ktgrok Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 (edited) I'm writing a new book series and in one of the books I have a veteran who was discharged due to a TBI and PTSD from a tour in Afghanistan. Actually, would he be discharged for that, or??? He has issues with balance/getting dizzy and can't lift heavy things as far as physical effects, and has panic attacks. And if he was, and had attended college previously on an ROTC scholarship, would he be somehow obligated to pay that back or something? Edited March 18, 2018 by ktgrok 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 If he was medically discharged no he would not have to pay back any ROTC funds. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 I'm writing a new book series and in one of the books I have a veteran who was discharged due to a TBI and PTSD from a tour in Afghanistan. Actually, would he be discharged for that, or??? He has issues with balance/getting dizzy and can't lift heavy things as far as physical effects, and has panic attacks. And if he was, and had attended college previously on an ROTC scholarship, would he be somehow obligated to pay that back or something? One of my DH’s friends developed severe diabetes to the point where he had to be medically discharged. I guess the idea being that in a combat situation he might not be able to do his insulin injections and blood sugar monitoring as needed to keep him functioning okay. He did not have to pay back his ROTC scholarship. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted March 18, 2018 Author Share Posted March 18, 2018 Thank you both, that's helpful! Would he have access to VA services, particularly medical or mental health? Or does that depend on length of service, or? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 Thank you both, that's helpful! Would he have access to VA services, particularly medical or mental health? Or does that depend on length of service, or? Any honorably discharged active duty veteran is eligible to be seen at the VA. Now the waiting lists are typically long for those without a service related disability and the quality is very hit-or-miss so most veterans don’t go there unless they have no alternative. My DH has always had private insurance so he doesn’t go there. A veteran with a service related disability would have a higher priority in terms of the waitlist. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted March 18, 2018 Author Share Posted March 18, 2018 (edited) Any honorably discharged active duty veteran is eligible to be seen at the VA. Now the waiting lists are typically long for those without a service related disability and the quality is very hit-or-miss so most veterans don’t go there unless they have no alternative. My DH has always had private insurance so he doesn’t go there. A veteran with a service related disability would have a higher priority in terms of the waitlist. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Ok, so this is a young guy, service related disability, working at his dad's auto repair shop (management/bookeeping/customer service - he can't do heavy lifting anymore). So dad is self employed, family business, thinking health insurance may not be easy to come buy other than VA? I could definitely work into the story that he self pays for his physical therapy because he can't count on VA services or they are too far to access (he's in a small town), that works actually. And he got the service dog to help with PTSD because mental health services are still hard to access with VA? Like, he has services, but not as frequently/long as he needed maybe? Or too far away to go often? Edited March 18, 2018 by ktgrok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 (edited) @Katie he would probably receive an Honorable Discharge, for Medical reasons. I cannot imagine that he would be asked to repay ROTC or anything else. He would probably qualify for at least a partial disability from the V.A. The DoD changed their rules, quite recently, and they are going to remove a lot of people who are not deployable from the military, ASAP. It is a severe Readiness issue, because of the number of people who cannot be deployed. That doesn't apply to pregnant women or those with a temporary issue. Good luck with your new book! ETA: I read all the posts up to my reply. I have Severe P.T.S.D. I agree the help available to him, and the availability of that help, will vary wildly, depending on where he lives. If you search around, you will probably locate information on the web about the V.A. doctors prescribing Drug "Cocktails" to many people suffering from P.T.S.D. That's a lot less expensive than providing them with access to a competent Psychiatrist or Psyhchologist. Some of those people accidentally O.D. and die, from the Drug Cocktails they are prescribed, and then the M.D. responsible swears it was the proper treatment. Edited March 18, 2018 by Lanny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendy not in HI Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 If he attended college on an rotc scholarship, he would have some kind of college degree, likely technical, and would have served as an officer, not enlisted, as a very junior leader during his time in service. You may want to search for info about medically retired vs discharged. https://www.thebalance.com/military-disability-medical-separations-and-retirements-3356969 I have no idea how accurate that link is! If he is medically retired, he may receive care at a military base rather than (or along with) the VA, though I’m not sure how that works? As a college graduate and having served a tour in combat, there would likely have been an assignment and training before the deployment, so don’t make him too young! Sounds like a fun book! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 If he attended college on an rotc scholarship, he would have some kind of college degree, likely technical, and would have served as an officer, not enlisted, as a very junior leader during his time in service. You may want to search for info about medically retired vs discharged. https://www.thebalance.com/military-disability-medical-separations-and-retirements-3356969 I have no idea how accurate that link is! If he is medically retired, he may receive care at a military base rather than (or along with) the VA, though I’m not sure how that works? As a college graduate and having served a tour in combat, there would likely have been an assignment and training before the deployment, so don’t make him too young! Sounds like a fun book! If he graduated college at 21 and did officer basic right away with no additional schools like Airborne or whatever, he'd be starting his first duty station within about 3 months after college graduation. Now I don't know how long soldiers prepare stateside before an overseas combat tour since my DH never did one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted March 19, 2018 Author Share Posted March 19, 2018 @Katie he would probably receive an Honorable Discharge, for Medical reasons. I cannot imagine that he would be asked to repay ROTC or anything else. He would probably qualify for at least a partial disability from the V.A. The DoD changed their rules, quite recently, and they are going to remove a lot of people who are not deployable from the military, ASAP. It is a severe Readiness issue, because of the number of people who cannot be deployed. That doesn't apply to pregnant women or those with a temporary issue. Good luck with your new book! ETA: I read all the posts up to my reply. I have Severe P.T.S.D. I agree the help available to him, and the availability of that help, will vary wildly, depending on where he lives. If you search around, you will probably locate information on the web about the V.A. doctors prescribing Drug "Cocktails" to many people suffering from P.T.S.D. That's a lot less expensive than providing them with access to a competent Psychiatrist or Psyhchologist. Some of those people accidentally O.D. and die, from the Drug Cocktails they are prescribed, and then the M.D. responsible swears it was the proper treatment. That's actually very helpful info, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted March 19, 2018 Author Share Posted March 19, 2018 If he attended college on an rotc scholarship, he would have some kind of college degree, likely technical, and would have served as an officer, not enlisted, as a very junior leader during his time in service. You may want to search for info about medically retired vs discharged. https://www.thebalance.com/military-disability-medical-separations-and-retirements-3356969 I have no idea how accurate that link is! If he is medically retired, he may receive care at a military base rather than (or along with) the VA, though I’m not sure how that works? As a college graduate and having served a tour in combat, there would likely have been an assignment and training before the deployment, so don’t make him too young! Sounds like a fun book! How young do you think I could make him? Is late twenties reasonable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted March 19, 2018 Author Share Posted March 19, 2018 y'all are awesome!!! I look this stuff up on the official sites, of course, but I've learned on here that what the military SAYS and what is REALITY can be different :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guinevere Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 It is my understanding that the separation process takes a long time. First, he must be healed as much as he is going to be able to heal. Then, he will be assigned a nondeployable job somewhere while his medical retirement paperwork and meetings and etc are completed. I think it often takes a year or so after he is fully discharged from medical care before he would be completely done with the military. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 How young do you think I could make him? Is late twenties reasonable? If he were a lieutenant when he got discharged. A captain would be probably early 30’s. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 Any honorably discharged active duty veteran is eligible to be seen at the VA. Now the waiting lists are typically long for those without a service related disability and the quality is very hit-or-miss so most veterans don’t go there unless they have no alternative. My DH has always had private insurance so he doesn’t go there. A veteran with a service related disability would have a higher priority in terms of the waitlist. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I believe 2 years active duty service is required for VA eligibility unless service related disability is determined. This fellow does sound like he would have disability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caedmyn Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 My DH separated from the USAF at 33 or 34...he was a major and had pinned on a year or two before. I would say late 20s would likely be a captain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 Ok, so this is a young guy, service related disability, working at his dad's auto repair shop (management/bookeeping/customer service - he can't do heavy lifting anymore). So dad is self employed, family business, thinking health insurance may not be easy to come buy other than VA? I could definitely work into the story that he self pays for his physical therapy because he can't count on VA services or they are too far to access (he's in a small town), that works actually. And he got the service dog to help with PTSD because mental health services are still hard to access with VA? Like, he has services, but not as frequently/long as he needed maybe? Or too far away to go often? You might find this site helpful: https://benefits.va.gov/benefits/ As a someone with a service related disability, he would qualify for some compensation, depending on his level of disability. But, also know that there are separate branches of the VA. There is the Veterans Benefits Administration, the Veterans Health Administration and the National Cemetery Administration. Registering with the Veterans Benefits Administration doesn't get a person access to the Veterans Health Administration, they have to register with both places. And then, when the time comes, family has to provide paperwork all over again to the National Cemetery Administration. The moral of the story: Never, ever lose the DD-214. A veteran will need it for the remainder of his or her life. You also can't count on the government maintaining records, especially older ones, as they lost a ton of information in a warehouse fire many years ago. Who knows how they are backing up the current info? But, all of that is an aside. Back in the day when I worked in home health, we were about 60 miles from a VA hospital and the VA paid us to do home health care for their beneficiaries. That included nursing, physical, speech and occupational therapies. I don't know if they still do that, I imagine they do. It worked like insurance, as far as we were concerned. They might also pay for that type of care in civilian outpatient clinics. There are a lot of benefits out there, and a lot of detail to them as far as who qualifies and when they qualify. The best way for you to mange it would probably to be as general as possible, as I'm sure you probably know! With the VA and with healthcare in general, you could easily get bogged down in the details. FWIW, it was the Veterans Health Administration that handled my dad's application for a seeing eye dog (he was denied because of his age, but his disability qualified him even though it wasn't service related). This is a link to the Veterans Health National Center for PTSD - you may find some additional information there. And, you have probably already found all of this on your own! I'm just a chatterbox - oops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 How young do you think I could make him? Is late twenties reasonable? Yes, it is. The Army ROTC scholarship service obligation is currently 8 years - it is 4 years of active duty and 4 years of ready reserve. Duty station is not taken into consideration when tabulating the time in the service. Someone who graduated college at 21 and entered immediately would fulfill their active duty service obligation at age 25 and their complete obligation at 29, so be aware of that. Of course, they can also serve the entire 8 years on active duty. https://www.goarmy.com/rotc/high-school-students/four-year-scholarship.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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