Complaints for Physical Disability Board of Review

According to Military.com, some veterans are complaining that the newly created "Physical Disability Board of Review" (PDBR) is not fully addressing the problems it was created to correct.

In 2008, Congress directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish the Board to ensure that military members separated post-9/11 were awarded the correct disability ratings. All too often, it seems, Medical Evaluation and Physical Evaluation Boards were dismissing health complaints by servicemembers who were exiting the military. In doing so, military personnel were given a certain rating upon discharge. Later, the veteran's disability rating would often increase, however, they were not entitled to certain benefits that would have been bestowed upon them had they been rated correctly prior to discharge.

The PDBR was created to correct this problem, however veterans advocates have identified problems with the process the PDBR is using to evaluate claims. It is alleged that the Board is failing to evaluate every medical claim presented by veterans prior to discharge. The Board also revised their procedures when it was discovered that there was a discrepancy between the VA and pre-discharge boards in the schedule for rating disabilities.

Read more about the problems with the Physical Disability Board of Review at Military.com, and if you have questions related to service disability ratings, contact LaVan and Neidenberg, a veterans disability rights law firm.