Waiver Status

jbrown

10-Year Member
5-Year Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
249
Dear Friends,

Well we finally received the final word today on the status of the waiver. It's denied.

For those who don't know, my daughter attended NASS last summer and fell in love with the Academy. She made it her plan A. She received her LoA in October and just needed to get the nomination and waiver for near sightedness. She got her nomination and has been working on getting the waiver since Jan/Feb time frame.

Mr. Mullen has been a great help and we really appreciate all that he did and tried to do. Rosalina got about as close to getting the waiver as I think is possible, but it didn't work out.

She had moved onto her plan B some time ago in preparation for getting bad news.

So here is what she is doing. She's been accepted to every school that she applied to, except USNA. She accepted Whitworth, which is a private Christian College in Spokane. She is not going to partake in the NROTC program there because it is a nursing only program and she doesn't want to be a nurse.

However, she is enrolling in PLC, which once she took a close look at it, she actually felt it might be a better fit for her to achieve her long term goals. She is currently only planning on attending Whitworth for one year, for the experience and moral values that a Christian College can bring. For next year, she plans on reapplying to the USNA and hope they make a better decision next year. She's also going to apply for USMA and USAFA since her eyesight is within their standards.

If she doesn't make it to USNA, USMA or USAFA next year, she plans on wrapping up PLC while attending either Stanford or Georgetown for her remaining 3 years. Her mother and I really like the Stanford idea since it's only 1 1/2 miles up the street from the house.

She plans on making a career in the service, specializing in Intelligence and Linguistics. I'm proud of her, and she's on track to achieving all that she desires.

She plans on sending emails to all of her friends that she's made on this board, and also to the folks at USNA and DoDMERB. But right now she's studying for her AP English exam that is at 7:30am, so she asked me to just post something on the board for tonight.

I plan on staying around the board for a couple of reasons, (1) She's planning on re-applying for USNA and applying for the 1st time to two other academies. and (2) the Marine Corps seems under-represented on this board, and I found that I enjoy being able to answer questions and help when I can.

JB
 
So sorry about the waiver denial. I know it stings even though you knew that it probably would be denied. How wonderful that she used the "waiting time" to plot Plan B and what a terrific plan it is! Best wishes to her this next year. I am sure that this time next year, you will be celebrating an appointment to one ( or all 3 !!! ) of the service academies that you listed. Blessings :smile:
 
Well if shes within standards for USMA or USAFA then if she gets accepted to those it will be alot easier for her to laterally transfer to USNA from there. THat might be another way in if they deny her again next year at USNA, or even interservice comissioning at the end of her 4 years, just a thought :)
 
MM3 Kim said:
Well if shes within standards for USMA or USAFA then if she gets accepted to those it will be alot easier for her to laterally transfer to USNA from there.

:confused:

Not true.
 
There are several conditions that are waiverable at some SA's and not at others, but there is no "lateral transfer". Even if there was the same disqualifying condition would hold.

jbrown - I know a plebe at USMA who was denied a waiver at USNA. He reapplied to both and accepted the USMA offer. He is very happy and has fully embraced the opportunity which he has been given.
 
Thank you, JBrown

Thank you and your daughter so much for posting the information about her plans to achieve her goals in spite of the obstacles. It is inspiring and very helpful, I believe, for other parents and students to be aware of other options that are available to them. I applaud you and your daughter and you all are in my prayers as she pursues her goals and dreams. Blessings. :biggrin:
 
Can you give any examples or know of any specific conditions that are not accepted at the USNA but are accepted at other SA's? Does anyone have any experience specifically with disqualification/waivers for asthma?
 
Over the last year several candidates have both recieved and been denied wavers for asthma. You need to send your info to Larry Mullen in the dodmerb section of this forum.

Examples of some areas not allowed by USNA but not some other academies: USNA does not allow color blindness (most types) or sleepwalking. Other academies currently have cadets with these two conditions.
 
Can you give any examples or know of any specific conditions that are not accepted at the USNA but are accepted at other SA's? Does anyone have any experience specifically with disqualification/waivers for asthma?

Don't know much about asthma, but to answer the other part of your question. My daughters condition is a perfect example of different standards. Myopia (near sighted) for USNA is 6.0 diopters or less but AFA and USMA is 8.0 diopters or less. She falls in the middle.

I communicated a couple of months ago with a Col at the AFA who is responsible for these standards and he said they are trying to bring the services to a more uniform standard, but ultimately, the Academies set the standard for which they want to hold their candidates to.

A good example, is what we are doing now. You can't be a Marine officer via the USNA if you have more than 6.0 diopters of myopia, unless you get a waiver. But you can go enlisted and then take advantage of a path to commissioning, or attend civlian college and go OCS or PLC and as long as you are correctable to 20/20, they don't care what the diopters are. End result the same, standards for each path are not the same.

Also, corrective surgery would disqual you if done prior to USNA, but not prior to OCS or PLC.

Contact Mr. Mullen he is the best source for all things Medical and Waiver related.

JB
 
Last edited:
There are several conditions that are waiverable at some SA's and not at others, but there is no "lateral transfer". Even if there was the same disqualifying condition would hold.

jbrown - I know a plebe at USMA who was denied a waiver at USNA. He reapplied to both and accepted the USMA offer. He is very happy and has fully embraced the opportunity which he has been given.

We were told by an ALO at USNA that there are lateral transfers, but they are fairly rare.
 
Interesting. Never heard of one. Has it happened in recent history?
There are exchange programs. I would think if it would occur one would have to meet the medical standards of the receiving academy and respective service anyway so it really wouldn't apply in your daughter's case, I wouldn't think.
I have heard of kids leaving one academy and applying to another and starting over.
 
Interesting. Never heard of one. Has it happened in recent history?
There are exchange programs. I would think if it would occur one would have to meet the medical standards of the receiving academy and respective service anyway so it really wouldn't apply in your daughter's case, I wouldn't think.
I have heard of kids leaving one academy and applying to another and starting over.

I don't know if it's happened in recent history or not. Don't much about it. It was mentioned to us last year when we asked "what are the different paths that bring someone to the USNA" It was on the list of answers.

At the time we didn't think of questioning that particular line item of the answer since she wasn't applying to other academies. So I really don't know the answer.

At this point, we aren't worried about. PLC is a great program and that's what she's moving forward with. She'll apply to the others as she stated, and if accepted to any/all of them, she'll be making the decision at that point to accept one, stay PLC, or whatever her heart desires.

Thanks
JB
 
There are several conditions that are waiverable at some SA's and not at others, but there is no "lateral transfer". Even if there was the same disqualifying condition would hold.

jbrown - I know a plebe at USMA who was denied a waiver at USNA. He reapplied to both and accepted the USMA offer. He is very happy and has fully embraced the opportunity which he has been given.


Rosalina also has a friend who graduated a year before her, was turned down for USNA and is now prospering at USMA, much like the person you mention. May even be the same one.

She was just talking to him and he's trying to convince her to go that route next.

JB
 
Interesting. Never heard of one. Has it happened in recent history?
There are exchange programs. I would think if it would occur one would have to meet the medical standards of the receiving academy and respective service anyway so it really wouldn't apply in your daughter's case, I wouldn't think.
I have heard of kids leaving one academy and applying to another and starting over.

Just a Mom,

I just wanted to post an update for you on your question about has it happened recently. My daughter just informed me that her squad leader from NASS is transferring to USAF. She is just finishing her 2nd year at USNA and has transferred to USAF for the remaining two years and will commission into the AF. What we were told is that it's not that uncommon, but it's very much frowned upon.

JB
 
Examples of some areas not allowed by USNA but not some other academies: USNA does not allow color blindness (most types) or sleepwalking. Other academies currently have cadets with these two conditions.

Yeah, you need a waiver for color blindness that doesn't come from DoDMERB, it comes from someone high up in the USNA structure, I think the Commandant. I got one in February.

What doesn't make sense to me is that USAFA has more lax vision requirements than USNA. Wouldn't eyesight be more important in those professions?

jbrown, good luck to your daughter!
 
Yeah, you need a waiver for color blindness that doesn't come from DoDMERB, it comes from someone high up in the USNA structure, I think the Commandant. I got one in February.

What doesn't make sense to me is that USAFA has more lax vision requirements than USNA. Wouldn't eyesight be more important in those professions?

jbrown, good luck to your daughter!

Perhaps it is due to the fact that USNA receives more applicants, and so it can be more selective.
 
Yeah, you need a waiver for color blindness that doesn't come from DoDMERB, it comes from someone high up in the USNA structure, I think the Commandant. I got one in February.

What doesn't make sense to me is that USAFA has more lax vision requirements than USNA. Wouldn't eyesight be more important in those professions?

jbrown, good luck to your daughter!

Thanks for the good wishes. She is doing great and is very positive and looking forward to her plan B. Like everything, she puts all of her energy into it. She's already moved on.


The way the USNA works is the Senior Medical Officer will make a recommendation, and the Superintendent must sign off on it.
 
Perhaps it is due to the fact that USNA receives more applicants, and so it can be more selective.

Not necessarily. The Navy has surface warfare officers, who stand watch aboard ship. You have to be able to discern the signals, flags on vessels, lights on the flight deck of a carrier when landing so you know if you are clear or have a wave off, etc.

JB
 
Asthma

So... Kinda new here. Just got an asthma after 13 waiver. Now qualified. Not quite sure how it works, or how much of a role Larry Mullen played, though what I can say is that he is quite helpful in understanding you status and that I guess asthma waivers are possible.
 
asthma waiver

usna2014, That's great! Did you have any remedials to do or extra tests you had to take? Did you actually have asthma? My son is also waiting on a waiver for asthma after 13. He never really had it, the doctor just assumed it went hand in hand with a mild cat allergy he had.
 
Back
Top