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932 Responses to “Navy Recruiting Medical Waiver Process”
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Patty,
If he had no treatment with inhalers or steroids past the age of 13, he will not need a waiver. If he did have asthma symptoms past the age of 13, he must submit all records from the past 3 years showing no need for treatment, plus a current pulmonary function test (preferable a methacholine challenge test) that is normal. -
Navydoc,
So I finally went to MEPS on Tuesday, and got PDQ for three things (History of cholesteatoma, a mini procedure during my tympanoplasty that began with O and also ended in plasty, forgot what it was actually called, and History of ADHD) Neither of these problems affects me that much anymore, and I know you said ADHD is commonly waived with success off the medication, but since I need three waivers, are my chances lower? All the doctors at MEPS seem to think that I got waived to physical in the first place, I should be good, but it can still get denied. I’m trying to join the Army. I have asked you similar questions before, but didn’t know I was going to need three waivers, so I didn’t know if that would change anything. Everything is set in stone now, just waiting on those waivers. -
Brian,
It is not uncommon for the Army to grant multiple medical and moral waivers. You should have an answer within a week or so (the Army is very good about its waiver process) -
Thank you for all your help.
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Additionally, do ASVAB scores matter as far as waivers go?
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If I am denied at MEPs for medical reasons how long will I have to wait for them to tell me if I am not able to enlist.
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Brian,
ASVAB scores have no bearing on medical waivers. -
Eric,
If you are medically DQ’d at MEPS, they tell you the same day. You cannot enlist without a waiver from your service. Waivers can take anywhere from 30 minutes to months to process. -
NavyDoc,
In regards to my previous post, I just had one other question. If I am disapproved by the CNRC, is that really it? There is absolutely nothing I can do and I should give up my hopes of being in the military? Or is there some other way to prove to them that I’m capable…like requesting a military doctor to check me out or get a few recommendations?
Thanks so much!
-Tessa
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Hi Navydoc,
I am a high school junior who dreams of joining the military. However, my father just told me I will probably be DQ’d at MEPS, because 4 years ago I had a bout of Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
I completely recovered from GBS and do not have any residual muscle weakness, all my reflexes are normal, I am very fit and healthy.
Is it true that I will be DQ’d? And if so, what are my chances for a waiver? Will it help me to bring to MEPS a letter from the neurologist who was treating me (he is a chief neurologist at a world-renowned hospital in Boston) that I recovered completely? What else could help me get a waiver? Any advice appreciated.
Art
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Art,
GBS is DQ. Because of your history, you cannot get many of the vaccinations required of all military personnel. -
Thank you Navydoc,
So it is indeed a DQ. But do you feel it might be waiverable because I recovered, or is it a non-waiverable DQ?
My bout of GBS might have indeed been a reaction to meningitis vaccine as it happened right after I got it, but I have had all other vaccinations including flue shots and never had any reactions.
Do you feel I might have a reasonable chance at a waiver or shall I better start thinking about plan B?
Art
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Hi Navy Doc
I just recentley had a physical at MEPs. It was discovered through an xray that I have Kyphosis (60 degree angle ). I was dq’d and the recruiter is now got me in the waiver process. I am physically fit and work out with the recruiter daily ( 5 mile runs etc. ). I have never had back pain and am wondring what my chances are for getting a waiver. I am trying to enlist in the USMC Reserve.
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Chris,
MArines are unlikely to waive kyphosis. -
Navy Doc-
I contacted you about a month ago about my husband’s quest to join the Naval Reserves and his waiver woes concerning his nystagmus… an update: The quest is still alive! The waiver authority requested more documentation on his knee from the ortho surgeon who did his minimal medial-meniscus tear fix to prove that it is stable with no lingering issues (not that there were any to begin with). Super excited that the eyes weren’t an immediate no, so we are still holding out hope! And if you wanted to cross your fingers for us, we wouldn’t object ;~)!! Thanks again for your helping me with my questions/concerns, the ‘above and beyond’ effort is not lost on me. Hope to update you about his signing soon, -
Navy Doc,
I hope you could give me some objective advice. I went through MEPS last year and passed the physical although I was temporary DQ for protein in the urine, but cleared 48 hours later after a re-test.The MEPS doc said it was probably due to working out.
I decided to see a Nephrologist just to be safe, I had blood & urine tests done with no abnormalties. No diagnosis was given to me. A year later, I recently found out from my General Doctor that the Nephrologist had put Nephritis on my insurance leaving the specific cause of it blank. I did not receive any treatment or medication for this condition and a recent blood and urine test showed again no symptoms of any kind.
Do I need to get a waiver for this? If so, how can I prove that I currently have no Nephritis (and possibly never had it) to MEPS?
Any advice would be appreciated.
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Hey Doc,
So it turns out that I never had any history or current osteochondritis dessicans but I had a little piece of bone as a result from a fracture I had when I was four and fractured my elbow. Like I said it was removed when I was 18 and I am 24 now and am asymptmatic. -
NavyDoc
I have mild psoriasis on a few of my fingers. I scheduled an appointment with my dermatologist to get a letter stating I’m fit to wear uniforms and it’s not serious. I also have GERD it doesn’t give me heartburn just a cough. My ASVAB score was really high and I’ll also have a 2 college degrees. Do you think those 2 conditions with everything stated is waiveable ?
Thanks
Colten -
Colten,
Cough because of GERD is DQ with waiver unlikely. Psoriasis is also unlikely to received a waiver. ASVAB scores are irrelevant in medical waiver decisions, and degrees only matter if you are trying for a commission. -
Rey,
If your medical records from the nephrologist do not show nephritis, you should be good. -
I can’t find much information on my injury.
To start, I am a 20 year old EMT working in Los Angeles County and am trying to enlist in the Marine Corps. In November, I suffered an uncommon injury to my back while lifting a 350lbs patient. My injury was a tissue tear and was not structural. I tore the dural layer of my spinal cord and began leaking csf. I needed (2) epidural blood patches to seal the tear.
The injury started in November of 2011. Around Nov. 4th, I strained muscles in my back, preventing me from lifting properly. I wasn’t granted time off from work, resulting in me lifting improperly for about 20 days straight. On the 24th, I suffered all the signs and symptoms of a dural tear/csf leak (vertigo, migraines, nausea, etc.) I spent a week in the hospital and had the 2 blood patches to fix the tear. Immediately after the second epidural blood patch, my symptoms were resolved.
Epidural blood patches are just as they sound. Its an epidural with annestetic, and my blood, injected into my spine, clotting the tear.
I’ve started therapy to resolve my back pain.
My recruiter said that as long as I get documentation from the neurologist stating that my back will not pose any future problems, usually MEPS will agree. I do have documentation from the neurologist , and another neuro has said my back will be fine and that normally, limitations are not imposed on dural tear injuries.
My question is on whether MEPS will agree with my Dr. Or if you have any input on my case. My injury was to tissue, not skeletal. And was fixed 4 days later by an epidural blood patch procedure. (No surgery.)
Thank you for your time, service, and expertise.
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Johnny,
Disorders of the meninges are DQ and require waiver. A dural tear that is not associated with a spinal procedure is quite rare, so I do not have any experience with that particular injury as far as waivers go. Waivers for other meningeal problems (like cysts, or meningitis) do usually receive waivers, as long as at least 12 months have passed without recurrence. -
NavyDoc,
I would really appreciate your advice! Ok, I’m 6’3 215 pounds.. in great shape. I fractured my right thumb about 4 years playing basketball (i played college basketball, btw) and so i had hand surgery to repair the fracture. Ok, that happened 4 years ago.. It’s healed and i have no other issues (at all).
I score a 79 on my ASVAB…
Long story – Short is ….. I get to MEPS, I do the Duck Walk, i PASS the medical part. The lady at the desk.. says you are MEDICALLY qualified to join the military. She gives me my packet, and sends me to the AIR FORCE LIASON. BUT, (I DONT KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING) I see one of the doctors in the hallway, and disclose to her (because i was worried about the finding out that i lied) that i had minor surgery on my thumb.. Big Mistake!!
Then, she starts talking about FRAUDELENT ENLISTMENT! So i walked away and headed to my liason thinking everything was over and im good. An hour later, they call me back to the MEDICAL area and she’s talking about I lied to them and all this crap… So i needed to bring the documentation to them so they can decide to waive it or not.
Long story short….. I was Permanently disqualified at meps.. they sent the waiver to the AF Surgeon GENERAL (i’m pretty sure if they SAW me in person, they’d see NOTHING is wrong with me… ) and they prolly just deny everything withouth even looking…
AF surgeon General denied the waiver request and said Permanently DQ.
I’m so mad… I really want to join the military. Is there anything i can do?
Please… Any advice would be helpful… NavyDoc
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Ronald,
Failing to disclose the surgery could indeed have led to a formal charge of fraudulent enlistment, so you’re actually lucky it was caught before you enlisted. Failing to disclose information is the same as lying (it’s called a lie of ommission), in the eyes of both the military and the law.
Having a HISTORY of certain things, even if they now are not problematic, is still PDQ, no matter how well you think you function as a civilian. Sounds like that is what happened, but without seeing your actual surgical report and knowing the diagnosis, I am just guessing.
If the AF SG said no, that’s pretty much the end of the line for the AF, unless you have new medical information to submit for him to review. The offices of the Surgeon Generals for all services look very closely at medical disqualifications for waiver consideration. For the AF, approximately 65% of waivers are granted. They definitely DO NOT just deny waivers without looking at the packet. In my opinion, having had to deal in the fleet with some of these people, I think they grant far too many waivers for things that operational physicians know are problems in theater, but that’s another post.
You can try a different service. Currently, the Army and Guard give the most waivers.
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Hello Navydoc,
Meps DQ me on my primary application becuase I took ritalin from the age of 16-20. I am 24 now and have completed College and hold a responsible Job. I provided Meps with a letter from my Dr. that stated I was fine to serve and that the Dr. had taken me off the medication because it was not necessary. Is it possible to get this waived?
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NavyDoc,
If I reach out to an Army Recruiter, how do i go about dealing with them? In other words, do i tell the recruiter straight up, “I was Permanently DQed from MEP’s while trying to join the air force”.. or what?
I was talking to an army recruiter today over the phone and she was hesitant and acting like she didnt want to deal with it….. I just want to join the armed forces. Thats it. If you were me…. i’m 28 (in a few weeks)…. I have a bachelor’s degree and want to serve. (I really wanted to commission as an officer – army) at first. But, how do i get over this PDQ hurdle?
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NavyDoc,
You dont have to see the medical reports… man… It was a FRACTURE… I Fracture!! We’re not talkin major heart surgery here… or Asthma…
I fractured my thumb, (it was dislocated) so i had the surgery to fix it.
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NavyDoc,
I am a prior service Marine and am trying to aquire some knowledge on allergies. I found out that I am allergic to shellfish. I know that it is a DQ in the militaries eyes but do you know of anyone that has been able to receive a waiver for an allergy such as this? Thanks for the help.
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Ronald,
There is something else going on, because a fracture dislocation of the thumb is not DQ. Look at the ICD 9 code on your Form 680 (your recruiter has it) to see what the disqualifying diagnosis actually is.All of the services use the same physical you already had at MEPS, so even if you don’t disclose it to the recruiter (BAD idea, as you’ve already seen what happens when you don’t disclose things to the military) she will find it when she pulls your record.
If you have the skills to be a competitive officer candidate, officers have about an 85% positive waiver request rate (versus 65% for enlisted), so talk to an officer recruiter.
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Sev,
If you have been off medications for at least one year, require no educational or vocational accomadations to function well in school and/or work off of the medication, waiver is likely. -
Thank you Navydoc,
In That case how to a go about doing that? My recruiter is not being very helpful?
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Sev,
You will need to find a recruiter willing to do the legwork for you to get a waiver. It is not something you can do on your own. -
Can someone please answer a question for me? How long does a medical waiver take? My son is waiting on a medical waiver to be approved. He went to MEPS and took his ASVAB and scored 74% and when he went back for his physical he was denied due to he at one time in his life was seen a therapist for Mild Anxiety. He never had to take any medication for the diagnosis. Once he no longer met the criteria he was dismissed from therapy. How long does it take before we hear back regarding the medical waiver? Its been about a week and a half and we are patiently waiting :)
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NavyDoc,
I’m 32 years old and in the process of enlisting in the Army for an MOS in military intelligence. When I was 2 years old I had surgery on both eyes for cataracts. I never had any problems with my vision afterward. When I turned 18 I elected to have surgery for lens implants so I wouldn’t have to wear glasses all the time (I still use them for distance).
After reviewing the standards of medical fitness for vision I discovered that a history of lens implants does not meet standard, nor does a history of cataracts.
I have not had any problems with my sight since the corrective procedures, and the surgeon who performed them is willing to write a letter stating they will not affect my ability to serve in the military. Is it possible to get a medical waiver for the lens implants and history of cataracts?
Thank you in advance for your expertise.
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Navydoc,
The refusal has come from my local recruiting office. Since the recruiting is done locally what is the best way to find a recruiter willing to do the legal work to get the waiver for my past ADD diagnosis? Thank you!
-Sev
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Ernestina Carter,
Waivers can take a few weeks. Have your son check in with his recruiter to see where in the chain his packet is. Once it actually reaches Millington, it should take about 5 days. -
Damion,
Waivers for cataracts are possible. If you submit a current report from your ophthalmologist, including a full-dilated retinal exam, it will help the waiver authority make a determination. -
Sev,
If you have already spoken to the recruiter in charge at your recruiting station and they will not work with you, try a different station. -
Thank you so much for the information. I appreciate you very much :) I’ll tell my son to call to ask the recruiter. Thank you!!!
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Navydoc,
Just thought I’d let you know that I got a “yes” pertaining to my three ACL surgeries & am now cleared to process, so I will be going to MEPS in the next two weeks or so! I’m stoked! :)
-Tessa
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NavyDoc
I am not sure on what to do, I have a rod in my tibula with three screws from being hit by a drunk driver. I took my ASVAB for the army and I have been cleared to come and take the physical, by the current cut backs what are my chances of getting in with my medical condition. I do not have any limitations (I play college football and baseball) Will they disqualify me when I get to MEP’s or do you think I can get a wavier.
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I’ve been waiting for a decision for a mental health waiver since October from the Navy. Everytime I call my recruiter he says that my records have so many pages that only a certain amount of pages can be read per day. Is it really typical for a mental health waiver to take more than 4 months?
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Waiver Approved!
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Congrats Chris :)
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Navydoc,
I went to MEPS for the Navy about a month ago and was disqualified for eyesight. I’m sure you have gotten several questions regarding this, but my concern is that it seems that nothing is being done in terms of getting a consult. My recruiter has kept no contact with me at all from his end. I have called him twice since then and received the same explanation each time. He keeps telling me I need a consult first before it’s even sent to be considered. I believe they found that I had astigmatism and my eyesight was also over 8. My eyesight can be corrected by contact lenses and glasses to nearly perfect and I have no desire to do aviation or anything of the sort that requires perfect vision. I scored 81 on the ASVAB and I plan on taking CTN or a related job if available. My questions are how long does it normally take to get a consult? What are the chances of such a waiver being approved? I’m in a sort of “limbo” here and it’s very frustrating. I just wish I could know more than “I’m waiting for a fax.” from my recruiter. I’m sure he’s doing what he can and is very busy with people that do not actually need waivers. I’m under the impression he really can’t do anything right now even if he wanted to and it’s in MEPS hands to get things moving. Believe me, I’m not accusing my recruiter of not trying. He seems to do his job very well from what I’ve seen. I just would like a second opinion. Any input at all would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
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Brian,
It depends on whether or not MEPS is waiting for the waiver authority to request a consult first. In that case, it can take from a week (Army) to several weeks (all other services) to get the request for a consult, and then another week or two to get the consult date. Sometimes it means the waiver request was denied.For astigmatism, I usually will do a consult without waiver authority request for up to a +-4.00 diopters or so, and ask for waiver permission for anything over that, because it often won’t get approved, and I don’t want to waste money doing a consult when there is no hope for a waiver.
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Navydoc,
Thank you for the response. I don’t ever remember hearing about having astigmatism throughout my life. The recruiter was the one who told me at MEPS so it’s a possibility. I told him the doctor told me it was because of my really bad vision, but maybe he knew more than I did before I even knew what was going on. He told me he was able to keep track of me somehow. I’m more certain its just my vision. It’s about 9.25 in one eye and 11 in the other. I’ll just keep waiting and giving periodic phone calls for now. I would hope he’d let me know if it was denied so I can move on and get back to college. Again I really appreciated your response and help.
Thanks Again
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What is the approximate approval rate for waivers in the Army? I hope I get mine.
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Brian,
It sounds like your problem is high myopia, not just astigmatism, given your numbers. For high myopia, the cutoff is 8.00, whereas for astigmatism, it is 3.00. The Army will waive up to 12 if the eye is otherwise healthy (hence the ophthalmology consult) and the other services will generally go to 10, although I do occassionally see higher. -
Navy doc i was wondering if a right ACL reconstruction with the pattelar tendon was dq condition?pr waiverable?
its been 18 months since surgery
i am 110% i can run 9 miles in a hour and 10 minutes im am determined to become apart of the navy seals,i feel like i was stronger then ever before right now -
Hey there.
When I was 18, I was sent to the ER for a bad reaction to three yellow jacket stings on my forehead. I did an overnight stay. Since then, I’ve been stung several times with no reaction. Will I be disqualified based off of the ER trip six years ago? I don’t have to carry an epi-pen with me.
Thanks so much.
Hi there NavyDoc!
I’m a junior at Iowa State University studying Agricultural Education
& Life Sciences and Journalism & Mass Communications and am looking
into the Navy. If it works out, I’d like to do boot camp, go reserve,
and then come back and finish school.
I first went to the National Guard in November, but got disqualified by MEPS for “history of repeat right ACL reconstruction and history of osteochondritis of right patella.” (I tore my left ACL during football practice during kick-off from just twisting it in a weird way and had my first surgery in December of 2005. I tore my right one during softball practice going up for a pop fly and had that surgery in July 2007. Unfortunately, three months later I re-tore it trying to get on one of those Sinclair gas station dinosaurs for a picture and I didn’t jump high enough and came down and re-injured it since it wasn’t healed all the way yet. So, I really only tore it again because it wasn’t healed properly and when I talked to my surgeon he said he thought the osteochondritis might have been mis-judged. My last surgery was in February of 2008.)
In the mean time I went to talk to the Air Force & Navy recruiters.
They each didn’t really want to work with me until I said I was
completely done with the Army. So, I committed to the Navy after
determining it was the right choice for me.
While on winter break, I went to my surgeon and got a waiver from him
saying how it had been four years since my last surgery and that I was doing great and he has no restrictions on what I can do with my knees.
I then filled out the necessary paperwork with the recruiter,
including a handwritten activity statement on all the things that could have been an issue on my knees since I’ve had my surgeries (I’ve kept pretty active and it ended up being legitimately ten pages!) and got all the medical records, including ones from the childhood asthma I had and when I had to go to the hospital for some stitches.
That and the waiver got sent to MEPS and I was disqualified again due
to the knee surgeries. My recruiter asked if I could have my doctor
write a more professional type of letter so when it goes up to the
CNRC there will be something that will stand out amongst the records.
So, I just got that today and it’s getting sent up so they can start
reviewing my stuff.
If you e-mail me at the address I provided, I can get you some other
documents that might provide some more background. I read on this site that ACL reconstructions are something that are normally waiverable, but I didn’t know if my chances would be lessened since I’ve had three instead of one, even though they were four years ago.
Since you’ve had prior experience with all of this stuff, I was
wondering if you could give me your opinion on whether or not you
think they will clear me to screen for processing.
Like I said, I’m very active and run two miles every day as well as go to the gym to lift and am even taking a SCUBA class currently to go on a marine biology study abroad trip to Honduras this spring break. And when I’m home on the farm, I’m working with the animals and doing all sorts of lifting and things that require strong, healthy knees.
I’m a very determined and involved college student and I feel that I could make a positive contribution to the United States Navy. I guess
I’m just worried about the fact that I had multiple surgeries and that the military is downsizing, so they are probably not looking for
anyone less than superman/woman. And with them only being able to see
medical records, I can’t prove to them that I am capable of doing
this.
Anyway, any opinion you could give on my situation would be greatly
appreciated. Thanks so much!! :)
-Tessa