How Non-Compliance Harms PEB Cases

 

I recently turned down a case involving a superb performer with an autoimmune disorder that did not appear to significantly impact him in the performance of his assigned duties.  Here’s why- while he was seeking to be found fit and had developed solid medical and nonmedical evidence to achieve that goal, he came up short on the IPEB level because of a documented history of taking himself off prescribed medications due to significant side effects but not passing this info on to his providers until weeks later.  As a result, the IPEB members did not wish to find him fit and his efforts to downplay his symptoms to show how fit he was resulted in a low rating being assigned by the VA- one too low to result in a retirement if he was found Unfit.  And that is exactly what happened. While his command supported retaining him on active duty and his providers felt that he could be well-managed, his previous non-compliance made an adverse outcome at a formal PEB a foregone conclusion.  Key lesson- if you wish to discontinue your medication regimen or change it, always clear such actions with your providers. If you do not, it will be most certainly used against you in the PEB process.