Released 4/30/24 | Tags:
For more than 15 years the Navy Physical Evaluation Board (PEB) unlawfully denied military medical retirement benefits to thousands of Navy and Marine Corps veterans by refusing to treat Category II conditions as unfitting by assigning them a disability rating. This policy unjustly deprived those veterans of critical military medical retirement benefits,The National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) and pro bono counsel at Dechert LLP filed the class action lawsuit Springs v. Del Toro against the Navy in United States District Court for the District of Columbia to seek relief for those veterans medically separated between November 10, 2014 and June 27, 2019 with at least one unrated Category II condition. On March 23, 2024, the Court entered a landmark order, requiring the Navy to treat Category II decisions as unfitting by providing disability ratings to all Navy and Marine Corp veterans medically separated between November 10, 2014 and June 27, 2019 with at least one unrated Category II condition. NVLSP has prepared frequently asked questions (FAQs) to provide guidance for Navy and Marine Corps veterans who may need guidance to determine if they were denied medical retirement as a result of the lack of a rating for an unfitting contributing condition. NVLSP encourages veterans to email LSW.ClassAction@nvlsp.org to learn more about this case.