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Discharge for PRT failure . . .
- Thread starter robav8r
- Start date
That would seem to suck…since most Americans never, ever have to take a PRT of any sort…and I doubt are ever queried…
It's plausible, seeing what happens to Vets with anything other than "honorable" in block 24 and colorful phraseology in block 28. The VA's willingness or unwillingness to provide advertised services is sometimes subjective and it seems reasonable to assume the ACA machine, being another colossal bureaucracy, may try to minimize costs/deny services.
It's tough to see what happens to Vets, especially the guys who went downrange, for eternity if they don't have the right stuff there.
It's tough to see what happens to Vets, especially the guys who went downrange, for eternity if they don't have the right stuff there.
I'm hearing that vets being discharged are having their "health" scrutinized very closely and it wouldn't surprise me to learn that Insurance companies are trying to exploit/over-charge for anything they can justify. I also think it's something our Sailors need to know as they continue to ignore their health and physical readiness . . .
True - but most Americans don't have to justify why they were discharged because they couldn't maintain physical readiness standards either.
This is a vicious circle of non-logic:
1. VOLUNTEER to serve your nation in a time of war when no one HAS to do so: That's a good thing.
2. Get discharged for PRT failure…well, now…that's a very bad thing…and it'll cost you.
3. Never do either: You're good to go, and you'll never be asked or tested or questioned…because that would just be so wrong...
What's the message here? It seems to me it's a negative message…and I'm wondering what the "upside" is…except for the ACA insurance companies. They pick up a "free" pre-screen from the military based on very laudable intentions. Doesn't work for me...
Are they going to incur higher health care costs BECAUSE they failed three PRT/BCA cycles (three in a defined period of time), or are they going to incur higher health care costs because of the myriad maladies GENERALLY associated with being overweight and out of shape?
Yes, I know the rope/choke is very unscientific and many Sailors that fail it are in fact not in horrible shape, but if we're speaking in generalities - most of the folks who are failing three BCAs are probably creeping up on hypertension, high cholesterol, pre-diabetic.
Are the alleged high health care costs BECAUSE of the failures or because of side affects of being in the kind of shape that fails. I think there is a big difference.
Non-logic? Yep, like a lot of things in DoD these days. I'm still researching this, but it wouldn't surprise me if it's going on. Combat wounded veterans aside, first tour fat bodies that aren't paying attention to where DoD is going with health care and PRT standards might want to put down the xBox controller for a bit. But, I'll report back on what I learn definitively . . .. .
I'll be interested to learn what you learn…since no one else in this wide-body society we live in has to do/prove/volunteer/take an oath/go through Recruit Training/deploy x several/work in arduous conditions/perform shitty duties or physically test for ANYTHING.
If a post-HS career at Walmart (don't get me wrong…I LIKE Walmart…) is "cheaper from an ACA perspective because you never failed a PRT"…then I am going to become officially pissed off.
I'm going to go work on my "war face". My Gunny said "That doesn't scare me! Work on it…"
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But WHY are only the military affected…which is the (perhaps erroneous) message I'm getting here? If we were going to rope/choke every person applying for ACA..or make them run some sort of mundane fitness test…it would make more sense. The message I can't swallow is that ex-military get singled out…because of "documentation".
Because we're an easy target with official documentation that says we couldn't stay fit. And don't think this isn't happening in other areas of DoD healthcare like PTSD cases and TBI. The military is very good at documenting everything that is "wrong" with its members. Why wouldn't those in society who gain to profit from this not capitalize on it?
You know…and you can call me "old school"…because you'd be EXACTLY correct…but I think that society/congress/legal structures owe something…maybe little things…but SOMETHING…to those who raised their hand at a point in time when:
1. The nation was at war
2. No one HAD to…
I don't know about the whole PTSD/TBI thing…I assume the latter is serious shit and may have long-lasting effects not yet well-understood. I also assume it'll be largely a VA thing for those not retirement eligible. I DO wonder if the PTSD thing is being over-played by many in-theater folks who never actually heard a shot fired in anger…but…I wasn't there.
Here is how discharge for PRT/BCA affects characterization of service.
Here is how characterization of service affects post-military benefits (here is a link to the VA site, but it goes to a word doc).
TL/DNR: If you discharge somebody for PRT failures, and they had sufficient other issues to justify a worse characterization of service, and your command actually pursues that, then you could affect their VA-derived health benefits.
Nothing your command can do will affect their benefits under the ACA.
Here is how characterization of service affects post-military benefits (here is a link to the VA site, but it goes to a word doc).
TL/DNR: If you discharge somebody for PRT failures, and they had sufficient other issues to justify a worse characterization of service, and your command actually pursues that, then you could affect their VA-derived health benefits.
Nothing your command can do will affect their benefits under the ACA.
Totally failed to understand my point.
