More docs said to be needed for disability reviews

A special board established by Congress to review and raise any low-ball disability ratings awarded to injured or ailing military members needs to quadruple its number of doctors.

That’s the opinion of Michael LoGrande, president of the Defense Department’s Physical Disability Board of Review, who said it’s the only way for a timely review of the rising number of cases.

He said the board has received only 876 applications during the last 10 months, dealing with 235 cases so far. It has recommended higher disability ratings for 136 veterans, or 58 percent of cases it has reviewed.

The potential pool of applicants is estimated at 77,000, LoGrande said, so applications received to date represent just over 1 percent of the former service members eligible for review.

A recommendation of a 30 percent disability could allow veterans to gain retirement status from their branch of service. That means eligibility for a lifetime annuity, health benefits for the retiree and his or her family, and military base privileges including discount shopping.

LoGrande said the three military physicians first assigned to the board, one of whom has retired, aren’t nearly enough for the workload ahead. It will need at least 12 more to comply with a lawsuit-induced agreement the Defense Department made to expedite rating reviews of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans diagnosed with PTSD, post-traumatic stress, when discharged.

LoGrande predicts the services won’t be able to find that many doctors for the disability review board, particularly in wartime. So the likely solution will be for the Defense Department to contract for the services of civilian physicians.

“We will work with the secretary of defense’s office to ensure we get the proper manpower and resources necessary to continue to adjudicate on a reasonable basis,” LoGrande said. He added, “If I were an applicant I would want to get a response within 10 months. That’s not unreasonable.”

The review board’s work is “very physician intensive,” he said.

“In the first six months we were able to do about 31 cases a month. … Our production is down since then to 22 to 25 cases a month because of the turnover that we’ve had,” said LoGrande.

The review board, he added, is one vehicle “by which an individual can be made whole by the process. And we will do that. If the individual was diagnosed with (traumatic stress), they should have been placed on the temporary disability retirement list for a period of six months. Subsequent to that, they should have been afforded the opportunity for another exam.”

The risk to the veteran of using the Congressional review board versus seeking disability review from the Army, Navy or Air Force for correction of military records, is that, by law, decisions can’t be appealed within the Defense Department. So physicians use great care in reviewing these records, LoGrande said.

“Our physicians take darn near eight hours to review each case,” he said. As an Air Force civilian, LoGrande is responsible for running the board for the Defense Department. But LoGrande also is an Air Force Reserve colonel.

“I’m dedicated to making sure we do this right,” he said. “We owe it to (these disabled veterans). The least we can do is to give them a fair shake and be honest and straight forward about it.”

Applications are found online at: tinyurl.com/PDBRapps.

Retired Army Lt. Col. Michael Parker, an advocate for disabled veterans, recently described how a former soldier saw the review board raise his stress rating temporarily to 50 percent. But after six months on the temporary disabled list, the rating fell to 10 percent, denying the soldier disability retirement, even though he is rated 70 percent by the VA.

LoGrande declined to comment on any specific case. But he said the review board must base its decision on documents and exams from time of discharge. It uses the most favorable information available to help individuals, he said, including past VA exams.

Traumatic stress cases, he said, “are complex and we’re dealing with people’s lives. And with some of these cases, it is tragic. If we believe the documentation is there to right the wrong, we will do it. But if the medical documentation supports the original diagnosis, we are going to make that decision as well. We are in a tough position. But we’re not a candy store.”

To comment, send e-mail to milupdate@aol.com or write to Military Update, P.O. Box 231111, Centreville, VA, 20120-1111.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Business

A closing sign hangs above the entrance of the Big Lots at Evergreen and Madison on Monday, July 22, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Big Lots announces it will shutter Everett and Lynnwood stores

The Marysville store will remain open for now. The retailer reported declining sales in the first quarter of the year.

George Montemor poses for a photo in front of his office in Lynnwood, Washington on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.  (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Despite high mortgage rates, Snohomish County home market still competitive

Snohomish County homes priced from $550K to $850K are pulling in multiple offers and selling quickly.

Henry M. Jackson High School’s robotic team, Jack in the Bot, shake hands at the 2024 Indiana Robotics Invitational.(Henry M. Jackson High School)
Mill Creek robotics team — Jack in the Bot — wins big

Henry M. Jackson High School students took first place at the Indiana Robotic Invitational for the second year in a row.

The computer science and robotics and artificial intelligence department faculty includes (left to right) faculty department head Allison Obourn; Dean Carey Schroyer; Ishaani Priyadarshini; ROBAI department head Sirine Maalej and Charlene Lugli. PHOTO: Arutyun Sargsyan / Edmonds College.
Edmonds College to offer 2 new four-year degree programs

The college is accepting applications for bachelor programs in computer science as well as robotics and artificial intelligence.

FILE — Boeing 737 MAX8 airplanes on the assembly line at the Boeing plant in Renton, Wash., on March 27, 2019. Boeing said on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, that it was shaking up the leadership in its commercial airplanes unit after a harrowing incident last month during which a piece fell off a 737 Max 9 jet in flight. (Ruth Fremson/The New York Times)
Federal judge rejects Boeing’s guilty plea related to 737 Max crashes

The plea agreement included a fine of up to $487 million and three years of probation.

Neetha Hsu practices a command with Marley, left, and Andie Holsten practices with Oshie, right, during a puppy training class at The Everett Zoom Room in Everett, Washington on Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Tricks of the trade: New Everett dog training gym is a people-pleaser

Everett Zoom Room offers training for puppies, dogs and their owners: “We don’t train dogs, we train the people who love them.”

Andy Bronson/ The Herald 

Everett mayor Ray Stephenson looks over the city on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2015 in Everett, Wa. Stephanson sees  Utah’s “housing first” model – dealing with homelessness first before tackling related issues – is one Everett and Snohomish County should adopt.

Local:issuesStephanson

Shot on: 1/5/16
Economic Alliance taps former Everett mayor as CEO

Ray Stephanson will serve as the interim leader of the Snohomish County group.

Molbak's Garden + Home in Woodinville, Washington will close on Jan. 28. (Photo courtesy of Molbak's)
After tumultuous year, Molbak’s is being demolished in Woodinville

The beloved garden store closed in January. And a fundraising initiative to revitalize the space fell short.

Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin, Advanced Manufacturing Skills Center executive director Larry Cluphf, Boeing Director of manufacturing and safety Cameron Myers, Edmonds College President Amit Singh, U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, July 2 celebrating the opening of a new fuselage training lab at Paine Field. Credit: Arutyun Sargsyan / Edmonds College
‘Magic happens’: Paine Field aerospace center dedicates new hands-on lab

Last month, Edmonds College officials cut the ribbon on a new training lab — a section of a 12-ton Boeing 767 tanker.

Gov. Jay Inslee presents CEO Fredrik Hellstrom with the Swedish flag during a grand opening ceremony for Sweden-based Echandia on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Swedish battery maker opens first U.S. facility in Marysville

Echandia’s marine battery systems power everything from tug boats to passenger and car ferries.

Helion Energy CEO and co-founder David Kirtley talks to Governor Jay Inslee about Trenta, Helion’s 6th fusion prototype, during a tour of their facility on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
State grants Everett-based Helion a fusion energy license

The permit allows Helion to use radioactive materials to operate the company’s fusion generator.

People walk past the new J.sweets storefront in Alderwood Mall on Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Japanese-style sweets shop to open in Lynnwood

J. Sweets, offering traditional Japanese and western style treats opens, could open by early August at the Alderwood mall.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.