How to rebut DoDMERB

dad1956

10-Year Member
5-Year Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2007
Messages
1
My daughter recently received a single disqualification of D171.20 - Dysmenorrhea, history of. She has already requested a waiver but we were wondering what is the process of a rebuttal given the situation is not currently an issue and also, the situation was not a majot issue as she never missed a day or school or an outside activity to this normal developemental issue.

Thank you for all of you help and suggestions.
 
I'm sure Retired will reply with his excellent advise as always, but since he helped us get our waivers, I'll gladly support "his" forum and offer my two cents on what worked for us in his absence....

We also had a "history of" DQ (Knee pain) and you're probably stuck with that too. I.e. DODMERB sees it as black and white - i.e. if you EVER had it, you've therefore had a HISTORY of it. So unless your doc can say he wrote it up wrong, etc. then it's doubtful that DODMERB will allow you to rebute / remove it from his/her record.

The WAIVER of the DQ, however, by the Academies, is an entirely different situation. Each SA has the right / ability to look at that DQ and decide if it affects your ability to complete school and become / act as an officer, etc. So what we did, and what you should do, is draft up a detailed waiver-request letter to DODMERB, which will then forward it automatically to all of the SA's you've applied to, stating that yes, the problem occurred BUT BUT BUT that it has not affected his/her ability to perform, etc. Throw in back-up documentation from coaches, your docs, etc. stating that he/she is fit for all "duties". Now know that that letter won't affect DODMERB's listing of a DQ on her record BUT said letter will get into his/her SA file when it comes up for the Appointment Board review. At that time, I beleive, is when the WAIVER REQUEST paperwork comes into play. I.e. if you are good enough to get in, then they'll review the story/facts you have just written them about and hopefully grant you the waiver / give you the nod.

This is how it happened to us. We wrote a letter w/backups stating that while son had indeed had knee pain and then surgery 3 yrs ago, that thru rehab and training he currently actively played on his HS Tennis and Cross Country Teams, ran XX miles a day, etc. Must have worked - we got the waiver from both AF and NA, as well as appointment (!) to AF (still awaiting NA, however, but DODMERB is showing that the waiver was granted, so we're hopeful).

Hang in there and write that letter ASAP! And if you are concerned that DODMERB won't cc the SA, go ahead and cc your contact there too also - can't hurt!

Good luck, and hopefully Retired will agree with my statements here. And if he doesn't agree with something I said, then trust him first! He's da best! :)

DKnightfam

PS: By the way, I don't have a clue as to what your daugthers' "disease or aflliction" really is, so I wrote up my note assuming that it is something that an SA can actually waive, vs it being an automatic "no way jose" problem. But I'm sure Retired will help you there...
 
Last edited:
DQ'd because of "bad periods?" They have GOT to be joking! Most women I know (and it started in their teen years) had/have those! What a rotten excuse! That can be controlled with BCP's.

I realize this is your daughter and I'm not making light of the situation. Is it possible for you to take her to an OB/GYN and have a pelvic exam done. I mention this very delicately, as she may not be ready for one (emotionally, etc) and her parents may not be ready to have her have one. However, birth control pills would/could alleviate many of the symptoms.

Best of luck.
 
Apparently I've taught everyone here all they need to know! Dknightfam has it down, and there is nothing that I can add to that outstanding post!

As far as being waiverable, as long as it is currently not an issue and doesn't interfere with her activities it can be waived.

nurseypoo, all the disqualifications that are in place are there for a reason, we may not understand the reason, and some do not make sense, but we have to work with the system and not against it. This particular disqualification does make sense, take a young woman who is leading troops in battle, scheduled to fly a mission, or is the gunnery officer on a ship heading into battle. She has dysmenorrhea, and is unfortunately incapacitated at this particular time. What happens to the troops she is supposed to be leading, the mission she is supposed to fly, or the sailors who are looking to her for instructions? This is the reason its a disqualification. Should it be a "history of" disqualification? Maybe not, but dysmenorrhea can be an indicator of other problems such as endometriosis.
 
RetNavyHM - a super teacher you are!
As we women know - there are various degrees to dysmenorrhea.... I remember seeing the "Have you ever had mentrual cramps" on the medical history questionairre --- a dangerous questions to be sure - hardly a woman who ever has not!
Sort of reminded me of the "have you ever had motion sickness" question.

Nurseypoo is so right that most of dysmennorhea can be treated simply with birth control - many girls do go untreated.
It can be tricky trying to figure out what is beyond the range of normal.
In any case if she had bad cramps or prolonged periods - she definitely wants to get this taken care of before reporting in the summer.
 
Endometriosis responds very well to birth control pills, so that can be a blessing for it to be found and treated. If they disqualified every woman that had dysmenorrhea, they'd have VERY few.
 
My daughter recently received a single disqualification of D171.20 - Dysmenorrhea, history of. She has already requested a waiver but we were wondering what is the process of a rebuttal given the situation is not currently an issue and also, the situation was not a majot issue as she never missed a day or school or an outside activity to this normal developemental issue.

Thank you for all of you help and suggestions.
 
What was the outcome of the waiver? My daughter just received the same disqualification. She once had slightly irregular cycles due to daily running and exercise. It was never a problem either.
 
What was the outcome of the waiver? My daughter just received the same disqualification. She once had slightly irregular cycles due to daily running and exercise. It was never a problem either.

you are not likely to get a reply from the OP since this thread is 11 years old, unfortunately
 
Back
Top