Board Reassesses Service Disability Ratings
77,000 Veterans Eligible To Apply
by Air Force Master Sgt. Russell P. Petcoff
Recommendations from a congressionally directed Defense Department disability review board have
resulted in 61 percent of applicants having their status changed from a medical separation to
retirement on the permanent disability list, the board president said.
Michael LoGrande said the board reassessed the accuracy and fairness of the combined
disability rating assigned to servicemembers who were separated due to unfitness for duty because
of a medical condition with a disability rating of 20 percent or less and weren't
retirement-eligible. The review considered only servicemembers separated from the armed forces
between Sept. 11, 2001, and Dec. 31, 2009.
The Department of Defense Physical Disability Board of Review came about as part of the 2008
National Defense Authorization Act, which standardized the disability evaluation system among the
services by mandating the use of the Veterans Affairs Department's schedule of rating disabilities,
LoGrande said.
The Defense Department has identified about 77,000 veterans eligible to apply for a board
review, LoGrande said. The request for review may come from the veteran, surviving spouse, next of
kin or legal guardian.
Once the board reviews a case and makes a recommendation, the appropriate service secretary
or a designee will decide whether to accept the board's recommendation. Veterans cannot appeal a
decision made as a result of the review board process, LoGrande said.
Eligible veterans can request a board review by submitting a Department of Defense Form 294,
Application for Review of Physical Disability Separation from the Armed Forces of the United
States. It's available at http://www.defense.gov by searching for "DD Form 294."
Veterans requesting a review must mail their completed and signed DD Form 294 to SAF/MRBR,
550 C St. W., Suite 41, Randolph Air Force Base, TX 78150-4743. Applicants may submit statements,
briefs, medical records or affidavits supporting their application, LoGrande said.
In addressing their involuntary separation, LoGrande emphasized, veterans should consider
whether to go with the Physical Disability Board of Review process or apply to their service's
Board of Correction for Military Records.
"This is a very important point, and PDBR-eligible veterans should understand there are
several differences between the scope and the consequences of the two reviews," he said. The DD
Form 294 contains a table outlining the differences and outcomes of the two review processes.
"The choice is important, and highly dependent upon the facts and circumstances of a
veteran's case," LoGrande said. "The applicant should weigh all of the factors and make a choice
only after careful consideration."
