Before the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) process existed, how long would the average medical evaluation board (MEB) take from case initiation to Veteran's Administration (VA) rating?

• A. 5 years
• B. 4 years
• C. 2 years
• D. 3 years

Answer: (D)

Before IDES, the path from starting the medical evaluation to getting a VA disability rating was a long, sequential journey. DoD handled the medical evaluation and decision about fitness for duty, and then VA handled the disability rating after separate documentation and reviews. Each step carried its own paperwork, exams, and backlogs, so cases could drift through administrative delays before a rating was issued. Because these steps weren’t tightly coordinated, the average time from case initiation to a VA rating tended to run to several years. In practice, it was about three years on average, reflecting the extended time required to complete medical evaluations, board actions, and VA processing in a non-integrated system.