DS Under 18, is parent required to attend DodMerb physical appointments?

[2022 Mom]

Apologize if this has been asked before or if it is an obvious response - we are new to this....

Before DS schedules his appointments, will he need a parent to attend with him since he is still 17 years old? We still have to physically go with him to the pediatrician until he turns 18. Just want to be able to tell him dates parents can/cannot attend due to work conflicts. Really hope this falls under the "they are going in the military and must take care of things as an adult on their own now" category. TIA.

 

[Capt MJ]

Apologize if this has been asked before or if it is an obvious response - we are new to this....

Before DS schedules his appointments, will he need a parent to attend with him since he is still 17 years old? We still have to physically go with him to the pediatrician until he turns 18. Just want to be able to tell him dates parents can/cannot attend due to work conflicts. Really hope this falls under the "they are going in the military and must take care of things as an adult on their own now" category. TIA.

You will also want to research applicable state or the medical practice/health care plan requirements.

 

[MullenLE]

As this is your first foray, here's a tip = MOM/DAD: Google "DoDMERB;" Hit "Questions on the process;" Read paragraph #4.


DS = When YOU call to make your appointment, that's the question you want to ask. Each clinic is different and vary from state to state. I don't know of any circumstance, where the parent is permitted in the exam room, but often have to accompany a minor.

 

[DSANN]

NYC here - I drove my 17 YO and sat in waiting room.

 

[RAI923]

DD is 17 and had medical and eye appointments in state where she is in school. I did have to sign consent forms and was able to sign electronically when she checked In for the appointment. Fortunately, technology makes that a breeze even on the cell phone! Had her appointment been local, I would have driven her to the appointment to alleviate any additional stress and waited in the car. Best of luck!

 

[Boymomof3]

NYC here - I drove my 17 YO and sat in waiting room.

In IL - I did the same thing for DS…. They did call me back @ the end, but was probably more for me because I thought it was weird for him to be underage & going in by himself but it worked for me. At 17, I surely don’t want to be in there for the exam!

 

[USMAROTCFamily]

We had to be there for the check in with our DS and DD, but did not go back to the exam room with them.

 

[MrSoapman]

I'm here in TN, I didn't need a parent other than my optometric exam where they needed verbal confirmation from my father via phone call that I was allowed to do it. Technology!

 

[2022 Mom]

Thank you all. It sounds like it might be an issue here too so he will check with each entity for the procedure.
Thank you all for your guidance and suggestions.
Good luck to all.

 

[Candd82026]

In CA, I was in the waiting room until DS (age 17) was fetched by the doctor herself. I asked if I was needed to go with them, the doctor said "No". So I left and waited in the car.

As for scheduling, please don't wait but rather schedule asap. For DS, the earliest he could get was a month away from when he called the doctor for an appointment. So I just told DS to get the first available appointment and I'll just get time off from work, if needed. Please note that the same doctor may be used by any military-type of appointments, so it's not just for SA applications. In the lobby, we met an ROTC college student waiting for his turn after DS. That was the closest DoDMERB doctor for us - 62 miles away.

 

[usafcellist2026]

In CA, I was in the waiting room until DS (age 17) was fetched by the doctor herself. I asked if I was needed to go with them, the doctor said "No". So I left and waited in the car.

As for scheduling, please don't wait but rather schedule asap. For DS, the earliest he could get was a month away from when he called the doctor for an appointment. So I just told DS to get the first available appointment and I'll just get time off from work, if needed. Please note that the same doctor may be used by any military-type of appointments, so it's not just for SA applications. In the lobby, we met an ROTC college student waiting for his turn after DS. That was the closest DoDMERB doctor for us - 62 miles away.

I'll echo this, especially since DoDMERB is one of the longest processes when applying to an SA. I got lucky with my optometrist and was able to schedule an appointment for the next day, and then for the overall physical it took a couple weeks. It's more the processing that takes a while, and if a waiver is required or AMI then it'll take even longer.

There's specific doctors that are certified to perform the exam, so the one here travels between two locations. We had to go to the furthest one from us, only about 20 miles away. Schedule the exam first, then figure out your work schedule immediately after.