Waiver/ROTC/Future Eligibility (Army, reserves, Air Force, reserve)

[Standardopps]

Hello,

I have been following this forum for a short time and have a question. My child who is 19 would desperately like a career in the military, specifically the Air Force. She had a stellar 4 years in high school in ROTC and is now in a Military Jr. College and is doing well academically. She did ROTC her first year there (she's a sophomore now) but was "kicked out" this semester due to:

* childhood asthma. She does not need an inhaler and has done the spirometery test twice (once at a doctor's office near her college and one at home) and it was 90% both times well within the normal range. It is triggered by pet dander. She can run forever so that is not an issue. She has no issues at school because there are no animals. Both Allergists have written letters on her behalf to DODMERB.

*ADD She was treated for ADD in middle school and 2 years of high school. She has not had any medication since she was 16. Her GPA her first college year was 3.4 so she has no learning or focus issues. Looking back I blame boys for her poor attention span. :-) Her psychiatrist also wrote a letter to DODMERB on her behalf.

She is in excellent physical condition and works out all the time. 5'7" and 150#'s of muscle.

She applied for a waiver for ROTC and was denied. She is disappointed but "okay" and accepts the decision. My concern is long term. She is the most patriotic person I know and wants nothing more than to serve her country. The AF recruiter has given her suspect advice such as apply for the Army, get accepted and then tell them you want to switch to the AF. Her main reason for AF is familiarity and that she wants to go to (and eventually instruct) in the SERE Program.

Any advice and especially hope for the future is greatly appreciated! Thank you.

[theoldnorthstate]

Suggest you do a forum search on ADD ADHD. Think a recruiter who posts here has addressed your question or similar

Good luck

[dmarie123]

OP,

Was she denied for the Asthma or the ADD?

For ADD, they are disqualified:
a. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (314) UNLESS the following criteria
are met:
(1) The applicant has not required an Individualized Education Program or work
accommodations since the age of 14. (lack of medication means nothing if she had an IEP at school. Did she?)
(2) There is no history of comorbid mental disorders. (So that means only ONE diagnois. Was it ADD and something else like depression or adjustment disorder? Lots of times Drs put more than one thing in the medical records, and you may not even know this. Have you reviewed the records?)
(3) The applicant has never taken more than a single daily dosage of medication or has
not been prescribed medication for this condition for more than 24 cumulative months after the
age of 14. (When did she stop medication? Was it after age 14? Was she ever on more than ONE daily dose? More than one daily dose is a permanant disqualification)
(4) During periods off of medication after the age of 14, the applicant has been able to
maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average without accommodations. (Did you prove this with transcripts?)
(5) Documentation from the applicant’s prescribing provider that continued medication
is not required for acceptable occupational or work performance. (Do you have this in the form of MEDICAL RECORDS, NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT a letter... but actual medical records. There is a difference, and it makes a difference)



I hope this helps. She can still apply for the Air Force, as the waiver authority for enlisting is not DODMERB, so there's a chance if you have documentation that all of the above conditions are met. The SG is the waiver authority. He/She wants medical records, not letters from doctors.

[dmarie123]

Also, the Air Force recruiter is wrong. Once you join the Army there is almost no chance you can ever join the Air Force. We take very few prior service a year (I am a supervisor for Air Force recruiting). Has she spoken to an actual Air Force recruiter, or just the Air Force ROTC recruiters? Is she willing to enlist? I would have her talk to a regular Air Force recruiter, not the one for ROTC. Like I said, regular recruiters don't use DODMERB, so she still has a chance at the Air Force.

[Standardopps]

Thank you very much for your response. I will reply in order:

I believe it may have been both add and asthma. I would be happy to have her email the actual report to you.

1. She has never had an IEP. She has had good grades all through high school.

2. Depression was also included due to her frustration. The Psychiatrist addressed this in his letter to DODMERB.

3. She only took the medicine once in the morning before school and stopped her high school sophomore year.

4. She has had a greater than 3.0 GPA in both high school and her first year of college.

5. I think the Allergists sent medical records with the normal spirometry tests regarding the asthma. The Psychiatrist sent a letter.

She spoke with both recruiters with the AF, on campus and off.

Yes, she is 100% willing to enlist. In fact I believe the tract/route she wants to go with SERE is more enlistment based? I'm not sure about that? At this point what would be her chances of enlisting next summer in the AF (Reserve I think?) between her sophomore and junior year? Then when she graduates from college she goes in to the AF full time. That would be an ideal scenario with what she hopes to do. Thank you.

[dmarie123]

That's what got her, if she was diagnosed with depression and ADD, that's "comorbid" disorders, and that's a disqualification. We don't like to take those people because if they couldn't handle "regular" life, how will they handle deployments and potential combat?

She could still potentially get a waiver, but medical records are much better than letters. Our local MEPS won't accept any letters, they remove them from the pile before sending to the waiver authority. She needs MEDICAL records. So, she needs to go to a psychiatrist and get evaluated for ADD and Depression, and get actual medical records that show she's cleared--- NOT a letter.

It's possible the letter didn't make it to the waiver authority, as most only take actual medical records.

Good luck!!

[joe from dayton]

dmarie is in a better position to comment on this than I, but it used to be pretty damned hard to go from the reserves to active duty. Unless dmarie advises you otherwise, I suggest that she wait until she has graduated and then go active duty (assuming she is allowed to).

[dmarie123]

Yes, we only enlist about 250 people a year who have previously served. It's pretty specific on what we will or will not take, and changes yearly so you can't predict it. For officers, prior service isn't as much an issue. But, the longer she waits, the more chances something else will happen medically. She could try to enlist now, or she could go through college. What happens if her thyroid starts to act up in a year? She develops high blood pressure? College is hard and she needs to go back onto coping medications? She breaks a bone? She gets pregnant? She starts getting migraines? It's a huge risk, as in 4 years, she could develop a new medical condition. One kidney stone is a lifetime disqualification that they won't waiver... if she gets a kidney stone she looses her chance. Now is always the best time to act on ones dreams. She can complete college WHILE in, and for free, and still apply to be an officer. Why wait?

[Jenn672]

I was interested in your response to this post because my son is currently waiting on medical waiver. I would like your opinion on his situation:


He was diagnosed with borderline ADD in elementary school and used 1 medication (patch) once a day through high school. He stopped medication in January 2016 and was cleared by his doctor as not meeting diagnosis criteria any longer. He has had a full time job since graduation with no problems. He has done MEPS and everything else was approved including his Medical by the recruiting command. He was told at MEPS that last thing is the waiver has to be approved by Surgeon General. It's been 5 weeks and he's still waiting. Should we expect an approval soon? The people at MEPS said it was just simple issue and not to worry but it seems like it's taking so long.


Just worried because he is really excited about joining the AF.


Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Originally Posted by dmarie123

OP,

Was she denied for the Asthma or the ADD?

For ADD, they are disqualified:
a. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (314) UNLESS the following criteria
are met:
(1) The applicant has not required an Individualized Education Program or work
accommodations since the age of 14. (lack of medication means nothing if she had an IEP at school. Did she?)
(2) There is no history of comorbid mental disorders. (So that means only ONE diagnois. Was it ADD and something else like depression or adjustment disorder? Lots of times Drs put more than one thing in the medical records, and you may not even know this. Have you reviewed the records?)
(3) The applicant has never taken more than a single daily dosage of medication or has
not been prescribed medication for this condition for more than 24 cumulative months after the
age of 14. (When did she stop medication? Was it after age 14? Was she ever on more than ONE daily dose? More than one daily dose is a permanant disqualification)
(4) During periods off of medication after the age of 14, the applicant has been able to
maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average without accommodations. (Did you prove this with transcripts?)
(5) Documentation from the applicant’s prescribing provider that continued medication
is not required for acceptable occupational or work performance. (Do you have this in the form of MEDICAL RECORDS, NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT a letter... but actual medical records. There is a difference, and it makes a difference)



I hope this helps. She can still apply for the Air Force, as the waiver authority for enlisting is not DODMERB, so there's a chance if you have documentation that all of the above conditions are met. The SG is the waiver authority. He/She wants medical records, not letters from doctors.

[dmarie123]

Originally Posted by Jenn672

I was interested in your response to this post because my son is currently waiting on medical waiver. I would like your opinion on his situation:


He was diagnosed with borderline ADD in elementary school and used 1 medication (patch) once a day through high school. He stopped medication in January 2016 and was cleared by his doctor as not meeting diagnosis criteria any longer. He has had a full time job since graduation with no problems. He has done MEPS and everything else was approved including his Medical by the recruiting command. He was told at MEPS that last thing is the waiver has to be approved by Surgeon General. It's been 5 weeks and he's still waiting. Should we expect an approval soon? The people at MEPS said it was just simple issue and not to worry but it seems like it's taking so long.


Just worried because he is really excited about joining the AF.


Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

You son has an EXCELLENT chance at a waiver if there are not other complex issues with this (like also anxiety or also depression) and if he really only has had 1 medication.

If I had to predict, I would predict that he won't get a waiver YET, but can in another few months. They generally want at least 2-3 years of medication free.

Did you turn in transcripts or a letter from an employer showing success off of medication? If not, the SG will likely return the waiver and ask for this.

I believe, based on this information, that he might not get cleared at this time, but WILL get cleared in a few more months and maybe with a little more documentation. However, there is a chance he can get cleared now. Waivers generally take about 30 business days, but it would have taken MEPS a week or two to send the package so there is a possible the 30 business days started later than you realize. MEPS has to wait for all the blood work to come back as some isn't done in house, and then often only send up waivers once a week.

Good luck!