Disqualification/waiver question

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pillowman

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I posted this on the USMA page, and copied and pasted it here to hopefully get some insight.

My DS just received a disqualification from DoDMERB and his status says to stand by for Regional commander to determine if USMA will request a waiver. His application is complete. He has already turned in the nomination packets to the congressmen and waiting to have an interview. My question is this: at what point will the determination be made as to whether or not a waiver will be requested? After that, at what point will a determination be made whether the waiver is granted for the medical conditions specified? He had a separated shoulder from a pole vault accident his freshman year. No issues since, though. Got 21 pullups on the CFA during SLE in June and he bench presses 325 lb, so it doesn't bother him. The other issue is high frequency hearing loss in his left ear. It falls within "normal" range, but is not within DoDMERB standards.
My older son is USMA 2018, but he passed the DoDMERB, so I don't really know what to expect. My 2020 candidate has a very strong resume, and I think he has a very good chance of getting the appointment if he can get medically qualified(waivered). Does anybody have any insight as to what he should expect?
 
From our experience last year, whether he is put forward for a medical waiver by West Point will depend on several factors.

Where does your son rank in the pool of candidates from your Congressional District? Is he a recruited athlete? Are you from an area of the country that is under-represented at West Point? Are you from an ethnic group or gender group that is under represented at West Point? The answers to those questions will determine a lot.

My DS completed his West Point application within 30 days of the portal opening. We, and West Point, knew in Aug from DoDMERB that he would need a medical waiver. My DS had a very good record (as evidence, he was selected in January by Army ROTC for one of the few, 600 nation-wide, 4-year national scholarships awarded last year -- the stats to get one of the 4 yr scholarships is about as difficult as qualifying for West Point -- but ROTC doesn't have a geographic selection component like Service Academies and they select you before they look at your medical.). My DS also got one of the Virginia District 11 Congressional Nominations. Other threads on this forum identify Virginia District 11 and District 10 as the 2 most competitive districts in the country for USNA and West Point. In the end, the West Point Regional Commander never requested a medical wavier for my DS, mainly because he wasn't a "principal nom," and he didn't fall into one of the categories mentioned above that met the "needs of West Point". However, all ended well -- Army ROTC did request and grant the required medical waiver so my DS gets his dream to serve as an officer in the military.

My belief is you will hear soon if they are going to request a medical waiver for your DS. They may wait to see if he gets a Congressional Nomination. If after that they keep putting you off, make sure you have a good plan B ready. We did and it is working out fine. Best of luck.
 
Falcon A,
Thanks for the insight; that's what I was looking for. He has some good options for a plan B, so it's not terribly worrisome. I'm not really sure what to expect as far as timing, though. He is not a recruited athlete, and not from an under represented group. I don't really think our congressional district is extremely competitive, however, so that may help. His resume looks similar to my 2018 cadet's, and he is currently ranked in the top 5% of his class at USMA. At this point, there is nothing else to do except interview for the nomination and then wait and see if USMA requests a waiver. In the meantime, plan it out as if West Point is not in the picture. Everything will work out fine for him, but USMA is by far his number one priority, so I hope he gets that opportunity.
 
If the candidate just received his DODMERB notification, you have to give some time for the Regional commander to make a decision the medical wavier request. As Falcon A stated, the competitiveness will deteremine if a medical wavier will be requested or not. Contact the RC about two weeks from now and ask if a medical waiver will be requested or not.
 
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