two questions -- nominations and color-blindness

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Jan 31, 2016
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Hi there,
DS was given two nominations - one from congressman and one from senator for USNA. The week before, we was sent the DODSMER notification that he would be considered for a waiver for red-green color deficiency.

Question 1: Is the fact he has two nominations (from MA and it seems pretty competitive) helpful in any way when he comes before the admissions panel?

Question 2: He can tell the difference between red and green -- but not in those pictures he is shown at the eye doctor appointments. When the eye doctor held up two pens (one red and one green) DS was able to identify the colors. Will the Academy reject him outright JUST based on this?

Thanks in advance for your time!
 
Red/Green is critical for some naval warfare areas. A handful of waivers are given every year, accompanied by information that certain warfare paths will be closed and what ones will be open. The medical review team that works with Admissions and Big Navy Medical and DODMERB will work their way down a list of candidates with noms, whether 1 or more. By this point, how many noms and what flavor is not critical to the decision.

The medical folks who review all the documents are professional, caring folks. Often the Brigade Medical Officer is a USNA grad, who knows how long the application journey is. As always, the needs of the Navy will come first in the selection of candidates.
 
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I can't answer question two, nor will I attempt to even speculate, as these decisions are normally on a case-by-case basis. As far as the first question, that plays absolutely no role in the medical qualification. Waivers must be approved by the Superintendent and he has absolutely no clue (nor would he even take into consideration) about nomination status. As far as the Board/scholastic qualification, medical and nomination status is never considered or discussed -- meaning, their decision is not influenced (for better or worse) by it.
 
Question 1: Is the fact he has two nominations (from MA and it seems pretty competitive) helpful in any way when he comes before the admissions panel?

Number of nominations and source are not deciding factors in admissions decisions. One is enough, and one is good enough. Two isn't better.


Question 2: He can tell the difference between red and green -- but not in those pictures he is shown at the eye doctor appointments. When the eye doctor held up two pens (one red and one green) DS was able to identify the colors. Will the Academy reject him outright JUST based on this?

Because SWO and flight jobs require full color perception, any color-vision deficits are disqualifying for USNA. Some color-vision deficits are waiverable, but if he gets in on a waiver, he most likely will not qualify for USN unrestricted-line jobs and will have to go restricted-line or USMC. None of us can say for sure what the color-vision deficits are or what his chances are, other than "very slim." Each year, USNA offers waivers to a handful (15?-30?) of very highly-qualified people. If he fails the color-perception test, DoDMERB will disqualify him. The SA - in this case USNA - makes decisions whether to offer a waiver.
 
Red/Green is critical for some naval warfare areas. A handful of waivers are given every year, accompanied by information that certain warfare paths will be closed and what ones will be open. The medical review team that works with Admissions and Big Navy Medical and DODMERB will work their way down a list of candidates with noms, whether 1 or more. By this point, how many noms and what flavor is not critical to the decision.

The medical folks who review all the documents are professional, caring folks. Often the Brigade Medical Officer is a USNA grad, who knows how long the application journey is. As always, the needs of the Navy will come first in the selection of candidates.
Thanks so much for this -- the doctor who performed the eye exam was really lovely and my DS felt positive afterwards. We knew this might come up, so now we will wait patiently. . . Thanks again!
 
Number of nominations and source are not deciding factors in admissions decisions. One is enough, and one is good enough. Two isn't better.




Because SWO and flight jobs require full color perception, any color-vision deficits are disqualifying for USNA. Some color-vision deficits are waiverable, but if he gets in on a waiver, he most likely will not qualify for USN unrestricted-line jobs and will have to go restricted-line or USMC. None of us can say for sure what the color-vision deficits are or what his chances are, other than "very slim." Each year, USNA offers waivers to a handful (15?-30?) of very highly-qualified people. If he fails the color-perception test, DoDMERB will disqualify him. The SA - in this case USNA - makes decisions whether to offer a waiver.
Thanks for your reply -- this was a reason he did not even consider Air Force or flight as a path for himself. We will see (no pun intended, of course)!
 
I can't answer question two, nor will I attempt to even speculate, as these decisions are normally on a case-by-case basis. As far as the first question, that plays absolutely no role in the medical qualification. Waivers must be approved by the Superintendent and he has absolutely no clue (nor would he even take into consideration) about nomination status. As far as the Board/scholastic qualification, medical and nomination status is never considered or discussed -- meaning, their decision is not influenced (for better or worse) by it.
Thanks for this -- as an outsider, it's so hard to figure out all of the pieces of the process!
 
I can't answer question two, nor will I attempt to even speculate, as these decisions are normally on a case-by-case basis. As far as the first question, that plays absolutely no role in the medical qualification. Waivers must be approved by the Superintendent and he has absolutely no clue (nor would he even take into consideration) about nomination status. As far as the Board/scholastic qualification, medical and nomination status is never considered or discussed -- meaning, their decision is not influenced (for better or worse) by it.
Thanks for your post! I appreciate your time!
 
If I remember correctly USNA caps color deficiency waivers at 20/class. I did see in the appt thread that an appointee had a waiver already. All he can do at this point is wait and hope for the best! As mentioned, more than likely, unless he is not found color deficient at his pre-commissioning physical (which is more in depth than DODMERB), he will be going restricted line or USMC.
 
If I remember correctly USNA caps color deficiency waivers at 20/class. I did see in the appt thread that an appointee had a waiver already. All he can do at this point is wait and hope for the best! As mentioned, more than likely, unless he is not found color deficient at his pre-commissioning physical (which is more in depth than DODMERB), he will be going restricted line or USMC.
Thanks for your reply -- here's so hoping that he makes it that far!
 
Thanks for your reply -- here's so hoping that he makes it that far!
My son received a waiver two weeks ago, and the BFE came today. Here's what we know about this process. First, it's largely out of your hands. Admissions decides to go for the waiver or not. We don't know why they initiated the waiver process when they did or why it was granted now. We believed he was a very competitive candidate before this, but as he is a midsib, we've been through the application process before. We know almost everyone who makes it through the nomination process is competitive. Nevertheless, if admissions goes forward to the point of asking for and getting a waiver for color deficiency, you are in good shape. Best of luck to you, and if you have any questions, I'll try to answer them.
 
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