DODMERB DQ/Remedials

M

Motorman

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Jan 22, 2019
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Good afternoon... I am looking for some advice from those that may be close to the process or gone through the process. My DS is a candidate to all of the SA's (except for USAFA). He received MOC (VA) nominations to USMA, USNA, and USMMA. He completed his DODMERB physical with the result of several remedials and a DQ. It is the DQ which I have a question about.

My son wears CRT lenses at night (think hard contact lenses). The CRT reshapes his cornea while he sleeps and he pulls them out in the morning with 20/20 vision. The CRT's benefits are that he does not have to wear glasses when awake and it also stalls further deterioration of his eyesight until such time when he is fully grown and can have corrective surgery if he so chooses. When he made his appointment with the DODMERB contracted optometrist, he was told that he could not wear his CRT lenses for 30 days prior to his examination which he faithfully did. The results came back and he was DQ'ed because DODMERB stated the CRT lenses were not supposed to be used for 90 days prior to examination. He spoke with his DODMERB contact and asked if there were any other reasons that was noted for the exam results that would be a DQ and was told that the time period was it. I told him to immediately stop wearing the CRT lenses. The 90 day period will end in early April. I don't know how this speed bump will affect his chances of receiving an appointment (barring any other issues with his eyesight). So far, the plan is to get all of his records from his personal optometrist and to have her perform future/periodic exams with the results being forwarded to DODMERB. Would anyone know if this is a waiver-able issue? As you can imagine, the disconnect in communication is a disappointment. Had he known from the start that 90 days was required, we wouldn't be in this time crunch. Is there anything that you might do, if you were in my shoes, in addition to what I have thought of so far? Any advise would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading.
 
Motorman -- I am NOT a doctor . . . just a dad that watched his DS go through a remedial process that was unsuccessful for an SA, but was eventually successful for a 4 yr AROTC national scholarship resulting in a medical waiver for his non-vision related condition.

The good news is there doesn't seem to be anything mentioned for using "Orthokeratology, Ortho-K, Corneal Refractive Therapy (CRT), Vision Shaping Treatment (VST), Gentle Shaping System, The Gentle Vision Shaping System, Corneal Molding, Wave Front Corneal Molding, or Gentle Molding" in DoDI 6130.03 as specifically "DQ"

https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/613003p.pdf?ver=2018-04-09-114201-123

The miscommunication with DoDMERB is very unfortunate, but on Page 8 of the document at the link (that I believe is still on the DoDMERB site?) under the heading of Rigid Contact Lenses it provides the 90-day removal requirement prior to the vision exam. https://arotc.illinoisstate.edu/downloads/DoDMERB Applicant Reference.pdf

Did DoDMERB say anything about scheduling another exam for your DS in April? It probably does no harm to do what your are doing with your personal eye doctor, but DoDMERB may want to have their own contracted physician do the follow-up exam. You might have your DS follow-up with his DoDMERB counselor to see if they are planning to schedule another eye exam for him in April. If not, you might have your DS write a respectful letter to DoDMERB explaining his mistake (own it, don't make excuses) and that he plans to submit updated information in April. That letter will be made a part of his DoDMERB file. The SA medical authorities don't have to read that letter, but IMHO it would do no harm to send it.

It would probably be good for your DS to send a respectful email to the admission counselors for USMA, USNA and USMMA to let them know that while he is DQ, the issue was due to him not having removed his hard contacts per the 90 requirement for his eye exam. He should not blame DoDMERB. He should own that he missed the 90 removal requirement. He should inform the counselors he is working to have his eye exam re-done after the 90 day timeframe expires in April and give the date.

Did he win his MOC's slate for the Congressional Nomination? Does he have an LOA? Is he a recruited athlete? Has admissions from any of the SAs made clear they want him or that they plan to offer an appointment? IMHO, the problem is appointments are being given now, with the majority of the appointments being made in March for many of the SAs. Being in a DQ status during the March timeframe will most likely cause his package to be put aside in the TBD pile. With a "normal DQ" it is up to the SA to decide whether to pursue a medical waiver. (They don't pursue a waiver for all cases, even if you are qualified academically and in physical aptitude. They have to want you . . . then after that, the medical team decides whether a medical waiver can be granted.) In your case, I'm not sure the SA medical team could review anything on a waiver . . . my guess is they would need to wait to see the results of the new eye exam.

Hang in there. I think you are doing good things with your own doctor but consider my suggestions as well.

Best wishes to you and to your DS. My thanks to him for being willing to serve.
 
Falcon A... Many thanks for the in-depth explanation. I see from the links provided that he, did indeed, miss the instructions on the 90 day period. He just went with what he was informed during scheduling. That falls on him and he (we) do own this. A good life lesson to him to read everything and to read it carefully. As far as his conversation with the DODMERB counselor, he felt it more important to square away his remedials first. He will definitely try and schedule something ASAP after the 90 day period. I appreciate the advice on the letter and email. We will follow up on that advice.

All three of the MOC nominations came from our Congressman's office. As far as being a recruited athlete, I'm not sure how to answer that. He has been in communication with the wrestling coaches at two of the SA's. Unfortunately, one of the SA's coach is limited in his ability to communicate with DS because of the partial gov't shutdown but DS was told that he would call the first day that he is back online. The other SA's coaches continue to text and appear to be following his progress as the season continues. I do not know if this qualifies as "recruited athlete" but some of the language used by the coaches to DS appear very positive. This may be considered "recruited" but there hasn't been an LOA offered nor has he been asked to verbally commit as you see in regular schools. My inability to positively answer is that I have zero experience with this process.

We will practice patience with grace and keep driving on. He has been working hard in finalizing his plans B, C, D and E (VMI being one of them)! I thank you again for the advice and taking the time to write such a detailed response! Please pass on my congratulations to your DS on making it through one of the toughest programs in the nation and my appreciation for dedicating himself to the service of our nation! I also thank you for your service, sir!
 
Thank you Motorman . . .

As to the recruited athlete thing, my DS went through that as well. For him it was football as a kicker -- too small to be a Div 1 linebacker -- USAFA Football was interested but once the AF docs denied his waiver that went away. We found out the Army would waive his condition, and West Point Football actually invited him up for a recruiting visit -- the game happened to be against AF and AF stomped West Point that year ;) . . . West Point eventually decided to go with another kicker . . . as it turned out, VMI ended up being a better fit for my DS (yes it is one of the toughest programs in the Nation and is no "Plan B" when it comes to academics and military preparation) and he got his dream to fly . . . that would not have happened with USAFA given his medical issue and who knows how it would have worked out if he had gone to USMA. Why bother you with all this? Two reasons . . .

1.) A coach that is interested in your DS can be a real advocate for your DS in this circumstance. I would have your DS make sure the coaches know his DQ situation and that all he needs is to complete another exam in April and he should be good. The coach may even be able to influence the SA medical Waiver Authority to request the remedial exam in April. I would have your DS send each of them a respectful email explaining the situation.

2.) From your response I interpret you are a man of faith . . . know this . . . it will work out . . . pray on it and be open to other paths. I've written about the remedial process for my DS elsewhere here on the forum. He and we were crushed when his acceptance to USAFA was denied by the docs . . . and then the recruiting process with USMA was fickle . . . and then the appointment process to USMA (and USNA) from Northern Virginia is the most competitive in the nation (he got one of the nominations but not the appointment) and him needing a medical waiver didn't help. As it turned out, God had a different path for him to get where he was meant to be, and he and we are elated.

Again, best wishes to you and him. Keep us updated.
 
Falcon A... Again, much thanks for the information and advice.

I first wanted to assure you that Plan "B" at VMI is not my opinion of the Institute being less than... It was only Plan "B" in the aspect of the punch to Dad's wallet! We did an overnight visit last year and my son was very much attracted to VMI due to it's difficulty, spartan living conditions and proud traditions. Living in NoVA for the past 30 years has exposed me to many proud graduates and I would put VMI's alumni association against any in the world. Please do not think that I have any less respect for VMI vs. SA. I wish I knew about VMI when I was his age!

Thank you very much for the advice about reaching out to the coach. One of the things said by one of the coaches was that he is going to be given an opportunity to speak on DS' behalf with the SA selection board and that he was looking forward to him wrestling for the SA next year. This advice of yours couldn't have come at a more perfect time. DS will be sending him an email shortly.

Just after reading your post, my son logged onto his DoDMERB portal and found that the DQ for the other academies wasn't even noted on his USMA tab. So, we just have to get through the remedials and let things happen as they may.

Lastly... you are absolutely correct in your assessment of me being a man of faith. Your words have been the same ones that I have shared with DS time and again as we have slogged through the whole application process. My son has been taking everything in stride. I am a truly blessed man. As stated above, your words couldn't have come at a more perfect time! We will keep you posted on his progress and at the risk of sounding like a broken record... Thank you!
 
Just wanted to let you know that I have the exact same DQ since I also missed the instructions about CRT lenses. A waiver has been requested and I am currently waiting on the result. Good luck!
 
mx130 said:
Just wanted to let you know that I have the exact same DQ since I also missed the instructions about CRT lenses. A waiver has been requested and I am currently waiting on the result. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Are you talking about a waiver for CRT use or a waiver for an exam not being at least 90 days out from using CRT?

In almost all cases, spectacle lenses can correct the same amount of refractive error and astigmatism as CRT. By wearing CRT, you are generally a low myope (maybe -2.00 or better diopters?) and not much astigmatism. What it suggests to me is folks who wear CRT meet the refractive standards.

That's why I'm asking what the waiver is for. It should be for refractive errors out of standards.
 
GoCubbies said:
mx130 said:
Just wanted to let you know that I have the exact same DQ since I also missed the instructions about CRT lenses. A waiver has been requested and I am currently waiting on the result. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Are you talking about a waiver for CRT use or a waiver for an exam not being at least 90 days out from using CRT?

In almost all cases, spectacle lenses can correct the same amount of refractive error and astigmatism as CRT. By wearing CRT, you are generally a low myope (maybe -2.00 or better diopters?) and not much astigmatism. What it suggests to me is folks who wear CRT meet the refractive standards.

That's why I'm asking what the waiver is for. It should be for refractive errors out of standards.
Click to expand...

Good evening GoCubbies,
Thank you for replying. I am not fully familiar with how this whole thing works but am quickly learning from the fantastic volunteers such as yourself and Falcon A who freely share your knowledge and experience to help guide all the hopeful young men/women/parents on this website. Being brand spanking new to this whole process, I was referring to a waiver for the particular DQ (90 days). What I think that I am understanding is that the DQ from DoDMERB is for not having the 90 day period having passed prior to examination and not necessarily a problem with his eyes being out of standard (I will post the exact D# when he gets home). So, with that in mind, we are patiently waiting on the 90 day period to pass in order to re-exam. The reason for my initial inquiry is my lack of information as to whether a SA would "waiver" this particular "90 day" DQ. Would such a waiver be possible as I would assume that someone may have looked at the results of the exam even though only 30 days have passed? Please forgive me if I am not using the correct terminology.

My other problem is my lack of understanding of the timeline. DS will be eligible for a follow up exam in the early part of April. After the follow up, DoDMERB will then need time to interpret the results before rendering a judgement. In reading other posts on this site, the majority of candidates would hear something from the SA's by mid-April. It is also my understanding that DS would be pushing the time envelope to be fully qualified-medically speaking. From what I gather from other posts, if the SA really wants him, they will make allowances for the time factor but I do not know if DS is in this category. If DS' memory serves, his myope may be less than the cut-off standard (making him qualified) that you wrote above but I am not certain on this.

A couple of hopeful bits of information popped up this week. DS followed Falcon A's advice (Thank you, sir!) and reached out to the coaches at a couple of the SA's. One of them said not to fret about the DQ and that they would do all they could to sway the admissions board. The other said he needed some additional information (stats, etc) so that DS could be considered a "recruited athlete". We may be reading into these statements but are hopeful that they will help in his situation. We also realize that others are the final authority.

I know that every bureaucracy has a "system" I am currently in the stage where I am trying to figure out said "system". This is where the information freely shared by some great folks on here is invaluable. We are trying to arm ourselves with as much information as we can gather in order to be as proactive as possible due to the time crunch DS faces. We have also been casting a wide net in order to assist DS in reaching his goals. He has applied to the SA's, an SMC, NROTC and as a self sponsor at a military CC. I thank you again for posting on our situation and should you have more insight to share, we are all ears!
 
Good morning all,

After weeks of waiting, DS received a waiver from the USMA and subsequently offered an appointment to USMA. I wanted to thank you all for your insight and guidance through this process!
 
@Motorman Does your DS attend the academy currently? I was wondering if he is allowed to use CRT lenses there. I use these lenses and I am applying for class of 25 so I'm curious. Thanks!
 
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