Is there anything I can do?

I received an LOA last month (21 March) stating that I have a conditional appointment contingent upon me getting a medical waiver. I have yet to hear anything regarding my case. I have contacted my BGO, the Medical Office at USNA, my regional director, and DODMERB, all of which reply, "We are taking you through the medical waiver process "now"." In this case, now is relative considering I've been sitting on the edge of my chair for a month. I was wondering If anyone knows when the latest date is that I could possibly hear anything about me getting a waiver? We are only 2 months away from I-Day and I would like to know relatively soon. Is there anyone I can contact who may know something who I have not listed above? Any information would be a great help!

You have done what you can.

HopefulCandidate19 said:

I received an LOA last month (21 March) stating that I have a conditional appointment contingent upon me getting a medical waiver. I have yet to hear anything regarding my case. I have contacted my BGO, the Medical Office at USNA, my regional director, and DODMERB, all of which reply, "We are taking you through the medical waiver process "now"." In this case, now is relative considering I've been sitting on the edge of my chair for a month. I was wondering If anyone knows when the latest date is that I could possibly hear anything about me getting a waiver? We are only 2 months away from I-Day and I would like to know relatively soon. Is there anyone I can contact who may know something who I have not listed above? Any information would be a great help!

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Trust in the process. I believe you have done all you can. The USNA wants to give you an appointment and they are working through your medical file. Believe me, they want you to be qualified and will do their best. As long as you have provided all pertinent information, they should have all they need to make their decision. If you have anything to add, do so in a letter through Dodmerb...check with Mr. Larry Mullen on that. I believe sometimes it is helpful to have a letter from the candidate stating how whatever the disqualifying condition was has not impaired your ability to participate in all aspects of athletics, academics and general "life." I hope this helps! Good luck and keep us posted!

If you don't sharing, what are you having to get waived?

It depends on what you need the waiver for. If you are waiting for a time period to pass (i.e., 6 months after surgery), it could be days before I-Day before you get your all clear. If it's something else, you SHOULD hear by mid-May -- that's the word I'm getting from my Regional Coordinator re medical issues.

Note: Please do NOT post info your medical issue unless you really want to. It's not one's business but your own.

Thank you for the insight. Any news is good news, even If it is finding out I may have to wait until mid-May. I guess I have to sit around and wait like I've been doing. I did write a letter to the USNA Medical Office explaining that my condition does not affect me in the least. I was born with uncorrectable 20/20 in my right eye. I do, however, have 20/20 in my left eye. I have a drivers license, i'm physically active, I have qualified in a range, etc. There is nothing that someone can do who has perfect vision that I can't (except become a pilot, which I don't want to do). The academy knows that, and I hope they can see through my condition and see the "whole" me. My case is out of my hands. I have done everything I can possibly do, now all I can do is pray. Thanks again for everyone's insight, any encouragement along this bumpy road is quite helpful!

usna1985 said:

Note: Please do NOT post info your medical issue unless you really want to. It's not one's business but your own.

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You are correct. I was merely asking to comment with the same perspective that you gave, anything with DoDMERB depends on the severity. Early in my application I had to receive a waiver for earwax, yes earwax, even though my hearing was fine. In this situation it was easy to receive a waiver (had to go to the doctor and get my ears cleaned), but I know for others it is not nearly as simple.

I hope you can easily get a waiver so that you can join the rest of 2015 come June 30th.

GO NAVY!!!

Well I'll keep my word and keep you posted. I got my waiver denied letter today--very sad day in my house. My NROTC scholarship was also taken away because of the waiver issue as well. Although I am extremely dissapointed, I know I did everything I could. USNA is just not meant to be I guess. I will not give up on my dreams. I will definetely pursue OCS after college. A lot can happen in four years. I have learned that if you put your mind to what you really want, you can have it, but God intervenes for the best. Im on a different path now. I know, however, that although this has not gone according to plan, It will work out in the end. Thank you again for everyone's support.

Hey bud, I'm in the class of 2013. I actually ran into the same exact problem when I was applying and did not find out until just about this time that my waiver was approved. My condition was pretty much disqualifying for service period, but a letter from my doctor( a Navy Commander at Balboa NMC), who basically said my seizures were a 1 time, isolated incident, may have helped.

I'm not sure if the medical waiver process has changed, but each service academy and ROTC had an individual medical waiver process during my app process which was only a few years ago. At this point, I had received LoAs from USAFA and USNA, as well as AFROTC and NROTC scholarships pending a medical waiver. I ended up receiving individual letters from each org. The only one that had ended up giving me a waiver was USNA, while AFROTC, NROTC, and USAFA had all denied a medical waiver. I'm not exactly sure who you received denials from, but from my experience receiving one from NROTC, and them rescinding your scholarship is not hope lost for the academy. The DODMERB process is a bit weird, but I hope my experience and explanation may shed a little light on the situation and possibly a little hope if you have not yet received a letter from USNA deciding your medical waiver "fate".

Hotshot44,
Yes, unfortunately the waiver denied letter I received yesterday was from USNA. I did send a letter in from my doctor several weeks ago, and I also wrote a letter to the superintendent, but I guess those did not help. I did everything I could; USNA is just not on my path. My NROTC scholarship was denied a few weeks ago as well, because they did not give me a waiver. My only option now is to attend a university (which I am fortunate enough to have several academic scholarships for) and then try for Navy OCS. A lot can happen in four years, so I'm hoping that will be a viable option. Thank you for sharing your story--best of luck with the rest of your studies.