Approved Medical Waiver with Nom

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Nukeynuke

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DS was initially DQ’d for medical in DODMERB. This occurred in November. In November he received his first nom from his senator and in December received his second nom from MOC. Then his application changed from pending to complete pending review and his DODMERB changed to waiver submitted/pending. Finally this week his DODMERB changed to waiver approved. He checked his USNA application portal and it now shows all check marks. Should we expect an appointment? Has he gone through the board? The step by step USNA application review process is very confusing?
 
Unless he has an LOA with pending requirements that were met, then no one will be able to answer that question here. He could hear anything from now through the usual culling in mid-April timeframe. It sounds as if everything he has to do is complete and at this point, it is out of his control and just a waiting game.
 
Nukeynuke said:
DS was initially DQ’d for medical in DODMERB. This occurred in November. In November he received his first nom from his senator and in December received his second nom from MOC. Then his application changed from pending to complete pending review and his DODMERB changed to waiver submitted/pending. Finally this week his DODMERB changed to waiver approved. He checked his USNA application portal and it now shows all check marks. Should we expect an appointment? Has he gone through the board? The step by step USNA application review process is very confusing?
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It’s not a linear process; there are many intersecting and parallel processes, as well as teams who manage various reviews and decisions. If you could be a fly on the wall, you would say “ah, I see.” But your son only gets snapshots through the portal.

USNA does not tell candidates if they are fully qualified. To be offered an appointment, they must be fully qualified and have a nom from some source.

Fully qualified:
Medical: DoDMERB Q or waiver (yay!)
Physical fitness: CFA passed
Academic/Scholastic: everything else evaluated, considered and scored using their unique whole person algorithm. It is not just GPA and test scores.

To set expectations, every year there are hundreds of fully qualified candidates with nom(s) who do not receive appointments. There are simply not enough seats in the class.

You and many, many others may be in the CPR Club for months as final decisions are made and slates are resolved.
For your son:
Focus on what you can control.
Tend alternate plans.
Wait.
Go PT.
Excel in current academics and activities.
Wait some more.
If you can, be present in the here and now, soaking up friends and family. If you get your wish, you will leave home in late June, only returning for short visits for at least the next 9 years.
 
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Not everyone who receives a nom, or multiple noms, and a waiver, will receive an appointment. This isn’t to say that your son wont receive one.

He is fortunate to have the waiver, and multiple noms. That’s a positive. Waivers are looked at individually…some are easy and quick. Some are lengthy and difficult. The waiver process churns separate from the rest of the application process. And they cannot all wait and be decided upon after an appointment decision is made.

Continue to work alternate plans. Try and put this out of your mind. USNA strives to let everyone know around the middle of April. So use that as your expectation as far as hearing either way.

And good luck to you son!!

(What @captmj said. As per usual 😬)
 
justdoit19 said:
Not everyone who receives a nom, or multiple noms, and a waiver, will receive an appointment. This isn’t to say that your son wont receive one.

He is fortunate to have the waiver, and multiple noms. That’s a positive. Waivers are looked at individually…some are easy and quick. Some are lengthy and difficult. The waiver process churns separate from the rest of the application process. And they cannot all wait and be decided upon after an appointment decision is made.

Continue to work alternate plans. Try and put this out of your mind. USNA strives to let everyone know around the middle of April. So use that as your expectation as far as hearing either way.

And good luck to you son!!

(What @captmj said. As per usual 😬)
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Good points all in your post.

A candidate can have multiple noms, be fully qualified, no appt.
A candidate can have multiple noms, not be fully qualified, no appt.
A candidate can have an LOA, no nom, no appt. Or not be fully qualified, no appt.
A candidate can be the principal nominee, not fully qualified, no appt.
 
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I don’t believe USNA starts the waiver process for every candidate DQed by DoDMERB …. I believe a human at The Academy initiated the waiver process on your son. So the file must have cleared a bar …
.
 
Nukeynuke said:
Thanks for the replies I guess the waiting is the hardest part.
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We had similar experience last year - medically waived, with noms, in January. He received the call from our Senator on the night of April 15. There are so many pieces to the puzzle. Try not to stress too much about it and enjoy your time together. Good Luck!
 
As far as I understand the process USNA gets around 3000 applicants each year that get to the same point as OP's son (nom(s), medical qual/waiver, CFA passing, grades/test score/etc meeting minimum standards, etc). Of those around 1400 are offered appointments, and around 1200 show up for I-day (some go to another academy, some chose a civilian school instead, some become medically disqualified, etc). And around 1000 ultimately graduate.

So, from where OP's kid is at in the process its pretty close to a 50/50 chance. Which is really hard to comprehend. Thankfully my younger son is still a ways from applying so i havelots of time to mentally prepare. Older boy wanted USCGA until a non-waiverable medical issue became apparent. He's since shifted gears. One thing I did like about USCGA was no nomination process. But, that also meant that wasn't a filter, and getting a nomination at least feels like it's a definite milestone, even if it's not.
 
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