[jss]

Joker,

What a terrible health story accompanied by an equally terrible professional situation.

Am I correct in interpreting your post to say that you believe you are symptom free from your previous cervical problems and now all of your symptoms are from the new problem at C6/7? I'm trying to recall a solitary good outcome of a spine problem where the Army or the VA were involved... and I can't. Anyone? I sincerely hope you have or create non VA related options to deal with your spine issues. As you are separating from the Army, you are no longer tied to the very restrictive medical options that exist there. There are many world renowned spine surgeons in the US that may now be available to you.

(BTW: I've seen a lot of xrays of mal-placed ProDisc-C's, and yours, in my non-medical opinion, is as bad as any I've seen)

I have a number of family members that have served in the US Army, and my oldest is currently on track to retire with the Army; barring encountering anything like you've experienced. With his MOS, he can move into some of the other branches of the government; and they do in fact prefer veterans with his MOS for a great many positions. Can you gain civilian employment in another government position? My understanding is that your fourteen years of military service will count towards the twenty that you need for a government retirement.

Please keep us posted. Good luck, Jeff