.com for medical retirements or Crohn's, as well as
United States Navy - Together We Served. Someone on those boards has no doubt forgotten more than either of us will ever learn about our medical benefits.
One final idea would be the guys who've been medically retired at
Grunt's Military Site - Your Online Resource for Military Info . That discussion board has all the nurturing warmth you remember receiving from your recruit-training company commander, but despite their utter lack of tact or finesse they have the experience to tell you the facts. Tell Ltldoc I said "Hey."
Speaking as a former staff weenie who had to arrange MEDEVACs, even if you're the CNO's Sailor of the Year there's no way any medical officer wants you on a ship-- even an aircraft carrier or a flagship. The sea duty stress (to say nothing of the galley cuisine) would not improve your symptoms.
However one of my commands was a training site with several dozen instructors on medical LIMDU. The Navy made every accomodation to handle their life-threatening conditions, and as you can imagine these guys were a bunch who had to be internally motivated to perform. You've spent 15 years getting the experience-- why not pass it on to all those clueless trainees who otherwise would send our service to hell in a handbasket? If you can pass an instructor screening, it's a great place to take care of your health (and, if applicable, your loved ones) while you finish out your 20.