Any way to know if/when a waiver is requested?

FordMom

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A couple of weeks after being DQd in early January and upon review of the administrative AMI previously requested by DoDMERB, my son received a letter from USMA stating, "the Admissions Committee has qualified your file academically and in physical aptitude," "Your medical status is undetermined at this time," and "Although qualified, you are still competing for admission ...". (He received a congressional nomination in December and a senatorial nomination on 1/29.)

It has been our understanding from the disqualification letter that a waiver would be automatically requested on his behalf in the event admissions found him to be competitive. However, his application status continues to show "complete" and his medical status is"disqualified" on the portal. DoDMERB says "Pending Waiver Submission/Review" as it has for almost 2 months. Is there anyway to know if/when a waiver is requested? Also, should he contact DoDMERB to ask whether there is anything else they need from him or with any other questions?

Your input is greatly appreciated. Good luck to all Candidates, and congratulations to those who have received an appointment!
 
My DS is currently medically DQ'd and he is considered both academically and athletically qualified but not a strong enough candidate to offer him an appointment at this time to initiate a waiver review. My understanding is that we'll receive a LOA and that initiates the waiver process. If he is granted a waiver then he'll receive and offer of appointment. Yay!

The frustrating part for us is that if he gets the TWEs then we'll never know for sure if his medical condition is waiver-worthy and he has some tough decisions to make about applying next year. It's conceivable that he could go through all of this again, get an LOA only to not be granted a waiver. Yikes! That's why we applied to NROTC, USMMA, USNA and USCGA. Currently on medical wait list for USMMA and USNA, got TWE for NROTC. He realizes that if he were to get a LOA from more than one SA he may get a waiver for one and not the other. And that's just fine with him...

Keep us posted...
 
My DS got a letter from WP stating they were seeking a waiver. He also applied to USNA and has heard nothing from them. Are they going thru waiver process for him? Don't know, but doubt it. The dodmerb portal looks the same for both (pending waiver) except WP has kept requesting more info and USNA is crickets. this makes sense as he has nom to WP and not to USNA.
 
My DS is currently medically DQ'd and he is considered both academically and athletically qualified but not a strong enough candidate to offer him an appointment at this time to initiate a waiver review. My understanding is that we'll receive a LOA and that initiates the waiver process. If he is granted a waiver then he'll receive and offer of appointment. Yay!

The frustrating part for us is that if he gets the TWEs then we'll never know for sure if his medical condition is waiver-worthy and he has some tough decisions to make about applying next year. It's conceivable that he could go through all of this again, get an LOA only to not be granted a waiver. Yikes! That's why we applied to NROTC, USMMA, USNA and USCGA. Currently on medical wait list for USMMA and USNA, got TWE for NROTC. He realizes that if he were to get a LOA from more than one SA he may get a waiver for one and not the other. And that's just fine with him...

Keep us posted...

I will. Thank you for your response. How/when did you learn that your son was not a strong enough candidate to initiate a waiver review? Best wishes!
 
It has been our understanding from the disqualification letter that a waiver would be automatically requested on his behalf in the event admissions found him to be competitive.

Ford mom -- my DS was in the exact same position last year with USMA. Our experience from last year is that USMA only submits you for a waiver if they have determined they want you. Just being "competitive" by having a great record is not enough.

We received the same letter with the same wording "Your medical status is undetermined at this time" last year -- which was confusing since we knew for certain that USMA Admissions knew he was DQ and needed a waiver. (We also knew his condition was waiverable by the Army -- eventually he received a medical waiver from Army Cadet Command so he could use his 4 yr Army ROTC scholarship.) In the end USMA never requested a waiver for him -- he was told that they had other candidates on the NWL that better met the needs of USMA -- but they kept him on the list for a possible appointment until late April/early May.

My belief is USMA Admissions uses this wording "medical status is undertermined" for candidates that are "desirable", so they can keep you on the "possible list" in case a slot opens up and they need you to fill a slot. If they officially acknowledge you are DQ, you are done. I have seen letters where they say "the Admissions Committee has qualified your file academically and in physical aptitude, but you have been determined to be medically disqualified and we are closing your file." So the letter you got is better than that one.

Hang in there. I would recommend you have your DS call the USMA RC and very respectfully ask if they are going to put him forward for the waiver, and if not, ask what he can do to improve his record so they will. The answer may be nothing, but at least you and your DS will know where you stand.

Sincere best wishes
 
My DS got a letter from WP stating they were seeking a waiver. He also applied to USNA and has heard nothing from them. Are they going thru waiver process for him? Don't know, but doubt it. The dodmerb portal looks the same for both (pending waiver) except WP has kept requesting more info and USNA is crickets. this makes sense as he has nom to WP and not to USNA.
Thank you. My son received 2 nominations to WP and 1 to USAFA. The physical was initiated by USAFA, and his DoDMERB status is the same for both SAs. He has not heard anything from USAFA regarding a waiver, either. Best of luck!
 
Ford mom -- my DS was in the exact same position last year with USMA. Our experience from last year is that USMA only submits you for a waiver if they have determined they want you. Just being "competitive" by having a great record is not enough.

We received the same letter with the same wording "Your medical status is undetermined at this time" last year -- which was confusing since we knew for certain that USMA Admissions knew he was DQ and needed a waiver. (We also knew his condition was waiverable by the Army -- eventually he received a medical waiver from Army Cadet Command so he could use his 4 yr Army ROTC scholarship.) In the end USMA never requested a waiver for him -- he was told that they had other candidates on the NWL that better met the needs of USMA -- but they kept him on the list for a possible appointment until late April/early May.

My belief is USMA Admissions uses this wording "medical status is undertermined" for candidates that are "desirable", so they can keep you on the "possible list" in case a slot opens up and they need you to fill a slot. If they officially acknowledge you are DQ, you are done. I have seen letters where they say "the Admissions Committee has qualified your file academically and in physical aptitude, but you have been determined to be medically disqualified and we are closing your file." So the letter you got is better than that one.

Hang in there. I would recommend you have your DS call the USMA RC and very respectfully ask if they are going to put him forward for the waiver, and if not, ask what he can do to improve his record so they will. The answer may be nothing, but at least you and your DS will know where you stand.

Sincere best wishes

I appreciate your sharing this information. It is certainly encouraging that his file is still open. Our district is the most competitive in the state, so it makes sense what you're saying about wanting to keep my DS on the "possible list". Even though he received a congressional and senatorial nomination, he knows that there may easily be more qualified candidates for each slot. I am proud that he has made it this far in the process. If he does not receive an appointment, he will be extremely disappointed. In that case, his plan is to accept his scholarships and apply again next year as long as his condition is one that can be waived. The letter said to contact DoDMERB with any questions regarding his medical status, but it sounds like a good idea to call the RC and respectfully ask. Thanks, again! I wish your DS the best in his education and career.
 
"Plan B" for my DS has worked out terrifically. He is thriving at VMI on his 4 yr Army scholarship majoring in Physics. Even walked on to the football team. If they have faith and drive, they end up where they are meant to be. Best wishes.
 
@ForGod&Country if you DS was strong enough to get an LOA, they would be strong enough to have the waiver requested already. The rare exception to this is for recruited athletes that have committed and they use the LOA as a place holder.
 
@ForGod&Country if you DS was strong enough to get an LOA, they would be strong enough to have the waiver requested already. The rare exception to this is for recruited athletes that have committed and they use the LOA as a place holder.
Agreed. We've come to understand that b/c he has a DQ medical condition, should a SA want him he would not get an offer of appointment but a LOA that says if he is determined to be medically qualified he would get an appointment. My terms may be off but the message the same for him nonetheless...his appointment would be conditional.
 
Agreed. We've come to understand that b/c he has a DQ medical condition, should a SA want him he would not get an offer of appointment but a LOA that says if he is determined to be medically qualified he would get an appointment. My terms may be off but the message the same for him nonetheless...his appointment would be conditional.

FG&C -- I don't think you'd get an LOA. You would get a memo from the SA saying they have initiated a waiver request or waiver review. Not the same as the LOA. If waiver was granted, you'd get another memo saying so and probably receive a 3Q letter as well. Then hopefully the appointment would follow.
 
Is there anyway to know if/when a waiver is requested?

FFR can tell if a waiver has been requested. The medical field states as such. Since the RC makes the decision on medical wavier request, best to contact the RC (Regional Commander).
 
"Plan B" for my DS has worked out terrifically. He is thriving at VMI on his 4 yr Army scholarship majoring in Physics. Even walked on to the football team. If they have faith and drive, they end up where they are meant to be. Best wishes.
How wonderful for your DS! Mine is certainly a young man of tremendous faith. He has said throughout this process, "I will keep walking through the doors that God opens." Today, we are paying his admission and housing fees for Plan B- full academic scholarship and an additional $2500 scholarship to their School of Engineering at his all-time favorite university. Not one single thing wrong with that plan. It seems that not only the door has been opened there, but the red carpet rolled out as well. :)
 
FFR can tell if a waiver has been requested. The medical field states as such. Since the RC makes the decision on medical wavier request, best to contact the RC (Regional Commander).
My DS is planning to make that call first thing Monday morning.
How wonderful for your DS! Mine is certainly a young man of tremendous faith. He has said throughout this process, "I will keep walking through the doors that God opens." Today, we are paying his admission and housing fees for Plan B- full academic scholarship and an additional $2500 scholarship to their School of Engineering at his all-time favorite university. Not one single thing wrong with that plan. It seems that not only the door has been opened there, but the red carpet rolled out as well. :)
BTW, this is not his giving up on an SA appointment. It is simply "a bird in the hand" scenario. Freshmen are required to live on campus at the university he chose, and housing is filling up quickly. In order to secure the residence hall and roommate he would want, we have to act now. I hope for his sake it is money wasted.
 
Ford mom -- my DS was in the exact same position last year with USMA. Our experience from last year is that USMA only submits you for a waiver if they have determined they want you. Just being "competitive" by having a great record is not enough.

We received the same letter with the same wording "Your medical status is undetermined at this time" last year -- which was confusing since we knew for certain that USMA Admissions knew he was DQ and needed a waiver. (We also knew his condition was waiverable by the Army -- eventually he received a medical waiver from Army Cadet Command so he could use his 4 yr Army ROTC scholarship.) In the end USMA never requested a waiver for him -- he was told that they had other candidates on the NWL that better met the needs of USMA -- but they kept him on the list for a possible appointment until late April/early May.
My belief is USMA Admissions uses this wording "medical status is undertermined" for candidates that are "desirable", so they can keep you on the "possible list" in case a slot opens up and they need you to fill a slot. If they officially acknowledge you are DQ, you are done. I have seen letters where they say "the Admissions Committee has qualified your file academically and in physical aptitude, but you have been determined to be medically disqualified and we are closing your file." So the letter you got is better than that one.

Hang in there. I would recommend you have your DS call the USMA RC and very respectfully ask if they are going to put him forward for the waiver, and if not, ask what he can do to improve his record so they will. The answer may be nothing, but at least you and your DS will know where you stand.

Sincere best wishes
My belief is USMA Admissions uses this wording "medical status is undertermined" for candidates that are "desirable", so they can keep you on the "possible list" in case a slot opens up and they need you to fill a slot.
In further support of your above stated belief, I just discovered on the 2020 Appointment thread that another Candidate received and accepted the congressional appointment for our district on 1/29. It so happens this is the exact date that my DS received his senatorial nomination. Because our state is so competitive (and our district #1), we were told from the beginning that "if" my DS received a nomination it would be from either a Senator or our Congressman, but not both. Although I think my DS is likely in the same situation as yours was and will not receive a waiver, I do find it interesting that it appears he was given the opportunity to compete for another slot long after being medically DQ'd ...
 
Sounds right. We are from VA Cong district #11 -- 1 of the 2 most competitive districts in the nation for USMA and USNA. Same rules as yours. Can only seek nom to 1 SA and will only get 1 nom.
 
My DS got a letter from WP stating they were seeking a waiver. He also applied to USNA and has heard nothing from them. Are they going thru waiver process for him? Don't know, but doubt it. The dodmerb portal looks the same for both (pending waiver) except WP has kept requesting more info and USNA is crickets. this makes sense as he has nom to WP and not to USNA.

Thank you. Did your DS first receive a letter from his RC similar to my DS, or simply the letter regarding his waiver? Our experience with USAFA has been similar to yours with USNA. Although, we do expect to hear something one way or the other any day. Good luck!
 
Just a short while ago, my DS forwarded the Applicant Reference Document prepared by DoDMERB to me, which states:

5. Service Academies = If you are determined to be “competitive for an offer of appointment” (determined by the Offices of Admissions), medical waiver consideration will be automatically requested on your behalf. You are NOT required to request a medical waiver. Conversely, if you are not competitive for an offer of appointment, either after evaluation or because enough of the application has NOT been completed, there will be no medical waiver consideration. There may be periods in between, where the Admissions office has NOT made this determination yet.
a. Keep in mind that all US Services Academies, require 4 non-negotiable items for admission
1) Selection by Admissions {Academics, College Test scores, extracurricular activities, etc., are considered};
2) Successful passing of the Candidate Fitness Assessment {CFA};
3) Medical qualification by DoDMERB or receipt of a medical waiver by the Academy
4) {Except for the USCGA} a nomination from Member of Congress, the Vice President or the President.
So, depending on where you are in the timeline, prior to 31 Jan of the year you are to be admitted, you must have items 1, 2, and 4 above, completed.

b. No applicant, say again, NO APPLICANT, will ever be denied admission from a US Service Academy because they receive a DoDMERB determination of did NOT meet DoD medical accession standards (particularly, West Point). “IF” you meet 1, 2, and 4 in paragraph 5a above, but receive a DoDMERB determination of “does NOT meet medical accession standards,” Admissions will automatically request medical waiver consideration to begin for you.

Because the letter my DS received from his RC states that the "Admissions Committee" qualified his file, he (mis)interpreted that to mean that his file was actually put to a vote, and that he had met 1, 2, and 4 above. For this reason, he understood a waiver would be automatically requested. Some other place he read that files are "qualified" BEFORE they go to the Admissions Committee, but cannot locate that source. (His Medical Technician at DoDMERB says that his records, including the remedial, were forwarded to the SAs, but no action appears to have been taken.) The letter also says he is qualified, but still competing for appointment. Is this different from being "competitive for an offer of appointment"? Numbers 2 and 4 are definitely done, so he thinks that "Selection by Admissions" must mean something else, such as an LOA.

Forgive me for being repetitive, this is the first time that my DS has asked for my help throughout this process. Unfortunately, I am at a complete loss in interpreting these things. Thank you all for your patience and insight!
 
The "Applicant Reference Document" has been posted on the DoDMERB website for a while.

IMHO, based on our experience last year, is that the statement of: "b. No applicant, say again, NO APPLICANT, will ever be denied admission from a US Service Academy because they receive a DoDMERB determination of did NOT meet DoD medical accession standards (particularly, West Point). “IF” you meet 1, 2, and 4 in paragraph 5a above, but receive a DoDMERB determination of “does NOT meet medical accession standards,” Admissions will automatically request medical waiver consideration to begin for you." is out of date. SAs have become more competitive. We were basically informed of this last year by our USMA admissions RC. There is no "automatic". The SAs only put forward for waiver those they want that meet the needs of the SA. Happy to discuss via PM if desired.
 
The "Applicant Reference Document" has been posted on the DoDMERB website for a while.

IMHO, based on our experience last year, is that the statement of: "b. No applicant, say again, NO APPLICANT, will ever be denied admission from a US Service Academy because they receive a DoDMERB determination of did NOT meet DoD medical accession standards (particularly, West Point). “IF” you meet 1, 2, and 4 in paragraph 5a above, but receive a DoDMERB determination of “does NOT meet medical accession standards,” Admissions will automatically request medical waiver consideration to begin for you." is out of date. SAs have become more competitive. We were basically informed of this last year by our USMA admissions RC. There is no "automatic". The SAs only put forward for waiver those they want that meet the needs of the SA. Happy to discuss via PM if desired.

It's unfortunate that it is still on DoDMERB's website. :( I discussed your DS's experience from last year with mine. Needless to say, he is concerned and confused. After seeing the form he sent to me, I understand. Tomorrow, I will tell him that the form is out-of-date. Thanks, again.
 
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