Medical Boards

[chazza-23]

Can anyone in the know please tell me what happens at a medical board, also what is taken into consideration when making a decision on someones career in the RAF (discharge, retrade etc)

If a medical discharge is decided how are the benefits (pension and compensation) calculated?

Really I would like as much info as poss relating to med boards and outcomes and who makes which decisions.

Any info is greatly appreciated so thanks in advance.

 

[norfolkred1]

I know it sounds like a firing squad but it could not get any further away from it.
I had my board a couple of years ago at Henlow and all it consists of is a couple of medics who take all your details for processing. You will then be taken to see the doctor who is normally a Wing Commander who will sit and chat to you about your problem and what the future holds for you. You are not sat to attention or feel you are under pressure. He will ask you about your employment and the tasks you are expected to carry out on a daily basis. From all that information he will let your Unit OC Adimin know of his findings and you will be interviewed on what your options are by your Unit.

 

[chazza-23]

Do you have to attend in uniform? What if the decision at the med board is med discharge, what happens then? This is a perm med board I need info on.

 

[Hot Shoes]

One important thing I wasn't told till I went on mine was to book an appointment with the resettlement advisor on your camp before you go just incase. I saw mine after and he told me more about the whole process than anybody, also you are entitled to an interview with the chf clk who will hopefully explain what could happen & the one person who should be telling you everything about it before hand is the SMO.

Oh and smart civilian was in my letter to attend, and as norfolkred said before, it was all ok once I got there. They couldn't be more helpful & explained everything

 

[norfolkred1]

I went smart casual, check with your powers that be at the Med Cent for your Unit advice on that one.

I was given a perm MES in 2003 but only left in October last year. If the board feels that you can still provide a service there is a good chance you will be able to continue until your natural contract is up and if this is upto 22 years it is worth considering. You will also be given the oppertunity to jump ship if you feel you want to, the type of benifits you are entitled to will be given when you see OC Admin.

If you want to seek a war pension you will be asked to sign a form at your Med Board as this gives the relevant agencies, RBL and RAFA acess to your details abd you must apply within 28 days of your final date.

 

[chazza-23]

Thanks for the advice on who to speak to hot shoes, iv had no info on the process so far, infact ive been non effective for 8 months and have had no contact from the RAF other than monthly reviews with doc (all this involves is him asking if ive improved (without treatment) the answer is always no and im sent home again for another month)

It is my belief that I cannot do my job to any degree (im a steward with multiple back and pelvis problems) I was on reduced hours, only 4 a day which I still struggled with and was then made non effective.

Any ideas on how to prove my state of health is due to work as it happened over time and no records in accident book, injuries are on my left side (same side that heavy plates and flats are carried)

I think I may be retraded or discharged due to above reasoning. Therefore I need to know the process for both outcomes and if discharged, how the benefits are caclulated and decided.

Again thanks for any info.

 

[MrMasher]

I dont understand why you felt the need to create another thread about your med board?
You already have this one where this could have been asked.

I went to my med board last Nov.

A few days before the board you need to go to your med centre for prelims. Easy stuff, height, weight, urine sample, hearing check etc.

Med Board at Henlow.
Smart civilian dress, not uniform.

A full medical by the doctor followed by an interview with the med board president.
This interview is informal and more along the lines of a chat about you, your health and your role/employment.
What you can and cant do and how it affects your employment as well as any ongoing treatments and future care, I believe, are the main factors regarding your future employment.

He will then chat with you about what he thinks of it and what his reccomendation will be to Manning.

You return to your unit and over the next few weeks Manning review your case.
They will send their decision to your unit chief clerk who will then discuss with you your options, whether you are to be dismissed, kept in until your next exit point or retraded, etc.
He/she will also discuss any financial benefits etc.

Its quite easy really and your unit staff should really explain all of this to you.

 

[NotAnIDOYet]

I have recently attended a Med Board where I got UPGRADED, much to my surprise.

The Med Board process is there for your protection, not the RAFs and is to ensure that you are only employed on duties you are fit for, or in the absolute extreme case, a discharge.

You will go in smart Civvies (travel the night before if you are from the other end of the country) and the couple of times I have been there I have been treated better than in any Med Centre over the past 19 years!

You fill be called in to see one of the doctors first, they are both (I think) serving Wing Commanders, one is an Orthopedic specialist and I think the other is a GP, who you see may depend on your injury. You will then get teh best physical you have probably had since Basic Training then get dressed again for a good chat. Be honest here, say what you can and cannot do and tell them what you would like the outcome to be. They may disagree with you but you may also reach a compromise (I did!).

Doctor 1 then writes a report that goes to the President, Med Boards (a civillian but I think Ex Groupie type, he is an Air Commodore equivilent I think). Doctor 1 will make the recommendations, the president does have the power to over-rule him but generally he will agree to what is recommended.

You get called into the President's office, again nothing more than a sit down chat and to go over the recommendations again.

I personally wouldn't do anything more before I went. If you are being discharged then you have right of appeal and your terminal benefits cannot be worked out unless you have been given an exit date, there is time enough to sort all of this out.

I have said it above but just be as honest as you can with them. My condition makes me unfit the running part of the RAFFT but there are alternative methods of testing.

Any other questions then please feel free to PM me and I will try to help.

 

[MrMasher]

I have recently attended a Med Board where I got UPGRADED, much to my surprise. .

Off TopicCongratulations mateDT_Xtremez_28:

 

[chazza-23]

I wanted to create a new thread to attract new and more replies as there were not many replies on the other link. The replies I have recieved so far have been very useful and think I may be stressed out about this unneccesarily, I think what's bothering me is that currently my life has a big question mark over it and ulimately what happens with my career is not my choice! My life will have to change if they decide to retrade me or discharge me and I have no control over it, its quite daunting!

 

[MrMasher]

I wanted to create a new thread to attract new and more replies as there were not many replies on the other link. The replies I have recieved so far have been very useful and think I may be stressed out about this unneccesarily, I think what's bothering me is that currently my life has a big question mark over it and ulimately what happens with my career is not my choice! My life will have to change if they decide to retrade me or discharge me and I have no control over it, its quite daunting!

Fair enough. Having gone through it myself it is quite daunting, I agree.
Just dont stay fixated on this area though, make sure that you are getting the attention you deserve from your med centre as well as any referrals and treatment you need.

 

[chazza-23]

I was last referred from queens med centre in nottingham to see a chiropractor this has not happened so Iv had no treatment in 8 months, instead iv been referred to headley court for a prognosis which my doc will read through and then send me to a med board! Ive been told I need surgery but cannot have it because of my age and is too risky in terms of problems this can cause later in life. I think a chiropractor was the next best thing to help with pain management but as I say so far has not happened.

There is a chiropractice not far from where I live and have considered going but it is expensive and cannot afford it, is there any way I can claim the money back as it is advised medical treatment after all?

 

[MrMasher]

I was last referred from queens med centre in nottingham to see a chiropractor this has not happened so Iv had no treatment in 8 months, instead iv been referred to headley court for a prognosis which my doc will read through and then send me to a med board! Ive been told I need surgery but cannot have it because of my age and is too risky in terms of problems this can cause later in life. I think a chiropractor was the next best thing to help with pain management but as I say so far has not happened.

There is a chiropractice not far from where I live and have considered going but it is expensive and cannot afford it, is there any way I can claim the money back as it is advised medical treatment after all?[/QUOTE]


Ask your Doc. I managed to get a 2nd referral and it turns out that the service "specialist" missed my ailment when he read my 1st MRI scan results which my 2nd referral found just recently.
Further to that I now have to wait until May for my next bout of treatment::/:
Damned NHS system clogged up!

 

[Odie]

There is a chiropractice not far from where I live and have considered going but it is expensive and cannot afford it, is there any way I can claim the money back as it is advised medical treatment after all?

I'm gobsmacked that you hadn't mention to your doctor at your med centre that the Queen's Medical Centre were referring you to a Chiropractor for 8 months. Had they removed you brain and tongue as well? DT_Xtremez_35: If you'd mentioned the issue, and pushed it, your med centre could have referred you to a local Chiropractor and you could have been reimbursed the costs. DT_Xtremez_28:Sometimes you have to make the effort rather than wait for it to drop in your lap. DT_Xtremez_21:


Fingers crossed for you, but I'd say hope for the best and plan for the worst. DT_Xtremez_15:

 

[chazza-23]

I was only recommended chiropractic treatment approx 2-3 months ago this recommendation was sent to my doc on station from the proffessor at queens med centre, notts but instead of acting on this recommendation the doc decided to send me to headley court for a prognosis. How can this make me lack a brain and a tongue???

 

[norfolkred1]

If YOU feel YOU are not getting the correct treatment you have the right to a second opinion which will almost certainly put you under the NHS, which I personally found a lot more helpful than runing around the country for treatment, Nocton Hall, Frimly Park, Hasler and Catterick to name a few..

 

[chazza-23]

I will see my doc this week then and ask if I can see a chiropractor as I have been referred to different specialists and proffessors who have told me I need surgery but the alternative is to see a chiropractor. As I have not had treatment in 8 months, the doc should have acted on the recommendation and sent me to a chiropractor! He said there were no chiropractors in the RAF near my station so would send me to Headley for prognosis instead.

I will broach this matter with him again, if I can get treatment through a civillian chiropractice and be reinburst, I will certainly do so.

 

[Odie]

I was only recommended chiropractic treatment approx 2-3 months ago this recommendation was sent to my doc on station from the proffessor at queens med centre, notts but instead of acting on this recommendation the doc decided to send me to headley court for a prognosis. How can this make me lack a brain and a tongue???

What you said was:-

I was last referred from queens med centre in nottingham to see a chiropractor this has not happened so Iv had no treatment in 8 months,

No mention of only 2-3 months ago in that post. DT_Xtremez_21: I can only comment on what you've told us, and the original 8 months you mentioned was in the same sentence as being referred by QMC it read as though you'd been recommended to see a Chiropractor then. That led me to believe that you'd just sat back waiting for your doctor to move it forward without you pushing it. Remember, the person most interested in your health should be you. DT_Xtremez_15:

You say you can't afford a Chiropractor, round our way a single visit costs roughly £25, some even give a free initial assessment. DT_Xtremez_28:

 

[methane molly]

I'm not taking sides here, but after reading through about second opinions I thought I'd shove my possibly irrelevant twopenneth in.
When I had a problem with treatment offered to me a few years ago, I tried to get second opinion at NHS doctor. They asked for my NHS number, so it became clear to them I was service personnel, the answer came back that I was to see another doctor within the med centre - that was the second opinion.
That's all!
molly

 

[Soon To Leave]

I think you are a couple of years late in answering this old post!