ROTC.candidate
New Member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2022
- Messages
- 1
I have been participating in the ROTC program for over a year, and my medical waiver for anxiety was recently denied. I am in the process of appealing, and I'm posting to see if anyone could help me at all with my situation because I feel strongly that the denial of my waiver was inaccurate.
During the peak of the Covid-19 epidemic, I wanted to see a psychotherapist for general support and self-care. It was a four-month wait to get a therapist with my health insurance, and I thought that the only way I could get timely appointments was to exaggerate my symptoms. I realize now this was a mistake. I attended only three phone sessions with a therapist and was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. On the fourth session, I was told I no longer had symptoms of anxiety and I did not schedule further sessions.
In addition to this, I did not present myself in the most accurate light during my DoDMERB psychological evaluation. I was driving to meet the doctor in person in Portland when my appointment was rescheduled on short notice to a phone consultation. To accommodate the new appointment time, I pulled over to a parking lot that turned out to be busy and had no shade on a hot day. Given these circumstances, I was distracted and don’t feel like I was communicating effectively during our phone call. The evaluator asked me about coping mechanisms and asked me how I would function in a deployment, and I gave very brief and minimal responses.
I am completely confident that I would be successful in the Army, and that I would have no need for a therapist for anxiety. I am a resilient person and I feel like I have ample evidence that I no longer have a disorder.
For example this summer, I am employed as a firefighter-EMT and regularly deal with periods of isolation from my family and friends during field deployment, as well as cope with stressful situations (fatal car accidents, heart attacks, fires, etc) as part of my daily work duties. In some ways, my work duty mirrors the experience I may have during military deployment, and I am excelling at my job.
Denial of a waiver would end my ROTC scholarship and ability to attend college, as well as end my long-term dreams of becoming an Army engineer. This means a lot to me, as I am proud to be an ROTC cadet and sincerely hope to complete my commitment to the Army. I have already reached out to Deputy Chief Mullen, who referred me to my case manager. At this point, I am very concerned that I may not get the attention my case deserves.
Any help with my situation would be greatly appreciated.
During the peak of the Covid-19 epidemic, I wanted to see a psychotherapist for general support and self-care. It was a four-month wait to get a therapist with my health insurance, and I thought that the only way I could get timely appointments was to exaggerate my symptoms. I realize now this was a mistake. I attended only three phone sessions with a therapist and was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. On the fourth session, I was told I no longer had symptoms of anxiety and I did not schedule further sessions.
In addition to this, I did not present myself in the most accurate light during my DoDMERB psychological evaluation. I was driving to meet the doctor in person in Portland when my appointment was rescheduled on short notice to a phone consultation. To accommodate the new appointment time, I pulled over to a parking lot that turned out to be busy and had no shade on a hot day. Given these circumstances, I was distracted and don’t feel like I was communicating effectively during our phone call. The evaluator asked me about coping mechanisms and asked me how I would function in a deployment, and I gave very brief and minimal responses.
I am completely confident that I would be successful in the Army, and that I would have no need for a therapist for anxiety. I am a resilient person and I feel like I have ample evidence that I no longer have a disorder.
For example this summer, I am employed as a firefighter-EMT and regularly deal with periods of isolation from my family and friends during field deployment, as well as cope with stressful situations (fatal car accidents, heart attacks, fires, etc) as part of my daily work duties. In some ways, my work duty mirrors the experience I may have during military deployment, and I am excelling at my job.
Denial of a waiver would end my ROTC scholarship and ability to attend college, as well as end my long-term dreams of becoming an Army engineer. This means a lot to me, as I am proud to be an ROTC cadet and sincerely hope to complete my commitment to the Army. I have already reached out to Deputy Chief Mullen, who referred me to my case manager. At this point, I am very concerned that I may not get the attention my case deserves.
Any help with my situation would be greatly appreciated.