Anyone get correspondence about their Waiver?

GoCubbies said:
I know you didn't ask, but just so others who are reading this may know one of the nuances of the DODI 6130.03.

(1) A recommended or prescribed Individualized Education Program, 504 Plan, or work accommodations after the 14th birthday;

The DQ is actually if it was recommended or prescribed. So even if an IEP was used or not, it's still a DQ. Rationale is it's like depression and the psychiatrist prescribes Prozac. The applicant decides not to take it for fear of a DQ. Well guess what? Now the person has depression that's not getting the treatment needed, which is actually worse than having depression and taking the med you need to take care of it.

So the fact your DD didn't use the IEP doesn't mean that she all of a sudden doesn't have ADD, ADHD, learning disorder, etc...

Overall, a waiver for ADHD is favorable if IEP and meds aren't used, recommended, etc... for a year and grades remain satisfactory. Would be better if she got some evaluation that says she doesn't have ADHD at all.

As for GAD, current GAD is a definite no-go for waiver. Depending on the situation, your DD may have to be GAD-free for 1-2 years off medications, CBT, etc... The waiver authorities are very aware of misdiagnoses, so if this appears to be one of those, then a waiver is more favorable. The evaluation by the psychiatrist who says there is no current GAD will be helpful.
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Yeah… we were expecting the DQ. We initiated and pushed for the 504 looking at long term possibilities - with no inkling that DD would decide she wants to attend an SA. Grades were stellar in HS prior to being prescribed meds, and have continued to be so since discontinuing use. The last psychiatrist, I mentioned in last post, said she didn’t see ADHD, but maybe ADHD sub-tendencies.

Would vehemently argue that GAD was a misdiagnosis. Kaiser’s behavioral health, at least in my area, isn’t the best… My DW (who has a background in behavioral health) strongly believes that it was Adjustment Disorder due to pandemic, and that the provider wasn’t versed in race-based counseling (DD is Black).
 
jbm2m said:
Yeah… we were expecting the DQ. We initiated and pushed for the 504 looking at long term possibilities - with no inkling that DD would decide she wants to attend an SA. Grades were stellar in HS prior to being prescribed meds, and have continued to be so since discontinuing use. The last psychiatrist, I mentioned in last post, said she didn’t see ADHD, but maybe ADHD sub-tendencies.

Would vehemently argue that GAD was a misdiagnosis. Kaiser’s behavioral health, at least in my area, isn’t the best… My DW (who has a background in behavioral health) strongly believes that it was Adjustment Disorder due to pandemic, and that the provider wasn’t versed in race-based counseling (DD is Black).
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The waiver authorities are very aware of the kids who REALLY lack focus and attention and thus causing academic difficulties. These are the kids whose records are scrutinized and grades are compared to before/after medication and/or IEP plan when making a wavier decision. The question is can this kid perform at (you name the institution) satisfactorily without accommodations and meds? And have they demonstrated that in the last 1-2 years in HS?

Then are are the kids who are A students but that's not good enough for the parents. The kid is expected to be an A+ student so they can go to an Ivy league school or service academy. These are the kids who get put on meds at their parents' urging and it's basically used as "mental steroids." I mean, why not shoot for a 35-36 on the ACT when the kid scored a 33. It's within reach, right? Especially with a stimulant on board, of course it's doable. The waiver authorities are very well aware of these situations and fully understand there really isn't anything wrong with these kids, which makes a waiver more favorable.

Not saying any of the above apply to your situations, but just wanted to point out to those who read this forum at what's being seen by the waiver authorities.
 
GoCubbies said:
The waiver authorities are very aware of the kids who REALLY lack focus and attention and thus causing academic difficulties. These are the kids whose records are scrutinized and grades are compared to before/after medication and/or IEP plan when making a wavier decision. The question is can this kid perform at (you name the institution) satisfactorily without accommodations and meds? And have they demonstrated that in the last 1-2 years in HS?

Then are are the kids who are A students but that's not good enough for the parents. The kid is expected to be an A+ student so they can go to an Ivy league school or service academy. These are the kids who get put on meds at their parents' urging and it's basically used as "mental steroids." I mean, why not shoot for a 35-36 on the ACT when the kid scored a 33. It's within reach, right? Especially with a stimulant on board, of course it's doable. The waiver authorities are very well aware of these situations and fully understand there really isn't anything wrong with these kids, which makes a waiver more favorable.

Not saying any of the above apply to your situations, but just wanted to point out to those who read this forum at what's being seen by the waiver authorities.
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I appreciate the thoroughness of your response. I will say, without medication, she performed well but definitely noticed the sub tendencies - though more at home. I’m hopeful it’s easily discernible that the medications, each only a few months, were exploratory and were deemed unnecessary!
 
BubbaCool12 said:
Has anyone gotten any word from their waiver authority about their waiver, AMI or even decisions? Seems to take forever and it varies per person but I'm curious on what's been going on.
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My DS received his waiver request this week from USMA but he now has to respond to his new AMI. It took about 1 month from DODMERB’s initial response for USMA to initiate the waiver request, however, he is considered a competitive candidate which may have played into USMA’s decision.
 
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Ozzy33 said:
My DS received his waiver request this week from USMA but he now has to respond to his new AMI. It took about 1 month from DODMERB’s initial response for USMA to initiate the waiver request, however, he is considered a competitive candidate which may have played into USMA’s decision.
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Do you mean USMA requested an AMI for the waiver process?
 
Ozzy33 said:
My DS received his waiver request this week from USMA but he now has to respond to his new AMI. It took about 1 month from DODMERB’s initial response for USMA to initiate the waiver request, however, he is considered a competitive candidate which may have played into USMA’s decision.
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Don’t they only request waivers for competitive candidates?
 
Ozzy33 said:
My DS received his waiver request this week from USMA but he now has to respond to his new AMI. It took about 1 month from DODMERB’s initial response for USMA to initiate the waiver request, however, he is considered a competitive candidate which may have played into USMA’s decision.
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Do you mind sharing when you got the AMI request?
 
BubbaCool12 said:
Do you mind sharing when you got the AMI request?
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Does knowing this even matter?

Some DQs don’t require ami, requests can be done at any time, and there might not be correlation between when one candidate gets the request and when another does?
 
UNDER WAIVER REVIEW
This does not mean a waiver has been requested.

See the screenshot below, a keeper post from the now-retired and highly esteemed poster, Mr. Larry Mullen, former Deputy Director, DoDMERB.



IMG_5914.jpeg
 
Since y’all are incredibly knowledgeable I’d love to ask a question. DS is “Under Waiver Review” does that mean 100% of the time there will be a request for more information? Or does it sometimes just turn into a “Waiver Granted”? The clinic my son went to when he was 9 years old is long gone and he won’t have any historical records of the event.
 
My son was disqualified and under waiver review. There was no ami. Obviously there is no ami for his colorblind dq.

So it depends on what the dq is, and whether there is additional information needed.
 
Eagle150 said:
Since y’all are incredibly knowledgeable I’d love to ask a question. DS is “Under Waiver Review” does that mean 100% of the time there will be a request for more information? Or does it sometimes just turn into a “Waiver Granted”? The clinic my son went to when he was 9 years old is long gone and he won’t have any historical records of the event.
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See my Post #4 for what “Under Waiver Review” means. There may or may not be a request for AMI. The waiver authority may have enough info to make the decision one way or another. The portal will eventually reflect that decision. Some things are regularly waivered. Some are frequently waivered. Some are seldom waivered. Some rarely or never.
 
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