RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
         AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS

IN THE MATTER OF:      DOCKET NUMBER:  02-00780
            INDEX NUMBER:  110.00
      XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX     COUNSEL:  None

      XXX-XX-XXXX      HEARING DESIRED:  No

___________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

His discharge from the Air Force on 4 Aug 67 be changed to  medical
retirement.

___________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

He has found out that  his  disabling  problem  is  anxiety,  which
started  while  he  was  on  active  duty.   This   condition   was
misdiagnosed  at  the  time  of  his  discharge  as  an  adjustment
disorder.  The misdiagnosis has impacted his whole  life.   He  has
had 27 jobs in 33 years.  He has been  awarded  disability  by  the
Veterans Administration (VA).

The  applicant’s  complete  submission,  with  attachments,  is  at
Exhibit A.

___________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

The relevant facts pertaining to this application are contained  in
the evaluations prepared by the  appropriate  offices  of  the  Air
Force found at Exhibits C and D.

___________________________________________________________________

AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

The BCMR Medical Consultant recommends denial  of  the  applicant’s
request.

The applicant was administratively discharged from  the  Air  Force
for  problems  related  to  anxiety  that  were  determined  to  be
situational in  nature  associated  with  the  stress  of  work  in
military environments, specifically guarding nuclear  missiles  and
then an assignment  to  a  remote  base  away  from  his  wife  and
children.  This assessment  is  supported  in  the  record  by  the
relative lack of medical record entries for anxiety  while  he  was
assigned to  low  stress  supply  duties  while  at  Whiteman  AFB.
Following discharge he worked full  time  and  successfully  raised
four children.  He sustained a back injury on a  job  post  service
and was on disability for a period  of  time.   Over  time  he  has
developed a substantial number  of  non-service  connected  chronic
medical illnesses and experienced ongoing job, financial and family
stressors.  He presented to VA in 1997, was evaluated and initially
rated at 10% for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) that was judged
to be service connected due to the history of anxiety documented in
his service medical record.  Subsequent VA  rating  decisions  have
increased progressively to 100%, and then back to 70% for his GAD.

The preponderance of the evidence leads the BCMR Medical Consultant
to conclude that the applicant’s discharge was neither improper nor
unjust.  By today’s standards, the exact administrative  procedures
and diagnostic evaluations would most certainly have been different
but likely only with the slightly different outcome of a  discharge
with severance pay and not medical retirement.

The complete evaluation is at Exhibit C.

AFPC/DPPD  recommends  denial  of  the  applicant’s  request.    An
examination of the applicant’s medical records shows  that  he  was
treated for various  medical  conditions  throughout  his  military
career; however, none were considered severe or grave enough that a
medical  evaluation  conducted  for  the  purpose  of  his  ongoing
discharge action, which states that he had  problems  adjusting  to
military service, and his  troubles  were  further  complicated  by
marital adjustment and the birth  of  his  second  child.   Medical
records include a physical examination and  medical  history  forms
that  show  he  was  medically  qualified  for  discharge  with  no
disqualifying  physical  profiles.   Although  the  applicant   was
treated for chronic anxiety  with  psychosomatic  complaints  going
back to his period on active duty, it does not appear the condition
was considered unfitting at the time of his involuntary discharge.

The complete evaluation is at Exhibit D.

___________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

In his response to the Air Force evaluations,  applicant  indicates
that his anxiety was not situational.  He indicates that he has not
been able to hold a job since he left the military.  He feels  that
he should have been referred to a Medical Evaluation  Board  before
his discharge.  He was not aware that he had an illness and thought
that his problems were just job related.

The applicant’s complete evaluation is at Exhibit F.

___________________________________________________________________

THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT:

1.  The applicant has exhausted all remedies provided by  existing  law
or regulations.

2.  The application was  not  timely  filed;  however,  it  is  in  the
interest of justice to excuse the failure to timely file.

3.  Insufficient relevant evidence has been  presented  to  demonstrate
the existence of error or injustice.  We took notice of the applicant's
complete submission in judging the merits  of  the  case;  however,  we
agree with the opinions and recommendations of the Air Force offices of
primary responsibility and adopt their rationale as the basis  for  our
conclusion that the applicant has not been the victim of  an  error  or
injustice.  Based on the evidence of record, we believe that the VA  is
providing the applicant  with  the  appropriate  compensation  for  his
service connected disability.  Therefore, in the absence of evidence to
the contrary, we find no compelling basis  to  recommend  granting  the
relief sought in this application.

_______________________________________________________________

THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT:

The  applicant  be  notified  that  the  evidence  presented  did   not
demonstrate the existence of probable material error or injustice; that
the application was denied without a personal appearance; and that  the
application will only be reconsidered  upon  the  submission  of  newly
discovered relevant evidence not considered with this application.

_______________________________________________________________

The following members of the Board considered Docket Number 02-00780 in
Executive Session on 21 August 2002, under the provisions  of  AFI  36-
2603:

      Mr. Lawrence R. Leehy, Panel Chair
      Mr. Mike Novel, Member
      Ms. Marilyn Thomas, Member

The following documentary evidence was considered:

    Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 1 Mar 02, w/atchs.
    Exhibit B.  Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
    Exhibit C.  Memorandum, BCMR Medical Consultant
                Dated 3 Jun 02.
    Exhibit D.  Memorandum, AFPC/DPPD, dated 26 Jun 02.
    Exhibit E.  Letter, SAF/MIBR, dated 3 Jul 02.
    Exhibit F.  Letter, Applicant, dated 16 Jul 02.




                                   LAWRENCE R. LEEHY
                                   Panel Chair