What is a PEBLO and How Can They Help You?

A Physical Evaluation Board Liaison Officer, commonly referred to as a PEBLO or PEB Liaison Officer, serves as part of the Integrated Disabilities Evaluation System (IDES), which determines a Service Member’s fitness or unfitness for duty. Your PEBLO will help guide you through several crucial parts of the IDES, which typically takes around 100 days in total, although this process can be longer or shorter depending on your individual circumstances.

So, what exactly does your PEBLO do, and crucially, what don’t they do? And what can you do to prepare yourself for the best outcomes when dealing with your PEBLO and going through the Integrated Disability Evaluation System? In this article, we’ll tell you what you need to know to make wise decisions while interacting with your PEBLO and throughout the entire IDES process.

Your PEBLO is Your Guide Through the IDES

Your Physical Evaluation Board Liaison Officer is effectively your guide through the IDES process. Upon being referred to the Medical Evaluation Board (MEB), you’ll be assigned a PEBLO. Your PEB Liaison Officer will be your primary point of contact between you, your commander, and the MEB and Physical Evaluation Board (PEB).

The Integrated Disability Evaluation System works hand-in-hand with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Your PEBLO has a counterpart within the VA, a Military Service Coordinator (MSC), who will be your point of contact with the VA as you proceed with the IDES process. Your PEBLO will provide the MSC with your health treatment records and the VA Claim Form 21-0819, which lists the disability or disabilities that should be assessed for your disability rating.

Your MSC can help you complete VA Form 21-0819, submit your disability claim, and schedule physical exams to assess the condition or conditions you’re claiming a disability for. Depending on the type of disability or disabilities you’re claiming, the MSC might schedule several exams with specialists.

While your PEBLO is responsible for relaying the information and documents necessary for your MEB Report and does a significant amount of this work, it’s ultimately your responsibility to ensure your PEBLO has all the necessary documents and evidence they need. Therefore, it’s important you review all claims, such as a disability or disabilities listed on VA Form 21-0819 before they’re submitted.

Throughout the IDES process, your PEB Liaison Officer should keep you and your commander posted on the status of your claim. When your MEB decision comes through, your PEBLO will review it with you and your family, and they’ll be able to answer many of your questions about it. They’ll do the same following the PEB decision. Your PEBLO may even be able to provide counsel for next steps depending on the PEB’s decision; however, there are limits to what your PEB Liaison Officer understands and can do for you.

What a PEBLO Can’t Help You With

There are limits to the ways your PEBLO can help you. For starters, they’re not a lawyer and they’re not necessarily your advocate; your PEBLO is simply someone who communicates between you, your commander, and individuals involved with the MEB and PEB. And while PEBLOs almost always have Service Members’ best interest in mind, that doesn’t mean they’re capable of taking actions that will get results.

Secondly, your PEBLO isn’t always there for you. They’re incredibly busy with many claims like yours, and oftentimes may not be able to get back to you for extended periods of time.

PEBLO’s aren’t fact-checkers, either. While they do relay information between parties, it’s not their job to verify the accuracy of the information that’s being portrayed in those documents. That’s why it’s essential you—ideally with the help of a civilian attorney—review the documents and ratings from the VA being considered in your MEB and PEB.

Finally, your PEBLO, like almost everyone else involved with the IDES process, is an expert in one highly specialized area. Just as the MSC has subject-matter expertise in one area on the VA side of things, your PEBLO similarly has a limited area of expertise. Therefore, it’s important you understand their limitations, and that they’re not an authority on the entire IDES system.

It can’t be understated how important it is for Service Members to take initiative when communicating with their PEBLO and reviewing their claim documents. Enlisting the help of a civilian attorney can make this process significantly less stressful. 

Why Hire a Civilian Attorney Instead of a JAG or MEB Counsel?

If you’re going through the IDES process, there are likely two types of counsel available to you for free: Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) and MEB Counsel. Both types of counsel are highly knowledgeable in matters surrounding the IDES, and can be incredibly beneficial. However, they too have a limited ability to help you due to their intense caseloads and time restraints. Undoubtedly skilled as they are, JAGs and MEB Counselors simply can’t devote the time and attention to a single case the way a civilian attorney like Michael D.J. Eisenberg can.

Civilian attorneys like Michael D.J. Eisenberg can devote the time and personal attention necessary to understand the nuance of your situation, helping you to raise necessary issues and concerns at the appropriate times. A civilian attorney can also help you draft authoritative and concise rebuttals in response to MEB and PEB ratings. If a Formal PEB is necessary, a civilian attorney will be able to prepare you for and during the hearing, improving your chances of receiving the correct rating.

Keep in mind, it’s critical you enlist help as early as possible to obtain the best results. If you wait until your FPEB to hire a civilian attorney and raise the necessary issues regarding your disability rating, it might be too late. If you haven’t been prepared, or haven’t advocated for yourself before that point, the FPEB might be unable or unwilling to act on a "new" claim that has not been properly vetted in the MEB process earlier. This will almost certainly make a positive outcome more difficult to obtain. 

Michael D.J. Eisenberg Will Advocate For You

Remember that your PEBLO, your MSC, your Commander and everyone else does not understand your symptoms as well as you. Because of this, nobody but you or your lawyer can advocate effectively for the appropriate rights and benefits.

The IDES and PEB processes are exceedingly complex systems, and are difficult to navigate. Again, even your PEBLO whose job revolves around the IDES only has authoritative knowledge in their limited domain. Hiring a civilian attorney to examine the whole picture can give you confidence as you claim a disability. 

Finally, consider what’s at stake: without assistance, you leave yourself exposed to many potentially negative outcomes, which could affect not only you and your opportunities for the rest of your life, but your family too. If you’re entering the Integrated Disability Evaluation System from any branch of the Armed Forces, don’t just wait to see how things shake out: contact The Law Office of Michael D.J. Eisenberg today.

Michael D.J. Eisenberg is a skilled civilian attorney and counselor at law who will present your case with the professionalism, dedication, and persistence that can produce results. He will keep you informed every step of the way as your case progresses, helping you to understand the legal requirements of each part of your case, and how each decision could impact your outcome. 

Note: Consultations for Veterans’ Benefits Appeals Matters are free; however, consultations for Military Records Issues and Medical/Physical Evaluation Boards are paid.