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officer and enlisted personnel of the Regular
Navy and Naval Reserve are equally entitled to
disability retirement;
eligibility for disability retirement is based on a
combination of degree of disability and years of
service; and
under certain conditions personnel may be
separated with severance pay rather than be
retired for physical disability.
The basic purpose of the law is to provide a means
of separating from active service those personnel who
are physically unfit for further duty. One of the key
provisions is that no member maybe separated or retired
for physical disability without an opportunity of a full
and fair hearing if the member so desires.
Conditions that must be met for placement on the
TDRL are contained in the Disability Evaluation
Manual, SECNAVINST 1850.4.
DISPOSITION.— Pending findings of a physical
evaluation board (PEB), an enlisted person may be
ordered home (if not outside the continental United
States [CONUS]) in a home-awaiting-orders status until
such time as SECNAV determines final disposition of
the disability. During this process, enlisted members are
ordered home by their COs. Officers, however, may be
ordered home only by CHNAVPERS while awaiting
SECNAV disposition.
It is not mandatory that a member be placed in an
awaiting-orders status as, under certain conditions, it
might be expedient and proper to retain the member
while waiting for final action. Final action on PEB
proceedings that involve retirement is normally
completed within 30 days after the hearing is completed.
When a member has been in an awaiting-orders status
for 60 days and either retirement orders or other
directives from CHNAVPERS have not been received,
the CO of the member concerned should request
information from CHNAVPERS as to the current status
of the case. The member concerned should be cautioned
to request advice from the activity holding his or her
records when no word is received within the 60-day
period.
The records and accounts of personnel who have
been placed in an awaiting-orders status should be
retained by the responsible activity until final action has
been taken and disposition is directed by CHNAVPERS.
You may have occasion to process a person who is being
ordered home in an awaiting-orders status. Before the
person departs, be sure you complete all portions of the
separation processing that require the member’s
presence. This is necessary in the event SECNAV
subsequently directs separation or retirement of the
member, as it will prevent the necessity of the individual
returning to his or her command for final processing.
The final step can then be accomplished through the
mail. Once disability retirement is approved,
CHNAVPERS issues orders placing the member on the
appropriate retired temporary or permanent list.
TEMPORARY DISABILITY RETIRED
LIST.— The TDRL is in the nature of a pending list for
all members who, through due process of medical
procedures, have been found unfit to perform the duties
of their office, grade, rank or rating and who, according
to accepted medical principles, may be permanently
disabled. In this sense the list provides a safeguard in the
best interests of the government against permanently
retiring a member who may subsequently recover fully,
or nearly so, from the disability that originally caused
the person to be placed on this list. Also, the list provides
a safeguard in the best interests of the member from
being permanently retired with a condition that may
develop into a more serious disability that is permanent.
CHNAVPERS will issue orders to a member on the
TDRL to appear at a medical activity for periodic
physical examinations. The medical activity at which a
periodic physical examination is to be conducted is
designated in each case by the Chief, Bureau of
Medicine and Surgery and is the activity nearest the
residence of the member concerned with proper
Facilities for conducting (he examination. Upon
completion of the medical examination, the CO of the
examining activity is requested to forward the medical
record and a summary of the findings of the medical
board in the case, with special reference to the physical
condition for which the member was retired, to the
Physical Review Council, Navy Department,
Washington, DC.
PAPER WORK INVOLVED WITH
OFFICER SEPARATION
Processing an officer for separation involves a vast
amount of paper work and certain procedures must be
accomplished. To help you to accomplish and complete
the smooth separation of officers, the Personnel and
Administration Assistance Team, Atlantic developed the
Officer’s Separation Procedure Sheet/Checklist. This is
a step-by-step procedure of actions required before and
after separation and also contains the references
pertaining to the different actions. If properly used, this
procedure sheet/checklist can be a valuable tool in the
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