I need some advice...

USMA2016

Appointee - Class of 2016
5-Year Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2010
Messages
518
I was filling out the medical history online for DoDMERB and I came across two questions. The first asked if I have ever broken any bones and the second asked if I had ever had pins or plates in bones. In my sophomore year I broke my left middle finger wrestling and I had to have surgery to set it and I had pins in it for a few months. Now I have no hardware in my finger and it is 100% healed.

That being said, I wanted to mark 'yes' for both of those questions on the medical history. However, my dad is saying that I should mark 'no' so I won't have any chance of dealing with waivers or anything. I trust his opinion as he is a Navy Dentist but, at the same time, I just don't feel comfortable lying on this form. West Point (or any SA for that matter) is going to require my medical history eventually so won't they find out that I lied if I mark 'no' on that medical history form? What should I do?
 
In my sophomore year I broke my left middle finger wrestling and I had to have surgery to set it and I had pins in it for a few months.

You should answer truthfully. "We will not lie, steal, or cheat nor tolerate anyone among us anyone who does."

If you have ever had a broken bone then put that down. Same if you ever had pins. Now, next week I would start requesting medical records from your physician that relate to this injury so you will be prepared to request a waiver if it is required.
 
You should be able to say that you only had the hardware in your finger for a short time on the form, which can hopefully keep you from needing a waiver. It would be good to get the records, though - I would assume such a waiver to be simple.
 
Everything that's been said here is on-target! :thumb:

Be truthful in EVERY form you fill out...there could be legal issues down the road on some...and you DO NOT want that EVER! :hammer:

That being said, IMHO, and I am NOT a military physician, a DODMERB official, etc...I would think this would "most likely" be a non-issue in that:

a. Yes, you broke a bone. They're going to want to know what bone, what happened, what was done to correct it, are there any lingering affects, issues, etc? NO you say? Hmm...non-event perhaps?

b. Any "hardware" used to correct the problem? YES you say? Hmm...is it still there (I think one of the DODMERB folks said that could be a DQ, but I can't swear to it) NO you say? OH...

Again, IMHO, I think honest answers simply will get a few more questions and that'll be that.

BUT....for "THE WORD" you need to contact DODMERB. They are THE experts and can give you the absolute answer.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
The truth shall set you free.

You should disclose everything. The questions all ask, "Have you ever had or do you have..."

I might suggest obtaining and reviewing your medical records before completing the package. They helped jog our memory. So we are disclosing things like mild acne (his only medication ever), one episode of wheezing at age 9 mos (cleared with one oral albuterol treatment), a tooth that was removed prior to orthodontics, and a sprained ankle because there was an x-ray and the form asked about it.

I'd answer every question truthfully to the best of your recollection and let DodMERB do their job.

Good luck getting to West Point!
 
Alright thank you for agreeing with me on this, it really irks me that my dad is advocating lying on this, but this is why he's adamant that I shouldn't mark the broken finger. He says that if I get approved from DoDMERB (marking 'no' for broken bones) and then when I send in my medical records prior to plebe year (assuming I get an appointment) that USMA and the Army will not notice the discrepancy because DoDMERB does not send their records to the whole military medical system/tricare. He claims that DoDMERB just sends a 'go'/'no go' answer and then healthcare is in the army's hands.

To clarify, he is essentially saying that, were I to get in, DoDMERB would never tell the Army that I said that I've never broken a finger. They would just say that I'm medically qualified. So, when I send my medical records to West Point they would see the broken finger but assume that DoDMERB cleared it.

Do you know if this is true? What would West Point do when you show up for beast and they notice you have a broken finger on your record that wasn't caught by DoDMERB?

However, my dad does make a good analogy in his defense. As a dentist, he remarked on the question inquiring on past dental problems. He says that many probably mark 'no' on that yet they show up on R-Day and have probably had cavities, gum disease, and maybe even a root canal or two. Yet they don't have any problems.

I see his point there, but it bothers me that he wants me to fraud the forms.
 
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And this is the reason that Navy Medicine Staff officers (Medical Corps/Dental Corps/Nurse Corps/Medical Service Corp/etc) get such a poor rap amongst the line officers for their military bearing.

Nothing more needs to really be said about that except the fact that the 3 Navy Core Values really apply here: Honor, Courage, Commitment. Have the honor to fill out the forms correctly and have the courage to do the right thing even when nobody is looking or when someone tells you to do something else.

And oh by the way, yes, sometimes the DoDMERB exam forms do end up in your record and sure enough I have caught more than one person who has said one thing on an accession exam and marked something completely different on an aviation applicant exam (btw that never goes over well and I do everything in my power as a flight surgeon to make sure that applicant does not get an aviation slot if it was done on purpose).

So ask your father this: what are the core values of the Navy? (okay, don't really do that :smile:)

You can never go wrong by being honest. There is a difference between not knowing that a cavity constitutes "past dental problems" and blatantly omitting a known issue.

As to what could the Army do? Well technically they could separate you for fraudulent enlistment, but in reality they'd probably nod their heads, mark it in your medical record and say nothing more.
 
how should I go about explaining over-protective parents? I fell back and hit my head in 7th grade p.e...(there was a cut and some swelling,but i felt fine) and they ordered MRI, Cat scan...ecg's- the works because I said I had a headache afterwords. same thing with a knee sprain while playing soccer.

on my records it shows "head injury" so i have to disclose it...but it shows the tests as well (which came back negative for everything,even a concussion)

Help? :smile:
 
As to what could the Army do? Well technically they could separate you for fraudulent enlistment, but in reality they'd probably nod their heads, mark it in your medical record and say nothing more.

I'm curious, why would they just let it slide like that? I feel like the Army and the military in general is rooted in a sense of honor and it wouldn't be right to let that go...

(BTW I'm marking the broken finger... hopefully it all works out :frown:)
 
You've gotten some very good advice--be honest! During the first few days of CBT you will be given a physical. Just imagine yourself trying to explain why you did not disclose the finger injury/surgery/pins etc--you will have established yourself as not being honest within the first week. I think there is a section on the form to explain your injury etc. and that you now have full function etc. Get copies of your records for this incident and also have your doc write a letter stating that you are completely healed and have full range of motion, and use of your finger to have at the ready to fax if Dodmerb needs more documentation. Good luck, it'll be ok
 
During the first few days of CBT you will be given a physical. Just imagine yourself trying to explain why you did not disclose the finger injury/surgery/pins etc

Just curious (again), how would they be able to find out that I broke my finger just because of a physical?
 
Well, probably the most obvious would be any sort of small scar on your finger, or the way it flexes or extends. Look, I was very tempted like your dad to give the same advice. DS had a small pebble removed from his knee, It wasn't major surgery but his patella needed to be inspected since the pebble had been rubbing up against it. We did report it to Dodmerb, had to submit some documentation, and it all worked out. I think about if he had lied--on my advice, and then got found out, and possibly dismissed-- What a horrible thing to own. If it came down to being honest and dq'd at least you can look yourself in the mirror. BG Rapp always tells the cadets especially the NC's--never, never give away your integrity. It is your most precious possession.
 
well I'm definitely marking the broken finger, but, still, I'm disappointed in the system. I feel like if I wanted to get away with it I probably could. It's disheartening.
 
well I'm definitely marking the broken finger, but, still, I'm disappointed in the system. I feel like if I wanted to get away with it I probably could. It's disheartening.

Why?

I ask this, in all seriousness, why does this bother you? And here's why I say this.

"...I feel like if I wanted to get away with it I probably could."

But WHY would you want to?

I completely understand the desire to enter a service academy, I truly do as I was denied entrance out of high school. I ended up spending a year in prep school and then went through all the fear/anxiety of testing, waiting, etc...knowing that the classes I was taking would NOT count for ANY college in America if I did not gain an appointment.

But is your own sense of integrity such that you COULD just put down a false answer? I realize that there is the possibility that by marking that you have broken a bone, and that "inplants" were temporarily used to stabilize the injury, but have been since removed and you've had no ill affects since...this MIGHT add a bit of scrutiny to your package.

SO WHAT?

Okay...so perhaps you have to send in past medical paperwork, there's some waiting involved, etc...etc...then they say "You are DQ because of..." And then they explain the procedures to "rebut with additional medical information" or how a waiver is requested, if that's a "player."

And then you do all of that and they come back with: "You're now qualified!"

So it adds a little time to your application...but your integrity is intact. And trust me...once given away freely, your integrity is something you can't just "reinstate" at will.

Do the right thing, as you said you will...and just be prepared to answer any questions. The big one to me is what I stated at the beginning of this.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
Well I completely agree.

I don't want to lie at all and I'm not going to. I'm disappointed because that means that the possibility is there for anyone to fake their way through DoDMERB without potentially any negative consequences. It kind of destroys the whole purpose of it.
 
Wrestling is the worlds best sport! You didn't happen to be in Fargo this year did you because if you were I might have seen you there? For the finger deal, I would just explain it in the remarks section and since the pins are no longer there you should be fine but might need a waiver.
 
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