I don't believe DODMerb received all my documents - received DQ

C

cdmc

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Jan 27, 2020
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My application for West Point is complete except for a medical DQ. I have completed and passed my CFA and all other criteria with my seventh semester grades en-route from my high school (yay for green check marks!!!) and have received my Congressional nomination.

I was given a medical DQ for a minor concussion I had summer of 2017. I was medically cleared to continue with sports (which I did), was never unconscious, and have had no lingering symptoms. Looking at the regulations it seems to me that my injury occurred well before it should have disqualified me.

It has come to my attention that my neurologist clearance letter was not forwarded to DODMerb along with my medical exam. After I received my DQ, I went ahead and had another neurological full workup including an MRI as well as letters from another neurologist and radiologist confirming there is no adverse effects of the prior concussion. Additionally, for a fourth opinion, I forwarded the MRI to a pediatric neuroradiologist and Professor of Radiology who is willing to send an additional letter or fill out any necessary documentation to establish that there are no adverse effects from my minor concussion and I am in perfect neurological condition.

If there was an omission in the information DODMerb received from my exam, is there a way for it to be reviewed and corrected?

Any information, thoughts or suggestions very much welcome!
 
In direct communication with CMDC. Life is good :)
 
Life is good :)! I'm hopeful about my outcome. Regardless of outcome however, I am immensely grateful for your responsiveness and time.
CDMC
 
It is my honor and privilege! ⛑
 
I'm not saying that I hit refresh on the DoDMERB website every two hours between classes. But if I did, I might wonder where I could find the definition for "current medical status: withdrawn". My status before was "under waiver review"

I've read all the candidate materials and all of the reference materials on the DoDMERB website but have not yet found the answer.
 
Contact made. Follow up later tonight
 
Mr. Mullen, does it really take three business weeks for DoDMERB to process AMIs and send them to the waiver authorities (in my case Navy). What is realistic? I submitted all my paperwork on 1/21, for reference.
 
***I will answer your question specifically, but answer the issue in a broader sense, to use as a reference for other questions that are asked about this general topic. Now, I didn’t run my response through a battery of attorneys or re-read it 6 times to ensure I don’t offend anyone —- I’m giving the audience the real deal and cutting through the bureaucracy.***

It could. Seeing as I don’t know who you actually are, I’ll answer the question in general.
Jan ends tomorrow. The workload at DODMERB is crescendoing for all Service Academies. We have X number of staff to handle phone calls, emails, processing, etc. I’m the Deputy Chief and answering on this site and all times of the day and night, 7 days a week. (I’m writing this at 9 PM MST, after working a full day.)

My main thrust is to HELP ”applicants.” My secondary objective is to hopefully lighten the load on our staff and Civ Team, to give them more time to process applicant cases faster.

So we give a 3 business week answer to be reasonable. Some cases can be handled within an hour, some may take the full 3 business weeks. When I review chronologies, more often than not, applicants are the basis for the delay. It’s quite common that we ask an applicant to complete a 1 page questionnaire in Sep. They submit it in January. The applicant, Mom, Dad, and an advocate, individually, will call, email, send a Congressional inquiry within the hour of receipt...or sometimes...before receipt...asking what’s taking so long. We end up spending an hour responding to something that may actually take 1 minute to complete. NOW... that’s an example at the far end of the spectrum, but it DOES happen and every manifestation in between.

Additionally, the Information Technology capabilities within the Federal Government in general, is about 20 years behind the industry standard. We at DoDMERB, certainly fall within that realm. In my 28 years in my position, I repeatedly tell senior leadership, if a task is repetitive and recurrent, it should be automated! It saves time; reduces human errors, and allows data capture, when analyzing our business processes. BUT, that said, there are budgetary constraints all the time...and rightfully so, so here we are. If our automation was more robust and current, we could certainly respond to all tasks a lot faster. But DoDMERB staff are not war fighters. The priority of federal taxpayer spending IS and SHOULD be for the war fighters. So again, here we are.

Each and every member of our staff, from the MED Techs to our most senior physicians and all folks in the middle, WE understand what’s at stake....the country’s defense by manning the force...the constrained timeline the Best and Brightest applicants are under to apply; be reviewed; and be accepted to an SA or receive an ROTC scholarship. I can assure you, we take that mission VERY seriously. I tell all our staff, and I’m the least religious guy you’ll ever find...apply the Golden Rule “do unto others as you would want done unto you.” —- Put yourself in the applicant’s shoes...because at one time...we were all applicants for something. So I tell them, “if you work a case as though it was your application, promotion, or retirement, with proper urgency and attention to detail, then you’ve done a good job...and you all WILL do a good job!”
 
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