How do MEB and PEB differ in the disability evaluation pathway?

How do MEB and PEB differ in the disability evaluation pathway?

• A. The MEB determines if medical conditions may prevent continued duty; the PEB reviews the MEB findings to determine fitness for duty and assigns a disability rating if applicable.
• B. The MEB determines fitness for duty, and the PEB handles only administrative tasks.
• C. The MEB and PEB operate independently with no interaction.
• D. The MEB directly assigns final disability ratings without PEB involvement.

Answer: (C)

Understanding how the medical evaluation flow works is key. The Medical Evaluation Board looks at a service member’s medical condition to determine whether it might prevent continued active duty. If there’s potential for unfitness, the case moves to the Physical Evaluation Board, which reviews the medical findings and makes the official decision on fitness for duty. If found unfit, the PEB then assigns a disability rating that affects retirement or separation benefits. In short, the MEB gathers and evaluates the medical data; the PEB uses that information to decide on duty status and, if applicable, assign the disability rating. They are not independent steps; the PEB relies on the MEB findings to make the formal determination.

Understanding how the medical evaluation flow works is key. The Medical Evaluation Board looks at a service member’s medical condition to determine whether it might prevent continued active duty. If there’s potential for unfitness, the case moves to the Physical Evaluation Board, which reviews the medical findings and makes the official decision on fitness for duty. If found unfit, the PEB then assigns a disability rating that affects retirement or separation benefits. In short, the MEB gathers and evaluates the medical data; the PEB uses that information to decide on duty status and, if applicable, assign the disability rating. They are not independent steps; the PEB relies on the MEB findings to make the formal determination.