Quote Originally Posted by Flatline View Post
Off post referral, that will never happen.
Been down this road- I had a herniated C5/6 disc that happened in Afghanistan (but wasn't symptomatic until 3 months after we redeployed)... pinched the damn nerve root and caused pain and paresthesia down my entire right arm (PT=No go). I talked to my primary care provider (A CPT) and she was able to get me a referral to an off-post neurosurgeon to determine if surgery was needed or not (it was). So just make sure you keep and document everything! Every sick call slip, request copies of any paper work the medical team takes down, save it all... Yes you could be entitled to VA benefits, just save everything so you can give it to the VA, but it's entirely possible to get outside of the army help, you just have to ask and work through the system, it's a PITA but it's not impossible. How much longer do you have left on your tour? Unless you're really screwed up there isn't a whole lot they can do for your in country, you might have to profile ranger it until you redeploy.
Good luck!