Navy Health DQ (Army, boot camp, training, officer)

[JShih]

I have a question regarding my enrollment to navy.

I am trying to enroll in the Navy as a Nuke worker, but I was first DQ'd due to my physical check. However, after I applied for the waiver, they actually waived my medical DQ, which they allowed me to take NAPT for the nuke program. After I finished the NAPT and passed it, I contact my recruiter asking them when will I have to go to MEPS again, and they told me that they just found out I have been medically DQ'd again with unknown reason, which they are trying to find it out.

I am just curious if anyone has anything similar to my case, because I really want to get into the Navy Nuke Program, which it has already spent me roughly 7 months for the process. I don't really want to give it up after I have come this far.

I am really appreciate with any information I can get, hope someone can help me out.

[LBTRS]

If your recruiter doesn't have the details there isn't anyone in here that is going to be able to shed any light on it. Your recruiter can't DQ you or isn't even supposed to tell you that you have been medically DQ'd. The MEPS Doctor is the one that medically DQ's you and he is the only one allowed to tell you that you were medically DQ'd. The Navy just submits a waiver on the MEPS medical DQ. It sounds like that waiver was denied by the Navy and there is not much more to it than that. If you know the reason you were DQ'd by MEPS then the Navy felt the issue was more serious than they were willing to take a chance on. You were not actually medically DQ'd again, your waiver was just denied for the original medical DQ.

Not nearly as many waivers are getting through these days because the Navy doesn't need as many people. Their philosophy is to deny the waivers and kick the recruiters in the butt and make them find people that are clean and don't need waivers.

Without knowing what the issue is I don't know if the Army would be more willing to entertain a waiver but that may be worth a shot.

Good luck either way.

[JShih]

Thanks for the quick response, but just curious, is there a possibility that my waiver can go pass again?

To me, I have been hoping to joining Navy Nuke Program for a long long time, and I finally got almost everything done, but at last step, I was been told that they denied my original waiver.

[LBTRS]

It would have to be submitted again and that would only happen if there was additional information that wasn't considered when the original waiver was reviewed and denied.

Can you tell us what the issue is and I may be able to tell you what I have seen get waived with that specific issue? I recently retired and was a Navy Recruiting Supervisor for 15 years. No big deal if it is private and you don't want to mention the issue.

[JShih]

I have vision depth problem, which they told me it is no big deal as long as I don't go for the job that requires using vision on specific tasks, also I have funnel chest, which is the primary reason I got DQ'd at first place. I went to take a series of medical examination on that myself, to get the documentations from doctors proving my funnel chest is not a big issue (my funnel chest is not that deep, only dent in a little bit).

[LBTRS]

The vision depth normally isn't a permanent DQ for the Navy (after a waiver) and they will approve waivers for that but it may limit your job options depending on the severity.

I only dealt with one waiver for your chest issue and that waiver was approved but that was many years ago before they tightened up the waiver process. I have not dealt with that issue recently to know how they are looking at that these days.

Did you get any additional medical documentation that shows the absence of this issue or that it isn't something that will cause you problems in the future? Did you play sports in school and can get letters from your coaches and parents saying this condition has not bothered you in any way?

I would talk to your recruiter and you can even request to talk to his boss (his title is Leading Petty Officer) or even his boss which is the Division Leading Chief Petty Officer and ask them if they will get approval to resubmit the waiver if you get additional supporting documentation.

I've done this many times in the past, however, you have to have something significant to submit that is worthy of being looked at again.

[JShih]

I didn't do any sport back in school, but the documentations I provided for the waiver includes x-ray and lung test. Everything are normal.

Currently, I don't know what other additional documents I need to provide for them to reconsider my waiver, but if I can find any information regarding what other documents I need to prepare, I am willing to prepare them.

[JShih]

I also do exercises myself, including mountain biking, running, push-ups, and sit-ups, to physically prepare for the boot camp training. It just that I never joined school sport when I was in school.

[th3vault]

Did you get DQ from the Nuke program or from the Navy?

If its any consolation, its good to find out now rather than later. I've heard a lot of stories of people being medically DQ during training from their contract and given the option of undesignated seaman or discharge with an ELS (which can cause problems with later employment).

[LBTRS]

I've never known someone that has a Nuke contract to be offered undesignated seaman. I've known lots of Nuke dropouts and others that were removed from the Nuke program for one reason or the other and they were all in technical rates. Now dropouts from other rates could be offered undesignated seaman but never heard of it for a Nuke.