Possible Medical Discharge

[jpowers47]

So today I was alerted to the presence of antibodies for a particular virus. Prior to enlistment, I had never popped positive for this particular virus, and I have been donating blood for years. The Navy was informed of the antibodies by the Red Cross from a test performed on my last donation. I am currently waiting to find out more information on my status with this infection, or if I am infected, but there is a possibility that I could be medically discharged. This is extremely upsetting for me because I have enjoyed my time in service, and I am looking forward to where it will take me in the next years to come.

I have been in for just under a year, and I would have had to picked up this virus while I've been in. How I was infected, I'm not necessarily sure, outside of letting a shipmate borrow my razor before inspections. I can't think of any other possibility.

What should I do next, in regards to VA benefits, or how to even handle my discharge. I'm pretty limited in separation knowledge, because I planned on going career, and had never even though about it until now. Any and all advice would be extremely helpful to me, and would be much appreciated.


Thank you for your time.

Connecticut

[DRTDEVL]

A lot will depend on what the virus is...

[ecmst12]

I think Hep C is a much more likely possibility anyway. Either way, it could have been contracted prior to enlistment and just went undetected for a while. It will be hard to prove either way.

[IrishLady47]

This website should help you - [url=http://www.donhq.navy.mil/corb/peb/pebmainpage1.htm]PEB[/url].

It will make a difference as far as benefits if your condition is considered EPTS or not.

[jpowers47]

Thank you for your replies!

I'll update this thread as I find out more based on what happens.

[jpowers47]

First, thanks to all of those who've replied.

Originally Posted by jpowers47

I think Hep C is a much more likely possibility anyway. Either way, it could have been contracted prior to enlistment and just went undetected for a while. It will be hard to prove either way.

This was the diagnoses. The Red Cross reported antibodies for it. I'm currently awaiting results from the blood-work I had done at the clinic to determine if the virus is active. Aside from that, I'd been tested for everything at boot, and I have been a steady blood donor prior to enlistment, and to the most current donation had never had reports of a problem. Until the last donation, I had never received word of any problems with the purity of my blood. I couldn't imagine that it had went undetected this long, compared to how many times I've been tested since I have been in service.