DOD board to reassess service disability ratings Published March 3, 2010 By Master Sgt. Russell P. Petcoff Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Recommendations from a congressionally directed Department of Defense Physical Disability Board of Review resulted in 61 percent of applicants having their status changed from a medical separation to retirement on the permanent disability list, said Michael LoGrande, president of the PDBR. PDBR members reassessed the accuracy and fairness of the combined disability rating assigned to service members who were separated as unfit for duty due to a medical condition with a disability rating of 20 percent or less and weren't eligible for retirement. The review only considered service members separated from the Armed Forces between Sept. 11, 2001 and Dec. 31, 2009. The PDBR came about as part of the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act which standardized the Disability Evaluation System among the services by mandating the use of the Veterans Administration's Schedule of Rating Disability, Mr. LoGrande said. "The Department of Defense has identified approximately 77,000 veterans who meet the eligibility criteria to apply to the PDBR," Mr. LoGrande said. This review is open to eligible veterans of the DOD, Guard and Reserve and Coast Guard, according to Mr. LoGrande. The request for review may come from the veteran, surviving spouse, next of kin or legal guardian. Once the PDBR members review a case and make a recommendation, each service secretary, or designee, will decide whether or not to accept the board's recommendation. Veterans cannot appeal a decision made as a result of the PDBR process. Eligible veterans can request a PDBR by submitting a Department of Defense Form 294, Application for Review of Physical Disability Separation from the Armed Forces of the United States. People can find the DD Form 294 at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/infomgt/forms/eforms/dd0294.pdf Veterans requesting a PDBR must mail their completed and signed DD Form 294 to SAF/MRBR, 550 C St. W., Suite 41, Randolph Air Force Base, TX 78150-4743. Applicants may submit statements, briefs, medical records or affidavits supporting their application, Mr. LoGrande said. In addressing their involuntary separation, veterans need to consider whether to go with the PDBR or opt to apply to their respective Board of Correction for Military Records, according to Mr. LoGrande. "This is a very important point, and PDBR-eligible veterans should understand there are several differences between the scope and the consequences of the two reviews," Mr. LoGrande said. The DD Form 294 contains a table outlining the differences and outcomes of the two review processes. "The choice is important and highly dependent upon the facts and circumstances of a veteran's case," Mr. LoGrande said. "The applicant should weigh all of the factors and make a choice only after careful consideration."