D111.10 - Eczema Disqualification

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usnacandidate208

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This is currently my second year applying to the academy. Last year I was medically disqualified due to a prescription to Isotretinoin (Accutane) and a very small amount of eczema I developed while on the drug and even though I finished my treatment with no issues I was deemed competitive enough to be considered for a waiver.

Now fast forward to this year when they re-open my application (medical decisions last two years) they have lifted the disqualification due to accutane but my eczema disqualification still remains. I never had eczema before going on accutane, and while on it I only had a small patch of it for barely a month, and have seen no return of it since.

I spoke with the medical technician at the Academy today and she informed me that my waiver process has already been started and it is being reviewed by 'waiver authorities' at the Academy.

My question is how many of you have had an issue with eczema? Will it be difficult to be issued a waiver for this even though it was just one rare instance? Does anyone know how long this typically takes? Has anyone you know ever been denied a waiver because of this?

All replies are appreciated, thanks!
 
I got no answer for you, but this is stupid. I got DQ'd for isotretnion last year and was perfectly fine. I also got cleared for isotretnion. I actually got ointment for slight eczema, but that was after I had my physical so they never knew I guess. I have an appointment to usma. Best of luck to you!
 
1 2cubs said:
I got no answer for you, but this is stupid. I got DQ'd for isotretnion last year and was perfectly fine. I also got cleared for isotretnion. I actually got ointment for slight eczema, but that was after I had my physical so they never knew I guess. I have an appointment to usma. Best of luck to you!
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You do know you are supposed to report any change to your medical condition! Slight eczema will lead to a DQ and a waiver review. If you do not report it, pray they never find out.
 
My question is how many of you have had an issue with eczema?
Typically eczema will lead to a DQ, and a waiver is possible. Air Force tends to be the most stringent.

Will it be difficult to be issued a waiver for this even though it was just one rare instance?
A waiver is possible. It will help that it was minor and drug induced.

Does anyone know how long this typically takes?
Huge range. 4 weeks to 4 months.

Has anyone you know ever been denied a waiver because of this?
Yes waivers have been denied for eczema.
 
I recieved a waiver for eczema from both the Naval Academy and West Point, and am currently a 2/c at USNA, so it is possible to get a waiver. Mine was moderate up to when I was a young teenager but has now mostly gone away. The key for me was that it had been a number of years since I had been prescribed any prescription medication to treat my eczema, and consequently could prove that I was capable of taking care of my skin without the need for medicine.

I was told recently in my precommissioning physical that I would qualify for a waiver for any service selection, but I have known others with the condition that have not had the same outcome. I have a friend who was recently told she would be unable to fly due to eczema, and I am aware of another individual who was notified in January of her 1/C year (after service selection) that she would not be able to commission due to eczema. So I would not say that I am totally out of the woods with eczema, but I pray that I can continue to be as fortunate as I have been in regards to my medical status.

The point is to let the waiver authorities make their decision and to not try to compare your own medical situation to anybody else's because everybody's circumstances will be different.
 
question for the OP,
Did you get a conditional offer last year and then the waiver was denied? or did you get a TWE before they decided on a waiver?

For this year, have you been given a Conditional offer and they are now processing a waiver, or are you still CPR? Did you find out they were pursuing a waiver when you called USNA or did they send you some notification?

thanks,
 
A6E Dad said:
question for the OP,
Did you get a conditional offer last year and then the waiver was denied? or did you get a TWE before they decided on a waiver?

For this year, have you been given a Conditional offer and they are now processing a waiver, or are you still CPR? Did you find out they were pursuing a waiver when you called USNA or did they send you some notification?

thanks,
Click to expand...

I got a TWE last year before they decided my waiver.

This year I am CPR and found out my waiver was being processed when I email the USNA medical technician.
 
Following. My DS is wanting to apply (currently a rising 9th grader). He had eczema when he was 5. He only ever needed topical creams...hydrocortisone. He has not had any issues since.
 
Mustang2008 said:
Following. My DS is wanting to apply (currently a rising 9th grader). He had eczema when he was 5. He only ever needed topical creams...hydrocortisone. He has not had any issues since.
Click to expand...

Sounds like he does not have eczema then. Lots of diagnosis' like eczema are not actually physician documented diagnosis which are the only ones that count. Even then, some of those diagnosis recorded by a primary care physician are not really so. If there is a question and/or it may have been recorded somewhere in his medical history as a diagnosis, it might be worthwhile having him seen by a dermatologist, preferably with some military background, to evaluate whether the diagnosis is real.

Good luck! Wow...9th grader is starting early in planning!
 
Just remembered we did ask about the excema back in 2014 when he had just turned 11. Doc gave him some OTC type cream and hydrocortisone. He honestly didn't even use it. Thank God it was before age 12. Since I am AD, his PCM is through Tricare at the base clinic. Just didn't want his hopes and dreams shot down before he even started HS. He really wants to be a pilot in the AF or Navy.
 
I just need to know is there any way around the exzema situation ... I got misdiagnosed with it a while back and they still DQ'ed me > please help !!!!!!!
 
What is the time frame represented by "a while back" ?
If it means when you were 5 years old and now you're 17, then that's a good thing. If it means in the last year or two, that is not good.

You could get a doctor to examine you and to go on record certifying that you do not in fact, have Atopic Dermatitus (Eczema).
Getting a doctor to say that another doctor misdiagnosed you however, is hard to do.
Most doctors are decidedly reluctant to go on record, suggesting that a fellow doctor may have made a mistake.

Just because you receive a DQ does not mean the whole thing is over, either.
If the SA deems fit, it will pursue a waiver for your DQ.
 
shannonchea said:
I just need to know is there any way around the exzema situation ... I got misdiagnosed with it a while back and they still DQ'ed me > please help !!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Way around -- no. A way through the process -- certainly. Lot's of information on this Forum about eczema and waivers. There are a lot of factors involved, when, duration, severity, treatment , etc. Short of having a Doctor retract his diagnosis, I wouldn't think that arguing it was a misdiagnosis is an effective approach.
 
shannonchea, if I recall correctly from your post on the DoDMERB forum here, it is not only eczema, but also pneumonia, and asthma that they DQd you for during the exam.

I am not trying to go off topic or be a Debbie Downer, but I think you need to get a DoDMERB consultant, because 1 DQ is uphill, think a hiking day trip, have the right general stuff and you can do it. Two is hiking a mtn for a weekend, and you need more specific equipment from the pros. Three is climbing Everest in my opinion, especially since you said on the DoDMERB thread this is your 2nd NO GO. Now you need to find professional DoDMERB consultants or try contacting Larry Mullen. Larry Mullen left this sit years ago, but if you search for MullenLE you should be able to find his contact numbers if he is still with DoDMERB.

Eczema may see like no biggie because all you may think it is, is very dry skin and a topical prescription will clear it up. The reason the military shies away from giving waivers is due to the fact that there is a link between those people with eczema and reactions to specific vaccinations, such as, small pox. This means that if you can't those shots then they can't deploy you to a location where it is required. They still will have to deploy somebody, and it means somebody else has to take your spot, think the domino effect.

Additionally, eczema is very unique. It can lay dormant for decades. Stress and certain types of foods can trigger an outbreak. Now let's talk about being deployed to an area where dust and dirt are everywhere. You have scratched your skin raw to the point it is an open wound. Dust or dirt gets into this and because eczema usually occurs in the creases (inside elbows, between fingers, behind knees) than you have a higher rate of infections like impetigo which in turn means more meds.

People typically don't understand that sometimes the fact that they don't grant a waiver for a DQ has more to do with the other people they will serve with than it has to do with them.

On top of that, it also means for the military is the minute they give you a waiver is the minute they acknowledge for the rest of YOUR military career a pre-existing medical condition and will cover you and any other condition that might occur if connected to this condition.
 
So , what do I do after the dq’ed me for all of this stuff ? & I will contact the Mullen guy if he can help me out .
 
Old Navy BGO said:
shannonchea said:
I just need to know is there any way around the exzema situation ... I got misdiagnosed with it a while back and they still DQ'ed me > please help !!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Way around -- no. A way through the process -- certainly. Lot's of information on this Forum about eczema and waivers. There are a lot of factors involved, when, duration, severity, treatment , etc. Short of having a Doctor retract his diagnosis, I wouldn't think that arguing it was a misdiagnosis is an effective approach.
Click to expand...



On the doctors I have meps it stated that I didn’t have eczema etc .... I’m asking what do I do next I do not want to give up , because this is my dream all I ever wanted to do .
 
THParent said:
What is the time frame represented by "a while back" ?
If it means when you were 5 years old and now you're 17, then that's a good thing. If it means in the last year or two, that is not good.

You could get a doctor to examine you and to go on record certifying that you do not in fact, have Atopic Dermatitus (Eczema).
Getting a doctor to say that another doctor misdiagnosed you however, is hard to do.
Most doctors are decidedly reluctant to go on record, suggesting that a fellow doctor may have made a mistake.

Just because you receive a DQ does not mean the whole thing is over, either.
If the SA deems fit, it will pursue a waiver for your DQ.
Click to expand...


a while back meaning like almost 10 years ago. They saw it in my medical records .so what you are telling me is I have to get my primary care doctors to put it on my record ? or get another doctors note stating the misdiagnose .
 
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