Medical Conditions Normally Not Waiverable

Medical Issues Not Normally Waivered

August 13th, 2008

Many people who are considering the United States Navy as an option wonder if there may be some mental or physical condition from their past which may preclude them from serving. This post is the first of a two part series which will talk about medical conditions and possibly answer your “would I make it with” questions. Today I will list the medical issues/conditions which will not be considered for a waiver.

For those issues with time conditions they are listed as such – like a severe head injury has a five year waiting period, the waiting period is in place to reduce the possibility there were no long term effects from the injury. Conditions that become aggravated while serving on active duty could in the long run be considered “service connected” which in turn could lead to future disability benefits. By restricting some known medical issues, such as the ones listed below, will ultimately save the tax payers money.

Generally the Navy will not waive the following conditions (conditions listed in COMNAVCRUITCOMINST 1130.8J);

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), AIDS Related Complex (ARC), HIV Antibody, or history of any of the above.
Single kidney – regardless of cause.
Loss of an arm or leg.
Seizure disorder with seizure and/or medication within five years.
History of Cancer with treatment within five years (except basal cell carcinoma).
Diabetes Mellitus Type I or Type II.
Loss of one eye.
History of Cataract surgery.
History of any Keratoconus (protrusion of the cornea).
History of Glaucoma.
History of Aphakia (lens replacement of the eye).
Severe Allergic reaction (Anaphylaxis) to insects or food.
Cirrhosis.
Corneal transplant history.
Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis (Intestinal ulcers).
Severe deformities of the mouth, throat, or nose that interfere with speech or mastication of ordinary food.
Severe Scoliosis (spine curvature) or Kyphosis (“hunchback”).
History of eating disorders: Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia.
Headaches, recurrent, severe, which require prescription medication or interfere with daily activity.
Hepatitis, chronic: Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C carrier.
Malignant Hyperthermia/Hyperpyrexia (adverse reaction to anesthesia).
Multiple Sclerosis (nerve disease involving muscle weakness and uncoordination) and Muscular Dystrophy (progressive atrophy/wasting of the muscles).
Severe orthopedic injuries that result in functional limitations secondary to residual muscle weakness, paralysis, or marked decreased range of motion.
Otitis Media (middle ear infection/inflammation), chronic or currently active.
Pes Cavus (abnormally high arches of the feet with increased extension of the toes), severe, symptomatic (other than routine orthotic use).
Pneumonectomy, removal of entire lung.
Pregnancy (except for prior service processing for affiliation).
Prosthetic replacement of joints.
Psychiatric Conditions: Schizophrenia; Major Depression, recurrent; Bipolar Disorder; Panic disorders; Sexual disorders; and Personality disorders, severe.
History of Retinal disease or detachment.
Chronic skin disorders. Atopic dermatitis, Eczema, Psoriasis.
Spinal Fusion, greater than two vertebral spaces, congenital or surgical involving any number of vertebrae, by any method.
Current drug and/or alcohol abuse or diagnosed substance dependence.
History of Neurofibromatosis.
Congenital (birth) heart defects that have not been repaired.
History of intestinal bypass or stomach stapling.
Severe head injury within the past five years.
Anabolic Steroid Use within the previous two months is not enlistment eligible.

A note to everyone: The advice and prognostications I deliver in the comments and via email are based on my experiences, and only take into account the information you provide. I do not have the benefit of the “whole person.” So, please see a Recruiter, no matter what, and have your documentation sent to MEPS for a definitive review. I am not answering for the Navy! Although rare, I have been known to be wrrree, wrea, wrong

Read Comments (806)

806 Responses to “Medical Issues Not Normally Waivered”

Navydoc says:

January 20, 2012 at 4:53 am

WTM,
Single kidney for any reason is PDQ with no waiver allowed.
Navydoc says:

January 20, 2012 at 4:54 am

Wendy,
Yes, an arachnoid cyst requires a waiver for all services, with special forces having additional medical fitness requirements.
MommyZ says:

January 20, 2012 at 11:04 am

I have scanned over previously posted comments and or questions and cannot find anything relating to my question, so if I am re asking an already asked question please forgive me. My husband in currently attempting to enlist and he has been working with a recruiter, however we have hit a bump in what seemed to be a smooth road. My husband had a testicle removed when he was 12 years old because it died. This was neither due to a birth defect nor due to injury or cancer. It just simply, died due to lack of blood flow. Now, my question is two fold. 1. Do you know of any cases where a med waiver was approved for having only one testicle? 2. Why is the military concerned with whether or not the recruit has a full set? Thank you for your help, my husband is truly dissapointed with how this is playing out as this has been a dream of his for years.
Navydoc says:

January 20, 2012 at 12:19 pm

MommyZ,

1. Yes, I have seen waivers for missing testicles. However, they are getting less likely these days because:

2. The military has seen a significant rise in the number of blast injuries to the genitals resulting in loss of testicles. This is due both to the design of body armor leaving the groin exposed, and the number of injuries caused by IEDs in Iraq. If an individual only has one testicle to start with, the odds that a blast injury to the groin will leave him with no functioning male organs is double that of someone with 2. While this is a survivable injury, it can be a psychologically devastating one.

This is similar to the reason for DQ’ing people with only one kidney or only one functioning eye or ear. When you are supposed to have a “matched set” and you have only one, the consequences of an injury to the remaining organ can be catastophic. Loss of a single kidney (another not-uncommon result of blast or penetrating injury) is survivable, but if you lose your only kidney, you will die. With single eye or ear scenarios, you are a potential danger to both yourself and your unit because your blind or deaf side makes you vulnerable in combat. For these cases, waivers are not granted because the risks are too high.
MommyZ says:

January 20, 2012 at 12:46 pm

Thank you for your response sir. I understand that it could be potentially detrimental to ones psychological health to lose ones only testicle, however would sworn affidavidts from a mental health professional help? As far as preventing him from reproducing, we have three children and no plans for more. When asked about it could he not just reply with ” my wife hangs onto it for me?” sorry I find humor in serious situations alleviates much stress
paul says:

January 20, 2012 at 1:44 pm

thanx navy doc after chating here on this site i called the marines in my area and they think i shouldent have a problem… i appreciate ur timely feed back….and no i do not have anyother underlying problems.
Jessica says:

January 21, 2012 at 9:50 am

Hi!
I recently went to my recruiter and told them I have duane syndrome. They said I would have to get all of my medical records that have to do with it and turn them in with the medical pre screening. I have type 1 which means my left eye does not turn to the left. I have 20/20 vision and i have peripheral vision as well. I do not have double vision and it cannot get any worse. I’m worried once they see my pre med. screening they wont even accept me for a physical. Do you know if anyone with duane syndrome has ever been able to join?
Navydoc says:

January 22, 2012 at 8:55 am

Jessica,
Duane’s syndrome is indeed PDQ and will require waiver. I do see waivers granted for all services except Coast Guard, if you are correctable to 20/20 and have no other eye pathology. If you have a current (within past 60 days) ophthalmology–not optometry–evaluation and can submit that to MEPS prior to processing, you may be able to submit a packet earlier for waiver. If you don’t have a current ophthalmology eval, MEPS will schedule one for you, but that will add about 3-4 weeks to your processing time.
Jessica says:

January 22, 2012 at 9:00 am

Thank you very much!
Brian says:

January 26, 2012 at 2:54 pm

Hey navydoc I finally heard from my recruiter. I had wrote back in november 24 2011 about my med history on hypertension and asperger. November 24 2011 is when I submitted my paperwork and my recruiter is just hearing from meps that they should provide an answer in three days. I didnt think meps would take that long to respond to a document reading. Let me know what you think navydoc I appreaciate it.
PriorServiceGuy says:

January 27, 2012 at 5:58 pm

Hello. I am a prior service member of the Army Reserves. I was honorably discharged back in 1996. I had discovered that I had high blood sugar back in Novembe 2010. Initally, I was on insulin for 3 months, then downgraded to pills. Now It is just exercise and eating correctly. My height and weight are proportionate and my blood sugar levels have been under control since early 2011. Is there a chance for a medical waiver if I decided to join the Navy Reserve or any Reserve component? Do I need a statement from my doctor and lab results to help me with chances of re-enlisting?
Navydoc says:

January 28, 2012 at 6:39 am

PriorServiceGuy,
I have only seen a waiver for diabetes once. It is extremely unlikely.
Drew says:

January 31, 2012 at 6:27 pm

Hey Doc. I’m a 26 year old male who is seriously thinking about heading to BUD/S. However, I’m concerned I might not be eligible because of counseling I received when I was 19. Back then, I went to a college counselor and she diagnosed with me “Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified; Rule out Major Depressive Disorder.” She prescribed me with an antidepressant which I made the decision to stop taking after 3-4 months.

In the 7 years since that brief period, I have not felt the slightest bit depressed. I’ve done extremely well academically and now have a high pressure job in finance. I attribute the past depression to a phase… just part of growing up, you know?

I was able to get a copy of all my counselor’s notes. It says things like full range of affect, no personality disorder, and most importantly no suicidal intent. Although strangely there’s a check box during my first session that says suicide concerns, but I’m thinking they just put that as a precaution since I’ve never entertained thoughts of suicide and made that clear from the beginning (it even says “no suicidal ideation” in all of her write ups).

Okay, obviously the question is can something like this be waived? Should I seek a counselor’s opinion preemptively? Should I not even bring it up at MEPS since it was so long ago (7 years)? I want to give the evaluator a better picture of how I am now, not how I was 7 years ago, when I was still a teenager.

Thanks,
Drew
Navydoc says:

February 1, 2012 at 5:46 am

Drew,
You must disclose the treatment for depression on your medical prescreen and submit your records for review. Most likely you will be required to have a MEPS directed psychiatric consult. Do not bother with your own consult at this point; it would be a waste of your time and money. Depression in the past can be waived, depending on the needs of the service.

Waiver for special warfare classifications are through a different mechanism, and I do not deal with those, so you need to be talking to your recruiter about the likelihood of acceptance into BUD/S with your history of mental health treatment.
focused says:

February 1, 2012 at 11:31 am

NAVY DOC

how likely is it to get a wavier for encopresis an adjusment disorder discharge from the air force basic military training … the case i was excited an also i made not so smart choices everytime on the amount of food i ate… ? i have a doctor letter an my personal letter an 4 character letter .. ? im working with NG now

i was eating as if i was at home … since then i understand if i want to continue with my passion i make wise choices on the amount of food i eat an what i eat.. i didnt have many medical documents for meps so i was wondering how likely would it be waiver but im working with the national guard also
Navydoc says:

February 1, 2012 at 3:53 pm

Focused,
With a medical discharge, waiver is unlikely.
Focused says:

February 2, 2012 at 8:20 am

its mental.. adjustment disorder ! i went through the B.A.S ! i dont have nun of that stuff an also i made wrong choices on what an how much i ate that caused me to use the latrine ! had to see a psychotrist got a letter an wrote my own letter an got 4 character letter 3 from military personell
Navydoc says:

February 2, 2012 at 11:13 am

Focused,

Mental health is a medical discharge, since both encopresis and adjustment disorders are medical diagnoses. In fact, mental health reasons are the second most common medical discharge from basic training in all services (orthopedic problems is number one).

Character letters are not useful to the medical personnel at MEPS (I personally don’t even read them), because the medical fitness standards apply to everyone irrespective of anything other than medical information. It doesn’t matter if you’re an Eagle Scout and head of your JROTC unit, or a rock who barely graduated from high school, if you don’t meet the medical fitness requirements, you are not medically qualified.

If you are medically discharged from the military, you need a waiver to get back in. Right now, waivers for prior service with less than an RE-1 enlistment code are unlikely. Have your recruiter send your medical records, including your military medical records, and your DD214 to the MEPS for review.
focused says:

February 2, 2012 at 11:57 am

its been sent today ! but ill just pray anything possible thanks doc
Conerned says:

February 2, 2012 at 2:10 pm

Hi,
My husband has been in for 10 years (USN-R). He was diagnosed with unilateral traumatic cataract (stable) because of an accident about a year ago. I understand that for initial enlistment intraocular lenses are disqualifying but I can’t find anything on retention standards.
Any info would be appreciated.
Navydoc says:

February 2, 2012 at 3:30 pm

Concerned,
If your husband is still on active duty, he would not be discharged unless he cannot meet the requirements of his rate and rank. If he is a reservist, it is possible that they could find him not fit, especially if he had the intraocular lens placed without letting his command know his medical situation. He should be addressing any concerns he has to his unit medical officer, who can guide him. In my experience, if his vision and condition are stable, he would probably not be med boarded out of active duty.
Concerned says:

February 2, 2012 at 6:45 pm

Thank you for your response. His Command was aware but since it was so recent did nothing further. He is a reservist and was just selected for DCO (reserves). He also indicated on his DCO application that he had the surgery. We are just concerned that he might lose his commission and even his enlistment because of his eye. His recruiter is concerned but she mostly recruits new AD not drilling reservists. She kept referring to the manmed but since it is specific to new enlistment I didn’t think it applied to his circumstances. I guess it’s on a case-by-case basis depending on what you stated above. I mean, the package was selected. I know they (the board) aren’t doctors, but I don’t think a package would get selected if it was an imminent disqualification. It’s frustrating, I am former Navy and I know how much this means to him. He will be submitting a waiver along with his physical. Thank you for you time, it is truly appreciated.
Navy Hopefull says:

February 3, 2012 at 11:40 pm

I have a Trama Cataract that happened 6 years ago due to an accedent with a BB gun. The Cataract is non progressive and my vision is 20/20 both eyes 20/25 in the eye with the cataract 20/20 in the other eye. I am interested in joining the Navy as a rescue swimmer and I am wondering if this will bar me. If I cant be a rescue swimmer, I am willing to do a different rate that is not Spec. I am also an eagle scout, college credit, and a lifeguard. Would this help or does it matter? Thanks for any help!
Henry Krinkle says:

February 4, 2012 at 9:39 pm

Doc-

I had a severe head injury (one fracture and contusion) when I was 14. My doctor cleared me to play football and other contact sports throughout high school. I have had no problems since recovering from the injury. I am now a Junior at UNCW and would like to enlist in the Navy after graduation. What is the likelihood of receiving a waiver? Thanks a lot.

Henry
Focused says:

February 5, 2012 at 5:11 pm

Doc how likely can someone get a consult? especially if i do not have encopresis never been to the hospital for any negative reason ? i jus over did my eating habits at chow ?? GOD knows im medically an pyscically fit its me against thoes discharge papers ! my papers have been sent off to meps for med read ..
Sean says:

February 5, 2012 at 10:20 pm

Hi Navy Doc,

I’m 22 and looking to go for a Navy commission when I’m either 24 or JAG at 26. I saw a therapist when I was six years old and was on medication for anxiety until I was 9 or so. I talked to an Army recruiter and he told me only info for the past seven years was relevant. Is this true? Might a boyhood problem keep me from this? Thanks so much.
Navydoc says:

February 6, 2012 at 4:57 am

Henry,
IT will depend on what type of injury you had (there are varying degrees of contusion) and whether or not you required surgery. Waivers for mild-moderate head injuries 5-10 years ago are pretty common.
Navydoc says:

February 6, 2012 at 5:02 am

Sean,
The medical history forms request your medical info from the day you are born until the day you ship out. Disclose your history up front and you are more likely to get a waiver if the condition is waiverable. It’s important for everyone to realize that while a condition CAN be waived, doesn’t mean it MUST be waived.If someone lies on their paperwork, and I later discover a disqualifying condition, I am less likely to recommend for waiver,as I question their moral fiber and maturity level as being acceptable for service in the military.
Sean says:

February 6, 2012 at 9:47 am

Thanks, Navydoc. It was never my intention to submit a false application. With that said, in your opinion, do you think I am likely to get a waiver?
Henry Krinkle says:

February 6, 2012 at 6:13 pm

Thanks, Doc. It did not require surgery and it was not an intracerebral contusion. Thank you for the response.
Ron says:

February 6, 2012 at 6:53 pm

Hi doc, I have a question regarding a missing testicle. I was born with only one….no accidents etc. I have been to urologist and had things looked at and he said everything is fine and doesn’t pose any future health issues. What is the procedure for getting a waiver for this? Does this take place at MEPS? Does it happen immediately? Will I be able to continue thru the MEPS procedure once this is disclosed? Is than any other important facts that I need to know or expect before going to MEPS? Thanks for the input and helping clear up the procedure.
Navydoc says:

February 7, 2012 at 4:56 am

Ron,
You must submit a surgical report or CT scan that shows that there is no remaining tesicular tissue within the abdomen. You will generally be unable to swear in the first MEPS visit after your physical while you wait for a waiver. If you never had exploratory surgery or imaging studies, you are unlikely to get a waiver.
Ron says:

February 7, 2012 at 10:33 am

Thanks for the quick reply. I do have the images from a CT scan as well as letter from the Dr stating his findings. How long have you typically seen these waivers take?
Henry Krinkle says:

February 7, 2012 at 3:09 pm

Doc-
Sorry, one more question. Will my skull fracture and contusion prevent me from diving/SCUBA training if I have no residual effects and it has been 10 years? Thanks again.

Henry
Brian says:

February 8, 2012 at 12:39 pm

Hey navydoc I finally heard back from meps the letter shows physical not justified due to obesity history of hypertension and history of autism and the cmo put waiver not recommended does that mean im officially done or can I resubmit school records showing that im currently functioning well.
Babs says:

February 8, 2012 at 12:52 pm

Navydoc,

My fiance was honorably discharged from the navy in 2008. He wants to reenlist but was diagnosed with colitis in 2010. We believe he was misdiagnosed for a number of reasons including drastic improvement in digestion with simple dietary changes. We are considering a second opinion.

If a second opinion rules out colitis would the first diagnosis completely rule him out of reenlisting. He has an re-1 code.

Additionally he has received no other care meds it otherwise to treat this condition and seems fine

Thank you

Medical Conditions Normally Not Waiverable

Medical Issues Not Normally Waivered

August 13th, 2008

806 Responses to “Medical Issues Not Normally Waivered”

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