Expert: Aaron Shifferly - 6/17/2009

Question
Good morning, Sir. I had an inquiry about whether it's possible to change the status of my discharge from honorable to medical. I was in the Army for two years when a training accident caused permanent damage to my equillibrium. It took military medical personnel two more years to diagnose me with Meniere's Disease.

Once I was diagnosed, I started the process of the medical review. My attending Ear Nose and Throat Physician had been working with me throughout the process and determined that I was merely faking all symptoms and refused to pursue it.

In all fairness, I will say I was not the most motivated soldier, so I knew that his accusations that I was a melingerer were partially correct. However, in the months it took to be diagnosed, I was put through gruelling tests, most of which monitored involuntary responses; so I knew that the diagnosis was correct and there was no way I could've faked the symptoms. Furthermore, I only had a year left in the military, and I figured I could do anything for a year: I'd do the rest of my service, get out and go on my way.

This past year, I found my military medical records that showed two seperate medical opinions diagnosing me with Meniere's Disease, which is what I was being reviewed for. With this disease, I was not able to carry a weapon or fly and was in a permanent nondeployable status.

I am asking if I can go back before the military and have them review my records for a medical discharge as I should have been? And if so, what would be the advantage of that?

I appreciate any assistance you can provide.

Answer
You can turn those medical records into the VA for possible claim, but I'm pretty sure that's all you can do.  A 'medical discharge' so to speak is an entirely different animal than the characterization of your discharge which would still be 'honorable'. The medical discharge would have been conducted in the form of a MedBoard. If this is how you were separated then doctors reviewed your file and found medical reasons to prevent you from serving further. They also evaluated your file to see if you warranted compensation for your condition. You may be able to check with the VA and see if you do.  Your discharge characterization, however, is the military's way of saying how you were as a Soldier.  Honorable is the best, and there really is no way you can change this, nor would you want to. Your finding of military records and such really should direct you to going and talking with the VA and seeing if there is anything that you can or should do about your medical condition. Nothing can or really will be done about the discharge itself.