Temporary Disability Retired List (TDRL)

If you’re a servicemember who gets sick or injured during active duty, you may be considered unfit for duty and qualify for military disability, also known as DoD disability or medical retirement. While determining your fitness for duty, you may be placed on the Temporary Disability Retired List (TDRL). 

What is the Temporary Disability Retired List (TDRL)?

So, let’s take a more detailed look at the TDRL. It’s part of the Disability Evaluation System (DES) that the Department of Defense (DoD) uses to medically review service members who suffered injuries or illnesses during service.

The Temporary Disability Retired List is meant for service members whose medical conditions are serious enough to make them unfit for duty but are also not considered stable, the idea being that the condition could improve. This differs from the Permanent Disability Retired List (PDRL), which is for those with a condition that won’t get better and has stabilized, where the service member is unfit for duty. 

While on the TDRL, you’re still considered medically retired, and you receive monthly disability retired pay and retain access to TRICARE and other military benefits.

How Do You Get Placed on the TDRL?

Getting on the TDRL is a bit of a process. It is heavily based on how severe the military’s medical evaluators deem your condition. The process is as follows:

1. You go through the Medical Evaluation Board (MEB) and Physical Evaluation Board (PEB) process.
2. The evaluations found you to be unfit for continued medical service. 
3. The boards give you a disability rating of at least 30%.
4. Your condition is believed to be unstable, meaning it may worsen or improve in the near future. 

If this is how the process goes for you, the PEB will recommend that you be placed on the TDRL. 

Note: If placed on the TDRL or the PDRL, you’re considered retired military. 

How Long Can You Stay on TDRL?

Since the TDRL is temporary, the length of time you can remain on it is limited. Anyone admitted to the list can be on it for up to 3 years.

While on the list, you’re not just sitting and waiting; you’ll also be required to undergo re-evaluations every 18 months. If your condition requires earlier evaluation, it may be before 18 months. 

Note: If you fail to attend an evaluation, you may lose your retired pay.

TDRL Re-Evaluation Process

When undergoing re-evaluation every 18 months (or as scheduled), the military will conduct a medical exam. Its purpose is to see if the condition has changed. Following that evaluation, you will be reassessed to determine whether you are still unfit for duty. If your condition has worsened, your disability rating may be recalculated. 

After your re-evaluation, the military may:

• Return you to active duty (if your condition improved enough).
• Permanently medically retire you by placing you on the Permanent Disability Retired List (PDRL).
• Separate you from the military with or without severance pay (if your condition is no longer severe enough).

Example: If you’re recovering from a spinal injury that limits movement, but doctors expect improvement with surgery or therapy, the PEB might place you on the TDRL. After a year, if you’ve recovered well enough to return to duty, you may be reinstated. If your condition worsens or stays the same, you may move to the PDRL.

Retirement Pay Breakdown on the TDRL

While on TDRL, you receive disability retirement pay calculated in one of two ways:

1. Percentage Method (Method A): Your base pay is multiplied by your disability rating (minimum 50% while on TDRL).
2. Years of Service Method (Method B): Your base pay is multiplied by 2.5% times your years of service.

The military will give you the calculation with the highest payment possible.

Example: Say you’re an E-6 with 11 years of active service, and you suffer a medical condition linked to your service. After your evaluation, you have a disability rating of 70%.

1. Method A: $4,585.20 [Base Pay] x .70 [disability rating = 70%] = $3,209.64 per month
2. Method B: $4,585.20 [Base Pay] x .025 [2.5%] x 11 = $1,260.93 per month.

In this situation, the military would pay you through the Method A procedure.

What Happens After TDRL?

After your maximum of 3 years on the TDRL (or sooner if your condition stabilizes), the PEB will make a final decision:

• If your condition is stable and rated 30% or more, you’ll move to the PDRL.
• If your condition improves and you’re no longer unfit, you may return to service.
• If your rating falls below 30% and you’re still unfit, you may be medically separated with severance pay.

Severance Pay

If, after your evaluations, you’re still considered unfit to serve, but you haven’t served 20 years of active service or your rating is set below 30%, you will be separated with severance pay. 

The military figures your severance pay by taking the number of years you’ve served, multiplying it by 2, and then multiplying it by your monthly base pay at the moment you’re removed from the TDRL. 

Example (Let’s stay with the example above, just tweaking the disability rating): You’re an E-6 with 11 years of service and suffer a medical condition linked to your service, and your time on the TDRL ends with a rating of 20%. When paid a severance, it will be figured the following way:

11 [years of service] x 2 [multiplier] x $4,585.20 [Base Pay] = $100,874.40 in severance pay

Important Note: If you receive a severance payout and apply for VA disability, you may have to pay the severance pay back.

So, if you choose to go the severance pay route, you may want to consider what other benefits options you have waiting in your post-military career as someone living with a disability. 

Final Thoughts

Being placed on the TDRL means the military recognizes your medical condition and is giving you time to heal or improve. It offers pay, benefits, and an opportunity to return to duty if possible. Stay on top of your medical evaluations and keep good records. If you need help navigating the system, contact a PEBLO, your branch’s legal office, or a Veterans Service Organization (VSO).

You’re not alone in this process, and you’ve earned every benefit it provides.