First, my sympathies for being young and having a diagnosis like this to deal with going forward. And I appreciate your desire to serve.
The link posted above is an important primary source. It sets the military medical accession standard regardless of what military officer or enlisted accession program - service academy, ROTC, OCS/OTS, enlisted programs, etc. DoDMERB determines if a candidate meets or does not meet the standard. Waiver decisions are made by the waiver authority for each accession program. Waiver decisions can vary across services and programs because missions, operating environments, gear and equipment vary. Sometimes waivers are frequently given, seldom given, never given or given up to a certain quota, depending on the DQ.
The accession bar is set very high for good reason. It’s to support unit safety and readiness. Military people have to function effectively in remote, harsh, extraordinarily high-stress conditions, often far from advanced medical care. The military wants to bring in those who are least vulnerable to injury or illness that will make them a detriment to unit safety and ability to perform. Decisions will be made using policy, precedent, risk analysis and the individual details of each case.
Your alternate plans should include civilian school-civilian career, as I believe epilepsy, no matter how asymptomatic or well-controlled by medication is one of the difficult ones. I base this only on anecdotal knowledge of officers and enlisted personnel I know who developed the disease after being on active duty, but who were processed for medical separation, every single one.
I still recommend applying and going through the DoDMERB process, if you know you want to give it a shot. Standards and policies are regularly reviewed and updated.
If you feel called to service, be sure to explore federal civil service. Most career areas do not have medical requirements. If you can’t be a door-kicker, you can have the door-kickers’ backs as an analyst, cyber specialist, operations planner, logistician, etc. Federal civil service has excellent benefits and numerous college student scholarships and programs.
Some samples via Google:
The SMART Scholarship Program provides STEM students with full tuition, annual stipends, & employment with the Department of Defense (DoD) after graduation.
www.smartscholarship.org
www.dodciviliancareers.com
Start your cybersecurity career with the U.S. government
sfs.opm.gov
Protect the American people and uphold the Constitution by joining the FBI as a special agent, intelligence analyst, or professional in over 200 career trajectories.
fbijobs.gov
www.cia.gov
We offer a wide variety of programs to jumpstart your career.
www.intelligencecareers.gov
Student Hiring Programs: Acquisition and Procurement, Cybersecurity, Pathways, Health and Science, I&A Internship, Law Enforcement, Legal, Public Affairs.
www.dhs.gov
Just use “college student programs at (agency or department)”
