My son just returned home from MCRD after a little over 2 years of being a recruit.
Poor kid tried his best to become a Marine and it didn't work out.
Bad deal all around as he wasted his knee during training and has been discharged finally.
At any rate I was told by some friends that he should go talk to someone concerning the deal they gave him (disability, GI bill, money, and benefits in general)
Anyone here have any experience with these matters?
I posted this in Team also but it occurred to me that I may need to see if there is some local experience.
Thanks.

He just needs to walk into this building

http://www2.va.gov/directory/guide/facility.asp?id=244

Go to the American Legion office in there with his discharge paperwork and tell one of the guys his story.

This is good advice. Even though I don't think those guys really get "in trouble" for anything. I was sitting in line down there with only about 5 people and it took me about 3 hours to get seen. The guy processing people was taking a twenty minute smoke break between every person and his supervisor watched him do it. That whole fucking place smells like piss, puke, and fish sticks.

I posted my VA story on here a few times but essentially a VA rep came to my unit and asked me some questions and then told me I HAD to go to the VA, I didn't want to see the rep but we had to see her before we were allowed to leave for the day. I went a few times and had to cancel one appointment because I was on military orders. I called multiple times trying to reschedule with them and they never answered the phones or returned any of my calls. I wasn't looking for anything and I only went because I had to the first time. So I just stopped trying to call them and they NEVER called me back. Not a big deal because like I said I wasn't trying to get anything but it definitely made me think what if I had genuinely needed help? That's our tax dollars hard at work I guess.

I had a scan at the VA a few months ago. A month goes by and I got mailed the results. Thankfully, I'm not an idiot and have a modicum of knowledge when it comes to the subject matter. There was a problem. A big fucking problem. Right there in the report, plain as day.

So being proactive I called up the dept. that ordered the test. I talk to a couple of useful idiots who keep pulling up my record which had become interspersed with notes and appointment from another vet. 40 minutes later the nurse in charge of the unit gets on the phone and tells me I need to speak with the doctor immediately and to please hold. Another 15 minutes go by.

Conversation goes like this, "Well, I wouldn't worry too much just yet. Either our machine needs re-calibration or you have Lymphoma."

So they schedule me for a follow up. Still ain't there yet....

Hopefully my Lymphoma doesn't flare up before then...

First off, I'm assuming he got a Medical Discharge, correct?

I would go to the Means office at the VA Hospital with your DD214 and get in the system/get his VA Card first. then I would go to one of the Veteran's groups like DAV, American Legion, etc at the Regional Office at the link Reservist posted above and file for VA comp (if he files with in one year of him getting out they back date it from the time he got out). Right now the VA is taking about a year to make simple C&P rulings. My last two took almost a year each..

If he got out on a General Discharge then I would go to one of the Veteran's Groups and see what they can do to get him help..

Ok... if his knee is what he was med boarded for then the VA will cover any meds and doctor visits for it free of charge. He just needs to go get his VA Card at the hospital and then ask them who he needs to talk to to get in to see a Primamry Care Doc and he can go through the PC to get care for his knee, even operations if it needs to go that direction...

My dad was in the military for 26 years (8 Navy, 18 Air Force). After he retired he went to work for the VA hospital in Phoenix (for 14 years). He always said never take him to the VA hospital for any medical issues.

I have a good friend that I shoot with who is an MD & Pharmacist....kind of a rare bird. One of the smartest guys I know. He says that if you need anything major done...like surgery...forget it. The MDs are at the VA for a reason. They are un-insurable. They got sued. They are too new to get a job anyplace else. They are elderly and cannot physically perform the work anymore so they 'teach' the new guys...standards of care from 1969. They are good for tests, scans, and prescriptions.

Even then you have to watch your scripts like a hawk. I had a PA in Mesa tell me I was borderline diabetic. Well, dickhead...you see that med in my chart? Yeah, that's a hyperglycemic agent. Why don't we DC that for a bit and re-test, AND then weigh out the risk : benefit? "Huh, good catch."

L - if you can get the kid on private insurance and can swing the deductibles and co-pays, I would go that route. He's young and Ortho is serious business with lifelong lasting ramifications.

You are sadly mistaken here. The Prescott VA doesn't handle that many cases, as it is a smaller hospital compared to most. My knee surgery has to be done by a local orthopedic surgeon. With that said, it is one of the best VA's I've ever been to as far as care and medical attention.

ETA: You have to be assigned to a primary care team that is related to your HOR. You can't request a different clinic simply because of word of mouth or personal preference because VA won't authorize travel pay. I volunteer as a claims advocate and have a decent amount of knowledge on the VA process. The claims process has changed in the past year, so it's not as bad as what others have experienced. The wait is still bad but you can't expect miracles with the amount of claims going in.

Actually i have been well treated by the VA over the years. My partner actually got a med discharge for an injury and collects 3k per month the rest of her life. Follow the advice of others, join AMVETS, or the American Legion and get theit counselor, they actually have them in the hospitals. The Tlucson VA is actually pretty darn good about this..

VFW all the way. If in Tucson, Bill Chagnon is an excellent guy to work with. He showed me the ropes before I moved up North. To his, his own but it's ideal to have one of these services guide you through the process as they are legal representatives that can file, support, and appeal, to ensure your claim is successful. Again, with that said, you have to ensure you have the proper medical documentation to prove there is something to submit upon. You can transfer civilian records to VA but you have to have your primary care team receive a copy before you submit.

Walking into the V.A. by yourself (without a VSO in your corner) is kind of like trusting a 5 second fuse on a grenade. YEAH, you may be the lucky bastard who got all 5 seconds, but most likely get used to being called "LEFTY" for the rest of your life. My dental work was done by one of the finest men in the field here in Phoenix, Dr. Salustio, look him up, all paid for by the V.A. My regular shots to the eye (needle into the eyeball) is done by Dr. Alam, one of the finest MD eye doctors in the Valley, at Barnett Delaney, courtesy of the V.A., and I have had 30+ shots so far and will do so for the rest of my life. I have been to the Tuscon V.A. twice for Blind Rehab, and those folks walk on water! My shrink is great, my cardio doc is great, and my primary is great, but she is an anti-drinker, so I get a tee-total lecture every time I see her. I see the folks in Derm once a year for my regular skin cancer check ups, (always seem to find a spot or two, get them frozen, and out the door), ortho has done me right every time Ive seen them, and my Carpal Tunnel surgery went off without a hitch!

Care is always improving, and I have met some very dedicated folks there. But the bureaucracy can be a pain in the ass. That is why is is smarter to have an advocate in your corner.

OP did you get the assistance you need?