u/DwightDEisenhowitzer

Medically retired after 10.5 years, so everything kinda moved fast. Here’s some pointers that I found. And yes, I grew a full beard. It’s nice.

- Go to TAP as soon as you think that you’re maybe getting out. You can go quite a bit of time before your DOS and it is 3+ days of civilian clothes and sleeping in a bit. Pay attention, and you can go more than once. The VA day in particular has a lot of info and many people go twice just for that. On that note,

- Get your VA stuff ready. You can do a benefits delivery at discharge (BDD) claim and you can start the process 6 months from separation. The main difference between this route and the MEB route is that with an MEB you have a representative assigned from the VA themselves walking you through the claim process. With BDD, you can find a service rep on your own for the same treatment (and there’s ones near or even on your base. Fun fact, Keesler’s DAV rep is in the Sablich). For a timeline reference my post MEB VA claim was opened June 4 and finalized July 23.

- Get your money in order. Remember how your pay was wonky when you first joined? It’ll be wonky again when you first get out. Remember that you cannot have a VA rating on active duty, so your claim will be reopened and pushed through the day you separate. Make sure you give the VA your DD214 to keep things on track. From the retirement front, DFAS set up my retired account in 3 weeks and I’m told that’s lightning speed. Don’t count on it. If you MEB retire, your first retirement check will be prorated. Do NOT count on any entitlements to pay on time.

THE VA PAYS IN ARREARS (same as military pay) AND THEY DO NOT PAY PARTIAL MONTHS. Meaning if your first day as a civilian (day after DOS) is the 1st or later - you will not get VA pay the first of the next month even if your claim is approved. Say you get out on the 1st of August and your VA claim is effective August 2. You will get your first VA pay on October 1 for the month of September.

- Your final check is subject to audit. My DOS was 3 June and I was paid on 1 June normally for the second half of May. I finally received my final check for 1-3 June on the 20th of July. Your LES for your final check will initially show a payment of 0.00. This is normal. Once the audit finishes you’ll see on myPay what your final paycheck is. If it doesn’t come within 3 duty days of that point call finance.

- Pay attention when filling out TMO paperwork and know your entitlements. TAP will have a brief from TMO to tell you this. Pay attention on how to submit your final voucher (it’s paper) and make sure you send it to the right place. Once it’s approved, it takes 3 weeks or so to pay out. Again, if you’re delayed contact finance. As you can see finance can make or break your final entitlement timeline.

- If you’re at least 20% disabled, you can apply for VRE. The higher your rating the more likely you are to get approved, and if you get out due to MEB you are automatically entitled to it. VRE is a training program to help you switch careers (it will pay for college tuition) and it does NOT burn your GI bill. Keep in mind it’s an employment program first and a college program second. You should have a career path somewhat put together to present to the counselor. Example, if you’re an AD nurse they may hesitate to approve training for CRNA but they’re much more likely to approve a program that trains you for a non-medical field.

- Have a plan and execute it. Have fallback plans but once you set a plan in motion try to stick to it. Always have something to work on, even if it isn’t work. For me, since school doesn’t start until next month my big goals were to get set up with the VA, get accepted to school, and activate VRE. I’ve accomplished that so for the next month I can just dilly dally.

I’m still scrubbing them in but even after 25 miles these things grip like a fucking corporate handshake. I don’t ever remember getting this feeling from the OEM tires. The OEMs were not BAD, but these grip and stick like no one’s business.

I’ll keep yall updated on my little experiment because I see this topic come up a lot between people saying the S22s are trash and people saying the retail and OEM tires are different and to give them a second chance.

S22 OEM rear lasted 2,100 miles before center tread hit the wear bar (I bought it in MS and on the coast there’s not many curves).

If this S22 lasts a decent bit longer I’m sticking with them. If the gains are minimal I’m switching to road 6.

For what it’s worth the tread on the retail seems deeper and supposedly it’s dual compound center vs the OEM single.

I’ve got a fair bit of experience riding. Currently I have a Kawasaki Z125 and a Yamaha MT10. Really I’m just looking for something that I can just zone out and cruise on.

I’m looking at keeping both current bikes as well.

I hope yall get the news you want today. And if you don’t make it, please don’t beat yourself up over it.

On Wednesday, I’ll depart Keesler for effectively the final time. What I’ll have to show afterwards for my service (besides a broken down body) will be some ribbons, TSgt insignia, old uniforms and a flag in a shadowbox. If nothing else - there’s only two pieces of advice I’d give to someone else who’s still in.

1 - Focus on what matters. I’ve never won monthly/quarterly/etc awards and that’s not what I’m dwelling on. What I will remember is the men and women of the Air Force that I met along the way. I won’t remember any of my awards (unless the retirement MSM I put myself in for shits and giggles just to see if they approve it gets approved). I’ll instead remember the friends I made and the thanks I got from Airmen of all ranks for helping them or guiding them out of a sticky situation. Those Airmen are what kept me going when my own mental and physical health were telling me to stop.

2 - Fucking take care of yourself. Take your leave if you need it. Go to medical when something isn’t right. Jokes about medical aside we have arguably the best health insurance the United States has. Fucking use it if something isn’t right. Two reasons - 1 - you deserve to feel your best! And 2 - when it comes time to tell the VA what doesn’t work right anymore they’re gonna want records. Some of the same people who harass you for making medical appointments will be the same people crying that they’re getting fucked by the VA when their service connection comes back as 10% or less.