When Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command Bremerton hosted the Honorable Shawn G. Skelly, Performing the Duties of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, for a familiarization visit, August 28, 2024, the first stop in touring the military treatment facility was with the staff who administers the Medical Board department.
Overseeing the extensive workload of the department is April Dinucci, Medical Board department supervisor, physical evaluation board liaison officer and one of approximately 40 civil service staff still aligned under Navy Medicine after the official transition of all administrative and management functions at NHB to the Defense Health Agency was completed in 2022.
Her role is crucial in assisting and guiding servicemembers dealing with serious injury, illness and needing lengthy medical care.
“Our Medical Evaluation Board staff aid all Wounded Warriors in the entirety of all medically related processes. We are the experts that handle the medical administrative nuances of physical and mental health cases from cradle to grave. My staff are here to assist from the onset of Limited Duty until the member transitions from service,” said Dinucci.
Along with collaborating with Navy Wounded Warrior, Dinucci and her Medical Board team also coordinate with the Disability Evaluation System Counsel Program, VA military service coordinators, command deployability coordinators, Navy and Marine fleet forces leadership, branch service headquarters and the Physical Evaluation Board in Washington, DC.
“We’re physical evaluation board liaison officers,” exclaimed Dinucci, who along with being a PEBLO is a disability counselor and subject matter expert in the Disability Evaluation System, Limited Duty and Temporary Disability Retirement program(s).
As the department name suggests, Dinucci and her team handles medical evaluation boards and serve as the main point of contact for questions or concerns regarding case status, findings, benefits, personal - and personnel – inquiries and demands.
“We’re the experts in disability evaluation,” Dinucci said, noting that Navy Wounded Warrior provides expanded coverage for service members on LIMDU or enrolled in DES as well as providing vital non-medical assistance for personal and social needs.
Compiled data helps explain NHB’s Medical Board department demanding workload. For Fiscal Year 2023, the Medical Evaluation Board staff managed 712 LIMDU cases, with an average of 307 open cases each day being actively processed by the Med Board team. Combined with the approximately 250 Disability Evaluation System open cases to determine a servicemembers fitness for duty, that’s nearly 560 open cases being tracked by the Med Board team.
Possibly the most challenging aspect for Dinucci and her team is when providing medical support for those going through the process, as well as coordinating with Navy Wounded Warrior, is dealing with time management and expectations by servicemembers and their families. There are never enough hours in the day.
“When someone is placed in an MEB the expectation may be that their case will conclude in 90 days. The reality is that timelines [can] exceed nine months. This is for the administrative process. Treatment times vary and are impacted by a multitude of factors that often increase the overall timelines even further,” explained Dinucci.
NHB’s Medical Board department routinely organizes assistance and training primarily across the five-state region of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. The department is divided into overlapping responsibilities:
Medical case managers: assist in the medical needs of the member, such as discharge planning, durable medical equipment and specialty services.
“They are the heart of our medical team.” added Dinucci.
Physical Evaluation Board Liaison Officers: advise personnel on their fitness for duty status, explains rights and entitlements and handles documentation in determining if a servicemember in entitled to disability benefits.
“We are the axle in the wheel of the Disability Evaluation System process,” Dinucci said.
Limited duty coordinators: responsible for placing members LIMDU, notifying commands, updating re-evaluations, conducting monthly case reviews.
Fleet Liaisons: manage personnel casualty reports, decedent affairs and command notifications of hospitalizations. They also handle such distinctive needs as helping coordinate a family requiring bedside assistance for a hospitalized Sailor or Marine.
Hon. Skelly was also provided the opportunity to meet-and-greet with Mental Health staff and Urgent Care Clinic personnel during the visit.
Story originally posted on DVIDS:
NMRTC Bremerton Med Board Supervisor recognized during high ranking DoD visit