DODMERB Waiver Denial

[Sbmurphy2018]

My DS just received a letter from DODMERB related to his NROTC scholarship indicating that he DOES NOT meet established physical standards due to high myopia and high astigmatism, a waiver of physical standards is NOT recommended, obviously devastating news! We have been researching the issue on this board and throughout the internet, it appears we should contact the DODMERB Board, his local unit, and DODMERB Consultants (Dr. Mullen). Any other suggestions or entities to contact, he is not willing to give up his dream or desire to serve. Thanks for any input.

 

[Falcon A]

Dr Mullen is not affiliated with DoDMERB Consultants. You should use the search tool and plug in DoDMERB Consultants to find recent posts of folks that have used that group. Many are not happy.

Dr Mullen is actually Mr Mullen and he is or was (have heard he was going to retire but don't know first hand) the Deputy Director at DoDMERB. Again, plug in his name in the search and I think you kind find his email address

What were your DS' eyesight numbers? I believe the DoDMERB reg sets a limit of +/- 8.

 

[Falcon A]

Here are the 2 lines from the DoDMERB reg:

"d. Current refractive error (hyperopia, myopia, astigmatism) in excess of -8.00 or +8.00 diopters spherical equivalent or astigmatism in excess of 3.00 diopters.

e. Any condition that specifically requires contact lenses for adequate correction of vision, such as corneal scars and opacities and irregular astigmatism."

And here is the link to the reg:

https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/613003p.pdf

 

[GoCubbies]

My DS just received a letter from DODMERB related to his NROTC scholarship indicating that he DOES NOT meet established physical standards due to high myopia and high astigmatism, a waiver of physical standards is NOT recommended, obviously devastating news! We have been researching the issue on this board and throughout the internet, it appears we should contact the DODMERB Board, his local unit, and DODMERB Consultants (Dr. Mullen). Any other suggestions or entities to contact, he is not willing to give up his dream or desire to serve. Thanks for any input.

What is his eye glasses prescription?

It’ll tell how much correction is needed for his high myopia and astigmatism.

 

[k2rider]

Any chance the Army has lesser standards he might be able to meet?

 

[Sbmurphy2018]

Any chance the Army has lesser standards he might be able to meet?

Hi, thanks for all of the responses. Just a got a little more info after speaking to DS' unit commander. There is a formal appeals process we can use and which we will initiated. Also, transferred the info from DODMERB to our optometrist and they are convinced the findings are not accurate. So for now we are gathering the necessary info and will submit a formal appeal. Fingers crossed. Thanks again for taking the time to respond, hopefully no road blocks but if so I will reach out again. take care

 

[Bmn3]

Any chance the Army has lesser standards he might be able to meet?

Hi, thanks for all of the responses. Just a got a little more info after speaking to DS' unit commander. There is a formal appeals process we can use and which we will initiated. Also, transferred the info from DODMERB to our optometrist and they are convinced the findings are not accurate. So for now we are gathering the necessary info and will submit a formal appeal. Fingers crossed. Thanks again for taking the time to respond, hopefully no road blocks but if so I will reach out again. take care

Without getting into further details, please do not use Dodmerb consultants. I am speaking from actual experience with this guy.
We got our DS medical waiver resolved within a few days ourselves. Your on the right path.

 

[Sdmom]

We paid Dr. Merchant aka Dodmerb consultants and he did not fulfill his agreement. Cannot recommend.

 

[Royals8515]

My daughter was measured at over -8 and was granted a medical waiver for Air Force ROTC (June 2020). The key was the eye exam itself. The concern is the possibility of a detached retina. Here is an example of the comments we received from two different eye doctors.

Summary of DOD-contracted Dilated Fundoscopic Exam with Dr. X (26 May 20)
- OD and OS Vitreous: Clear without hemorrhage, cells, or pigment.
- OD and OS Vessels: Normal contour, caliber without neovascularization.
- OD and OS Macula: Normal contour without heme, edema, drusen, or exudate.
- OD and OS Periphery: Normal appearance without retinal tears, breaks, holes, or mass.

Summary of Dilated Fundoscopic Exam with Family Eye Doctor, Dr. Y (14 May 20)
- Optic nerves, maculae, and retinal vasculature all revealed optimal ocular health.
- Retinal peripheral exam revealed no ocular pathology.
- There are no hemes, exudate, scars, opacities, or retinal degeneration.
- Of specific interest in this case, no thinning or lattice degeneration of the retina 360 (OD or OS).

Although we had great results from both exams, it important to note that the needs of each Service shift from year-to-year.

Best wishes during the process. It is long and difficult but most definitely worth the effort.