DoD MERB Remedial Requested?

Milly

5-Year Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2016
Messages
109
So my youngin' has completed the entire USNA application including BGO interview. DoDMERB exams finished. Just checked online portal at DoDMERB and see the message: Remedial Requested. When/how will further information be made available? The medical record was just examined today and there is no code so there is no way to tell if it is an administrative remedial review or a medical one.
 
Milly, since my son had the same thing happen I feel comfortable asking.
My sons didn't have a code, and I was very confused. Someone here suggested I call DODMERB. Guess what? Concorde had missed a page, I called them, let them know and they took care of it right away.
So don't panic, maybe wait till Monday to see if something shows online or in mail, and give them a call and ask.
 
When/how will further information be made available?
Be patient, it can take up to a week before DoDMERB portal is updated. If you don't want to wake that long, just give your assigned tech a call and he/she can give you the explanation over the phone. An official letter will arrive in the mail after the DoDMERB medical review. Hope this helps.
 
Why are parents calling? This is your DS/DD's application...let them call and be by their side to assist. This is an opportunity for them to own their application and learn a thing or two. Additionally, DS/DD should be the ones checking their portal.

My son went back to school, I had time during the day to resolve it. His application is complete and has been, and yes I sat with him as he gathered his MOC items to go down that list with him and ensure he had everything. We looked at his portal together to ensure he didn't forget anything...that's what parents do, we guide and assist in times as needed.
If you think parents aren't helping kids out with the process for this or even college applications, that's not realistic. Just because a child needs assistance with something doesn't mean they aren't "committed". It doesn't mean the parents are making them apply. It means they know that if something is confusing they know how to ask for assistance. Which is what they should do now and during their academy time before they get in over their heads, whether it be schoolwork, athletics, etc.
We as parents should be here to help and guide as much as possible, make sure they are fully knowing what they endeavor to do and are doing it for the right reasons.
I will not feel badly for helping him thru this process and as someone stated before, as ready as they are, they are still learning.
 
I don't disagree on assisting (in fact, it is exactly what I said). However, unless there are unusual family circumstances, candidates are very capable of calling DODMERB, MOC staffs, BGOs, Admissions Counselors, etc. on their own (nothing wrong with a parent listening in right next to them). When I see a lot of "I's" from parents or checking of their DS/DD's portal...it raises flags (notice I said raises flags) on who is completing the application...in fact, I think it probably raises a lot of flags for BGOs and/or alumni. I am not pointing fingers of "over-parenting" at anyone in particular...I am suggesting that parents let their DS/DD run with their application...assist, where needed...but let them do the execution to the maximum extent possible. Let them own their application.
 
So I had typed a long post but deleted it. Here is the short version: (1) Please check my original post - WHO checked the online portal? No pronoun in that sentence. (2) The mystery that motivated the original post has been resolved via email communications between my daughter and the DoDMERB contact person. Request for medical records is underway. (3) This forum would be more useful if there were less rush to judgement and less fear mongering. Even the experts among us (this does not include me) could consider offering a less judgmental tone. In the end, some of our children will become midshipmen and some will not and the reasons for those disparate outcomes, in most cases, will never be known. I believe strongly that "red flags" will play little to no role in the process. (4) When school is in session, students who participate in extracurricular activities are in school during every single business hour of the day, making it tough to make phone calls during business hours. (5) Never fear - my kid WANTS this. Me? Only because SHE WANTS it. She has owned this from day one and she will handle this marathon application process better than I. (6) QED. (added for comic relief)
 
Last edited:
I have been involved in the admissions process since I was a midshipman...that's about 10 years now...5 as a BGO. You can look at my post as finger pointing, "fear mongering" and judgmental or you can look at it as advice. It is up to you to choose how to view it, but I know how 99% of the individuals on this forum see my posts. Also, given the number of candidates who dropped from plebe summer, I would expect there be closer scrutiny on these "flags" and motivational aspects of candidates.

When school is in session, students who participate in extracurricular activities are in school during every single business hour of the day, making it tough to make phone calls during business hours...The mystery that motivated the original post has been resolved via email communications between my daughter and the DoDMERB contact person.

I am glad that your daughter is leading the charge and found a way to get the job done. This is how it SHOULD be done.
 
Sigh. So I'm in the 1% of the readership of this forum that is unable or unwilling to view your posts properly?

With sincere respect - my post above is not intended as a personal attack. Clearly you viewed it as such - for that, I apologize. I appreciate your role in this forum. And more importantly, I appreciate your service to the USNA and our nation. And ironically, I totally agree with your point that the applicant must own this process and show that ownership by taking primary responsibility for most if not all tasks involved, with my added caveats -- to the extent possible given schedules, the complexity of the task, etc. I get that, in the military world, you'd be my superior and I wouldn't be in the position of offering you advice because I'm not your equal. Nonetheless, I HAD thought that, given the nature of these forums, it would be okay for me to offer feedback. After all, you ARE the expert here. But I am an intended recipient of your truly expert advice. Surely it is useful to get a feel for HOW a member of this forum is "hearing" you, an action that is not really chosen but more based on human psychology? Even if I AM that absolutely CRAZY 1%!

The issue of "flags" is a tough one - looking for signals of lack of commitment on the part of the applicant can be tough. Speaking in my own profession's jargon - this "thing".......commitment and true desire to serve.......this really can't be observed or known with certainty by the admissions committee in the same way that academic achievement or physical fitness can be measured and thus known. It can only be guessed at, in a sense, and the committee does its best, based on the information at its disposal. Realistically, how would the committee ever have information about whether a parent called an admissions counselor once, during business hours, to ask a time sensitive question?

I guess my concern about how this thread evolved is this: Collecting all of those "flags" would be an impossible data collection effort. The admissions committee doesn't know these things, even if it WISHES it could know. But, again using the jargon of my profession, even if the committee could observe these "flags," how useful or reliable an indicator of applicant commitment is each one of these flags? If Mom calls the medical folks on behalf of little Johnny, nobody is jotting that down and notifying the admissions committee. And if they WERE, my goodness what a "noisy signal" of commitment that would be! The issue with flags is that they are everywhere. Each applicant will "trip a flag" every now and then. And each one of those flags is not equal - a parent calling a BGO surely is ill-advised at best; a parent logging into an applicant portal to look for information is an action that is invisible to the admissions committee and surely irrelevant in that search for reliable predictors of applicant commitment.

All I know is that, when I read your post on flags, it made ME feel defensive, which diminished the effectiveness of your advice and I thought it would be useful to convey that to you. Or maybe I was just annoyed and so convinced myself of the usefulness of my response. Either way, I conveyed my feelings to you, which generated your response above. I was surprised by the tone of your post. I regret my role in this exchange. And I graciously concede defeat.

GO NAVY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
The flags I'm talking about are indications that parents might be doing more of the application than the candidate. Flags are warning signs not necessarily true positives (which is why I used that term...as I said I wasn't trying to specifically point fingers). There is no calculation that admissions does...for many of the reasons you cited. This isn't the first or last time a BGO or alumni has made this suggestion about this topic. Based on what I have seen on these forums (as a whole) and with other candidates/parents is why I wanted to jump in...especially when I saw one parent saying they made the call and what might have been a parent checking the portal...it had nothing to do with accusing anyone...rather reminding/advising that the candidate should do the work. Yes, someone from Admissions isn't watching over their back...but it also is a learning experience for them and builds their own confidence. If parents are leading the application it does a disservice to their DS/DD and I wanted to make sure that was not the case. It is good for all parents and candidates to be aware of this...if parents become more involved with a BGO or admissions counselor, it does become noticeable (I have had admissions counselors mention this) and it could have an affect. At the end of the day I want to make sure parents and candidates are getting the best advice. I apologize if it was misconstrued...but that was the intent! No hard feelings.
 
Wow, that got out of control fast! I will say when my daughter went through DODMERB she did 99% of it, the paperwork (she did seek counsel a few times to get opinions), the exam, the follow up, however, yes I called Concorde, and I will tell you why, these kids are in high school and when they want an answer (especially when they are nervous as to why it says, hold, remedial, etc) it is okay to ask for help, and a parent is an appropriate person to ask. In addition, with a 3 hour time difference for us, by the time she got out of school, they would be closed for the day. So I definitely respect both sides, however, I would too of been offended if I had posted, "I called Concorde today and they said..." and someone had ASSUMED that meant I was doing everything, I don't think any of us feel the need to explain all the steps it took to get to that phone call.

In the end, they go off on their own, and it all works out., even if they have had some assistance along the way. At some point that ends, and it is all good. My daughter leaves for school tomorrow, so crazy it has gone this fast. Good luck to everyone going through DODMERB, it can take awhile and be a frustrating process, but it will not go on forever, I promise.
 
For the sake of completeness - back up to the original post for this thread ---- the remedial was for paperwork; paperwork submitted; now new paperwork has been reviewed and the applicant is QUALIFIED. Yea! Of course, the temptation for bubble wrap and denial of physician medical care for anything except perhaps visibly broken bones.....will have to be managed, somehow. Kidding, of course.
 
For the sake of completeness - back up to the original post for this thread ---- the remedial was for paperwork; paperwork submitted; now new paperwork has been reviewed and the applicant is QUALIFIED. Yea! Of course, the temptation for bubble wrap and denial of physician medical care for anything except perhaps visibly broken bones.....will have to be managed, somehow. Kidding, of course.

Kidding, but not kidding right? It is hard to let them go have a normal senior year after getting the qualified status! I know how that feels! Once the paperwork from the Department of Defense comes and says that everything needs to be reported and to check with them before dong any elective surgery, it got real for my DD at that point too!
 
So here is a question: When does that paperwork from the DoD come? Right now, we just see the qualified status on her DoD portal. Second, exactly what is the reporting requirement? Is there language online someplace? Just curious because active kids have aches and pains all the time and I really do wonder if/when my child should see a doctor for absolutely anything! My daughter now is working hard on her nomination applications, but with this DoD MERB qualified and an LOA in hand, it just feels like still SO MUCH can go wrong. On the up side, I do worry more than she does -- she's pursuing multiple backup plans, just in case.
 
@Milly here is the text from the USAFA website:
Note that the medical qualification for Academy entrance is based on the assumption that your DODMERB medical examination reflects your true medical status. You can ensure this by IMMEDIATELY reporting any change in your medical status (injury, physical or mental illness or diagnosis of a new condition) to DODMERB at 1-719-333-3562, after you have finished your examination.

When you get your "qualified" letter from DoDMERB it will have similar if not exactly the same language.

You would think it would be simple and clear cut in defining "change" but take a look at this thread from the past. The interpretation is not the same for everyone. https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/reporting-an-injury-after-dodmerb-exam.45026/
 
It IS complicated. For my kid, all is good right now. But she is so active and every now and then, like any athlete, has aches and pains and as a parent, it is up to me to determine when an ache/pain crosses that threshold for requiring a medical appointment. It just seems to me, given her goal of attending Navy, that the "do I make a doctor appointment for her" threshold may have shifted.
 
Back
Top