RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: A retrospective review of Medical Evaluation Board (MEB) data to determine the effect of career field or Army component on the relative risk for mental health (MH) related MEBs among Army Officers, may identify specific populations for enhanced screening before accession, or groups that may require targeted preventive resources during their careers. METHOD: 4 years' of data available on Army Officers from the Department of the Army's Electronic Disability Evaluation System database, contained specific information on the officers' physical profiles, career fields, and service component. This information was compared with a dataset provided by the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), reporting documented force strength by career field and service component for the corresponding years, allowing for calculation and comparison of MEB and MH-MEB rates between Army components and between career fields. RESULTS: Significant differences in MEB and MH-MEB rates were found between Army components, but database gaps make this assessment uncertain. When comparing MEB and MH-MEB rates between career fields (regardless of service component), 9 career fields had statistically significant higher risk rates of MEB and/or MH-MEB, whereas 13 career fields showed significantly lower rates of MEB and/or MH-MEB. CONCLUSION: Frequency of Army Officer MEBs and/or MH-MEBs were variable and career field dependent; the underlying causes of these variations warrant further research. The use of the Electronic Disability Evaluation System database for the Integrated Disability Evaluation System process is a rich source of data for in-depth analysis, but the program itself and the procedures for its use need to be improved to obtain more complete information.
