ADHD and Service Academies

Hello there,

I've been trying to find information online about military academies and ADHD. My nephew is interested in going to one of the academies (USAFA would probably be his choice) and he has the grades and athletics to get in (4.0 GPA, starts on the varsity basketball team). But he also has ADHD, and he takes medication for that.

From what I'm reading it seems like diagnosed cases of ADHD, if they include prescription drugs, are automatic no's for the academies -- or, that you may be able to get a waiver, but it could take months or years for that to happen. Am I understanding that right?

One idea his mom had was sending him to the Virginia Military Institute...her thought was that because students are not automatically commissioned, VMI might not be able to disqualify him for that. I think he has cousins on the other side of his family who attended there.

It seems like in 2024, disqualifying kids over ADHD is going to have a major impact on recruitment -- I read somewhere that 20% of boys have it these days. Any thoughts on whether that would change?

Thanks everyone for your time and any insights on the service academies or VMI as it relates to applicants with ADHD.

No one here can give you an absolute answer. That said, if your nephew takes ADHD meds and has an IEP, I will unfortunately say that you are looking at exceedingly long odds of acceptance into any commissioning program.

Valant1776 said:

Hello there,

I've been trying to find information online about military academies and ADHD. My nephew is interested in going to one of the academies (USAFA would probably be his choice) and he has the grades and athletics to get in (4.0 GPA, starts on the varsity basketball team). But he also has ADHD, and he takes medication for that.

From what I'm reading it seems like diagnosed cases of ADHD, if they include prescription drugs, are automatic no's for the academies -- or, that you may be able to get a waiver, but it could take months or years for that to happen. Am I understanding that right?

One idea his mom had was sending him to the Virginia Military Institute...her thought was that because students are not automatically commissioned, VMI might not be able to disqualify him for that. I think he has cousins on the other side of his family who attended there.

It seems like in 2024, disqualifying kids over ADHD is going to have a major impact on recruitment -- I read somewhere that 20% of boys have it these days. Any thoughts on whether that would change?

Thanks everyone for your time and any insights on the service academies or VMI as it relates to applicants with ADHD.

Click to expand...

Service academy candidates with diagnosed ADHD with medication and accommodations - in fact, anyone applying to enter the military whether officer commissioning programs, enlisted status, college ROTC, etc., will likely be found to not meet the military accession standard (DQ). See link below.

ADHD waivers can be given, if the candidate can document strong performance in academics without the medications and any accommodations for some period of time, and with appropriate current healthcare provider medical evaluations in the medical record. It is a difficult process with no guarantees. Of course, they have to be well-rounded in leadership, athletics, etc., apply for a nomination (USCGA does not require), to become part of the applicants competitive for entry to one of the 5 service academies.

If your nephew is interested in the military college experience without commissioning, exploring the junior and senior military colleges would not fall under the military medical accession standard.

The military healthcare system is always reevaluating medical accession standards to account for new technology, therapies, etc. ADHD is a tough one. In a combat environment or high-risk, high-pressure operational setting, often in remote, harsh surroundings far from advanced medical care, or even on a routine training mission, the military needs to have those least likely to be vulnerable to a condition, illness or injury, for the safety of the operating unit. Unit readiness and safety drive the military’s utilitarian policies.

If your nephew likes the idea of serving the nation, there are many opportunities for HS and college students to explore federal civilian service. This is a post I wrote for someone getting medically DQ’ed from a service academy:
Post in thread 'Medically DQ'ed, struggling with moving on'
https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?
threads/medically-dqed-struggling-with-moving-on.93285/post-990760

The DoD medical accession standard:

I agree with @pa-outdoorsman (and I missed Capt MJ's input); however, your nephew will need to go through the process to determine if he can gain the waiver. This DoD document provides some good insights:

Plus, note that he cannot use extended time for the ACT or SAT. Stopping his medication will also be required, which may or may not make sense for your nephew. I'm sure he would consult with his physician prior to ending his prescription.

I believe the Air Force is doing some work with airmen to understand the impact of a change in the policy. I assume changes are not likely to be implemented (if any) in the next few years or more.

pa-outdoorsman said:

No one here can give you an absolute answer. That said, if your nephew takes ADHD meds and has an IEP, I will unfortunately say that you are looking at exceedingly long odds of acceptance into any commissioning program.

Click to expand...

Do you consider VMI a "commissioning program" -- given half of the students don't commission? He lives in Richmond so I think he would consider applying there and it would be much easier for him to get in than the USAFA.

VMI is not a commissioning program. It's a military college. You are not required to join the military to be a student there. So, it's conceivable someone with ADHD or any number other "disqualifying" conditions could attend.

A commissioning program is a program that actually results in a commission as a U.S. military officer upon graduation. These include ROTC (various branches), the U.S. military academies and Officer Candidate School for those who earned bachelor's degrees elsewhere.

As you note, even at military college such as VMI, only half the students actually participate in a "commissioning program."

pa-outdoorsman said:

VMI is not a commissioning program. It's a military college. You are not required to join the military to be a student there. So, it's conceivable someone with ADHD or any number other "disqualifying" conditions could attend.

A commissioning program is a program that actually results in a commission as a U.S. military officer upon graduation. These include ROTC (various branches), the U.S. military academies and Officer Candidate School for those who earned bachelor's degrees elsewhere.

As you note, even at military college such as VMI, only half the students actually participate in a "commissioning program."

Click to expand...

You are a little confused; all cadets at VMI and The Citadel are required to take ROTC and those two schools commission more officers than any civilian ROTC program. If ROTC is a 'commissioning program' and all the cadets at a school are required to take it why would you not consider that school to be one???

conrack said:

You are a little confused; all cadets at VMI and The Citadel are required to take ROTC and those two schools commission more officers than any civilian ROTC program. If ROTC is a 'commissioning program' and all the cadets at a school are required to take it why would you not consider that school to be one???

Click to expand...

ROTC is a commissioning program run by the government. Yes, it is true that ROTC is open to anyone, so there are a mix of scholarship and non-scholarship cadets in the program. I do not believe non-scholarship are required to contract with the military, which is a commitment to serve. So, while ROTC is a commissioning program, not all ROTC participants commission. However, you cannot be a "contracted cadet" (get scholarship benefits) without an ADSO (Active Duty Service Obligation) to pay the government back for those benefits. And in order to sign your ROTC contract and receive benefits, you must be declared medically qualified by the military branch you are joining.

Regardless, please do not confuse VMI (a military college) with ROTC (a government-run military training program offered by various branches). ROTC programs are housed at VMI, but ROTC and VMI are not one and the same. I am sure there are others here on the forum who can explain this better.

pa-outdoorsman said:

ROTC is a commissioning program run by the government. Yes, it is true that ROTC is open to anyone, so there are a mix of scholarship and non-scholarship cadets in the program. I do not believe non-scholarship are required to contract with the military, which is a commitment to serve. So, while ROTC is a commissioning program, not all ROTC participants commission. However, you cannot be a "contracted cadet" (get scholarship benefits) without an ADSO (Active Duty Service Obligation) to pay the government back for those benefits. And in order to sign your ROTC contract and receive benefits, you must be declared medically qualified by the military branch you are joining.

Regardless, please do not confuse VMI (a military college) with ROTC (a government-run military training program offered by various branches). ROTC programs are housed at VMI, but ROTC and VMI are not one and the same. I am sure there are others here on the forum who can explain this better.

Click to expand...

I am glad you did.

You will have to get a waiver to be accepted to VMI with that condition. In general- VMI requires you to be eligible to commission even if you choose not to do so, and all cadets will be enrolled in 4 years of ROTC , though you are not required to contract unless you have a scholarship.

Listed below is medical guidance for acceptance to VMI (it’s a few years old but believe it is still accurate). Follow the instructions listed and you can get a definitive answer. Good luck

Hi there! I had ADD, applied to USNA, went the VMI route, earned a commission and just completed Naval Rotary Wing Pilot Training.

I was diagnosed with ADD in the second grade, and went through different meds the entire time I was in grade school, up until my sophomore year, when I decided I wanted to join the Navy and apply to attend the Naval Academy. I believe at that time I had to be off of medications for two years prior to entering the academy, so I stopped taking medications going into my junior year. My understanding is that any med board wants to make sure that the applicant can make the grade without any assistance.

For VMI, I remember the screener being physical, focusing on body composition rather than the need for any accomodations - VMI does offer them, however. I managed to earn a commission after my sophomore year.

For the ADD waivers, I had to submit my transcripts all the way back from middle school (I took a high school class, so they needed that transcript) and a note from my doctor certifying that I had not been prescribed any medications after I made the decision to stop my meds. There may be more that I missed, but I am fairly certain that any supporting documentation requirements would be buried in the DoDMERB publications as stated above. There was a significant delay for the waivers - I was awarded my contract in august, but was unable to activate until the following March.

Maybe if you're going the Academy route, the process speeds up so all applicants are MQ/waived by their respective indoc dates? I never made it that far, so I don't have experience in that arena.

For flight school/my flight physical, it was much of the same - NAMI (Navy flight doc) wanted to make sure that I hadn't either been prescribed or been given any academic accomodations during my time at VMI, and required the same paperwork from the VMI doctor, academic services and transcripts.

I would highly encourage you to reach out to the AFROTC Det. 880 (VMI AFROTC) staff, since they will most likely have staff who interface with DoDMERB and are well-versed in its inner workings/USAF-specific requirements; I know that the NROTC unit at VMI has a civilian filling that role, or did while I was there at least.

Best of luck in future endeavors, I'm rooting for your son! (Even if he does pick the wrong branch)


FLY NAVY