Navy Recruiting Medical Waiver Process
Over the past couple of decades, I have received a large number of emails asking me about the waiver process for medical issues. The Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) may have already permanently disqualified the individual, or is concerned they may have a condition which force them to endure the process and anxiety of the medical waiver.
First of all, the approval of a medical waiver is the responsibility of the Commander, Navy Recruiting Command (CNRC). The Admiral makes a decision with input from a qualified medical authority.
To dispel a myth, Navy Recruiting does not use the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) to make recommendations for an individual's physical/psychological condition to enter enlisted Naval service.
Back during the end of the last millennium, in an effort to reduce applicant waiting time (which often times extended three months or more), CNRC added to the staff a medical department. Commander, Navy Recruiting Command's medical staff (CNRC N33) which includes a doctor and a small cadre of Navy Corpsman who work at the CNRC headquarters in Millington, Tn. now makes the medical recommendations to the Admiral in a fraction of the time.
¹Requests for medical waivers will be sent to and processed by NAVCRUITCOM N33. Waivers will be processed without HIV and DAT results; however, under no circumstances will a person be shipped to RTC without HIV and DAT results being obtained and documented in MHS Genesis.
The Process:
You first must be permanently disqualified (PDQ) by the MEPS medical department. The disqualification could come from your initial medical document reading (you do not make a trip to MEPS), or during your physical at the MEPS. Temporary disqualifications are not reviewed for medical waivers. If the MEPS PDQ'd you based on the medical documents submitted, MEPS will not allow you to process further - CNRC N33 must direct MEPS to provide a physical only if they feel a waiver is possible. N33's direction to MEPS may also include additional consultations (a visit to an outside specialist like an orthopedic doctor or a cardiologist).
Note: You need to be prepared to make more than one visit to MEPS depending on consultation requirements.
Once the final results of the MEPS physical and consultations are complete (including blood work), those results will be sent to N33 for review. N33 will then make a recommendation to the Admiral (usually within 3-5 days depending on backload).
If the MEPS PDQ'd you during the physical then N33 may direct further testing via consultation, or make a final recommendation to the Admiral for approval or disapproval without further medical tests.
If you have hypothyroidism that is controlled by medication, and you have two normal thyroid stimulating hormone tests within the preceding 6 months, you do not require a waiver for the condition because it is NOT disqualifying. You will be able to continue your medication for the condition during boot-camp.
I hope this helps you understand the process for a medical waiver, and hopefully make it a little less intimidating. As always, feel free to email your questions (Contact Me info at the end of the article).
Waiver Process for Prior Drug and/or Alcohol Dependency
If you have been psychologically or physically dependent upon drugs or alcohol, recruiting personnel may request a Commander, Navy Recruiting Command eligibility determination when the pre-service dependency has been resolved in such a way that there is little likelihood that such behavior will recur. Your MEPS physical must include a psychiatric consultation.
Although medical waivers are very rare for previous drug or alcohol dependency, you may be considered a good risk for entry into the Navy if:
- You have successfully abstained from drugs and alcohol for more than two years,
- Your employment history or school attendance subsequent to rehabilitation is favorable, and
- You appear well motivated.
- A minimum of two years has elapsed since release from treatment.
Medical Conditions which cannot be waived¹
- Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), AIDS Related Complex (ARC).
- Single kidney - regardless of cause.
- Loss of an arm or leg.
- Seizure disorder with seizure 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 or Bulimia.
- Hepatitis, chronic: Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C carrier.
- Malignant Hyperthermia or Hyperpyrexia (adverse reaction to anesthesia).
- Multiple Sclerosis (nerve disease involving muscle weakness and incoordination) and Muscular Dystrophy (progressive atrophy or 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 or 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 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. Any applicant admitting steroid use within the previous two months is not enlistment eligible.
Note: The advice and prognostications delivered in my email responses to your questions are based on years of experience, and I can only take into account the information you provide, so for a more definitive response, ensure you are thorough with the description of your issue(s).
Page written and maintained by NCCM Thomas Goering, USN (Retired).
If you are seeking information about joining the Navy, feel free to contact me.