U.S. Armed Forces air crew: incident illness and injury diagnosis during the 12 months prior to retirement, 2003-2012.

U.S. Armed Services retirees are eligible for disability compensation for medical illness/injury incurred during their service. This analysis of recently retired U.S. active component air crew/aviation service members from all Services evaluated incident diagnoses among aviation retirees during the 12 months prior to retirement and assessed trends in first-time diagnoses by major diagnostic category and aviation component stratification. Most aviation retirees were in their 40s, Air Force, male, white, and senior officers and warrant officers. Among the study population, 14,191 (88%) of aviation retirees had at least one first-time diagnosis recorded during the 12 months prior to retirement. During 2003-2012, 63.8% of all diagnoses in aviation retirees during the 12 months prior to retirement were new. The highest proportions of new diagnoses were for "other disorders of the ear," "organic sleep disorders," and "general symptoms." Among the four subtypes of aviators, general air crew/air craft crew had the lowest proportion of new diagnoses (60.2%).