A Second Opinion From CitizenSoldierLaw – Government Assigned Lawyers – Medical and Physical Evaluation Boards ( MEB and PEB)
Second Opinion on Consulting Basis for your MEB and PEB
CitizenSoldierLaw Legal staff can assist you with the Office Airmans Counsel, Navy IDES, Coast Guard, USPHS and Office of Soldiers’ Counsel (OSC). In the Army, unlike in other branches, troops undergoing undergoing the Army’s Disability Evaluation System (DES) have the benefit of a government lawyer from the initiation of a Medical Evaluation Board (MEB) through final review by the Physical Evaluation Board (PEB) and separation or return to duty. Other branches often only assign a government lawyer at the PEB.
Lawyers from the Government or OSC give you legal advice but you may not 100% trust them. Who doesn’t like a second opinion? We work confidentially and consult with you on all of your issues and we are certainly very accessible.
Government lawyers are some of the best IDES/PEB/MEB lawyers in the country. But some may not be responsive or sufficiently helpful.
You can be found ‘Fit for Duty’ or separated with your disability pension and possibly Tricare for Life. We help you feel confident that you are getting the best possible outcome.
At the Medical Evaluation Board. If your government lawyer and PEBLO do not sufficiently explain your rights and the due process to which you are entitled, you can call and ask us in a paid consultation. With phones and zoom video conversations, we do not need to be located at your installation and Medical Treatment Facility (MTF).
The sooner you gather evidence, the better. As my boss remarked often when I was an Army PEB Adjudicator, this is an evidence-based system and evidence is more than your word if you are injured. PTSD, depression, anxiety, stressor-related disorder, bipolar and all DSM-V diagnoses, along with discrete disabilities like fibromyalgia need documented proof.
MEB. In order to properly evaluate your disabilities, ensure the VA Claim Form is properly completed and consistent with your medical condition(s) and goals. Only that which is listed will be subject to your VA Compensation and Pension examination. Or C & P.
MEB Proceedings, your Narrative Summary (NARSUM), Rebuttal and Independent Medical Examination (IME): We can assist you with your MEB outcome, or Army DA Form 3947 and all MEB documents regardless of your branch. The Narrative Summary is prepared by the military doctors. Our Marine retired Judge Advocate, Army retired lawyers and paralegals can assist you with your Impartial Medical Reviews (IMR) and MEB Appeals and put the problems in writing for you. Timing is very important at these stages.
Informal PEB (IPEB). The outcome at your “informal” or IPEB decision will determine whether you need to request a formal PEB hearing or request a VARR or VA Rating Reconsideration because your VA disability rating is inaccurate. A “formal” means that your case gets referred to the PEB formal hearing. The PEB issues a DA Form 199 in the Army and you have a set time to reject it for a formal.
The “Formal” Board (Physical Evaluation Board). Government PEB Counsel will present your case or you can hire a private lawyer. But you can also consult with our professionals at this time also for a second opinion confidentially. Revealing that you have a private lawyer may not be beneficial. But ethics rules require that our clients’ information remains private. It is the clients’ privilege and the client decides whether to maintain confidentiality or to share that there is a legal advocate from a private practice like CitizenSoldierLaw.
If the Formal PEB is not successful, you can retain us to consult with you as you prepare your written appeal to the next level authority, which each Branch has. Everyone is accountable in the military and the PEB does not have the final word. For Army personnel it is the U.S. Army Physical Disability Agency or PDA.
The “VARR” or VA Rating Reconsiderations. Your proposed VA disability ratings for medical conditions found to be unfitting by the PEB may be wrong. If so, you may not benefit from or need a formal. Then you appeal directly to the VA. This is an efficient place to appeal your percentage.
You can retain us outright, rely on us for a second opinion, which can be cost-efficient, and you can ask us at any time in the process. No one at our office was born with a silver spoon in their mouth. We know that private lawyers are expensive. So we always agree to refundable and time-based retainers. Once you no longer need us, we refund the remaining retainer.
Our clients love that part of the relationship and our Google Reviews and “Testimonials” on the website verify our integrity and respect for your hard-earned funds.
