I have asymptomatic flat feet, but I am worried the DoDMERB/AFROTC will disqualify me.

[jellojello]

Hello! I am on a Type 1 Scholarship for AFROTC. I am really banking on this scholarship to afford the expensive school I am going to, but more importantly, it has been my PASSION and BLAZE in my heart to serve ever since I was a boy. I'm just worried that if they disqualify me for having flat feet, I'll be broken.

Its important to note that I am a Track and Field athlete, a sprinter, and I have competed and won a District Championship, competed at Regionals and State competitions. I have had shin splints in the past, but they go away after proper rest, and I can sprint for days and days on end without feeling pain or anything in my feet. I guess that makes me have asymptomatic flat feet by definition. However, I am still worried that my dream that I have been working towards and cultivating could be crushed by a simple physical exam. Any advice/reassurance would be fine. I have my DoDMERB next month.

Thanks everybody.

 

[Newww25]

I had mild flat foot and I'm asymptomatic also, the doctor noted that but it wasn't a problem and dodmerb never asked me about it.

 

[jellojello]

I had mild flat foot and I'm asymptomatic also, the doctor noted that but it wasn't a problem and dodmerb never asked me about it.

Great to hear! Thanks!

 

[EEBTTF]

Hello! I am on a Type 1 Scholarship for AFROTC. I am really banking on this scholarship to afford the expensive school I am going to, but more importantly, it has been my PASSION and BLAZE in my heart to serve ever since I was a boy. I'm just worried that if they disqualify me for having flat feet, I'll be broken.

Its important to note that I am a Track and Field athlete, a sprinter, and I have competed and won a District Championship, competed at Regionals and State competitions. I have had shin splints in the past, but they go away after proper rest, and I can sprint for days and days on end without feeling pain or anything in my feet. I guess that makes me have asymptomatic flat feet by definition. However, I am still worried that my dream that I have been working towards and cultivating could be crushed by a simple physical exam. Any advice/reassurance would be fine. I have my DoDMERB next month.

Thanks everybody.

Congratulations on your scholarship and I hope all works out with DoDMERB. One point of caution that you will see repeated throughout the SAF is be cautious about being 100% reliant on scholarship funds to cover your education. A lot of things can happen during your time in college that could impact your scholarship. You could get injured, change your mind or budget cuts out of your control . Just last week, there were numerous threads about high performing AFROTC cadets that had their scholarships halted to to lack of summer training slots (Sorry AFROTC gurus, I know I greatly over simplified what happened last week).

It could take months to clear DoDMERB, you are now enrolled at a very expensive school that you cannot afford without a scholarship (based on your post). You don't clear DoDMERB and now you are responsible for all costs. This is worse case scenario, but happens all the time. Just be educated about the process.

I hope it all works out with your scholarship, but please don't put all of your eggs in one basket. Good luck!

 

[jellojello]

Congratulations on your scholarship and I hope all works out with DoDMERB. One point of caution that you will see repeated throughout the SAF is be cautious about being 100% reliant on scholarship funds to cover your education. A lot of things can happen during your time in college that could impact your scholarship. You could get injured, change your mind or budget cuts out of your control . Just last week, there were numerous threads about high performing AFROTC cadets that had their scholarships halted to to lack of summer training slots (Sorry AFROTC gurus, I know I greatly over simplified what happened last week).

I hope it all works out with your scholarship, but please don't put all of your eggs in one basket. Good luck!

Noted, yeah, if things don't go well, and I am disqualified from the AFROTC program, I know I would be devastated. But adversity is what I have overcome throughout my life. It'll just be another hurdle to overcome. Good information about the halted scholarships. Thank you so much for the reply! I appreciate it! I will come back to this thread after I have had my exam late next month.

 

[EEBTTF]

Noted, yeah, if things don't go well, and I am disqualified from the AFROTC program, I know I would be devastated. But adversity is what I have overcome throughout my life. It'll just be another hurdle to overcome. Good information about the halted scholarships. Thank you so much for the reply! I appreciate it! I will come back to this thread after I have had my exam late next month.

Love the positive attitude. I am sure it will all work out. This forum is full of great info. Take some time and use the search function, it will be an enlightening experience.

 

[jellojello]

Love the positive attitude. I am sure it will all work out. This forum is full of great info. Take some time and use the search function, it will be an enlightening experience.

Roger that!

 

[Thunderbolt462]

Hello! I am on a Type 1 Scholarship for AFROTC. I am really banking on this scholarship to afford the expensive school I am going to, but more importantly, it has been my PASSION and BLAZE in my heart to serve ever since I was a boy. I'm just worried that if they disqualify me for having flat feet, I'll be broken.

Its important to note that I am a Track and Field athlete, a sprinter, and I have competed and won a District Championship, competed at Regionals and State competitions. I have had shin splints in the past, but they go away after proper rest, and I can sprint for days and days on end without feeling pain or anything in my feet. I guess that makes me have asymptomatic flat feet by definition. However, I am still worried that my dream that I have been working towards and cultivating could be crushed by a simple physical exam. Any advice/reassurance would be fine. I have my DoDMERB next month.

Thanks everybody.

Just a question for clarification. Did a doctor diagnose you with flat feet? If not, I wouldn't even mention it unless it causes you issues and just see what they say.

 

[jellojello]

Just a question for clarification. Did a doctor diagnose you with flat feet? If not, I wouldn't even mention it unless it causes you issues and just see what they say.

No doctor has ever diagnosed me with flat feet. However, I did go to a doctor once because my shin was bothering me (This was when I just starting out with sports, and we had upped the intensity of our workouts). But no a doctor has never diagnosed me with flat feet, but maybe they noticed it but didn't say anything.

 

[Thunderbolt462]

No doctor has ever diagnosed me with flat feet. However, I did go to a doctor once because my shin was bothering me (This was when I just starting out with sports, and we had upped the intensity of our workouts). But no a doctor has never diagnosed me with flat feet, but maybe they noticed it but didn't say anything.

Then don't even mark it on the form. I was in the same boat and ran track and xc in high school with no issues. Never diagnosed by a doctor. Passed DoDMERB with no issues. At my flight physical my junior year when they give rated candidates a full body exam, this was how the conversation went.

"Hey, you've got flat feet"

"Cool"

"They cause you any issues?"

"No, sir"

"Cool"

 

[jellojello]

Then don't even mark it on the form. I was in the same boat and ran track and xc in high school with no issues. Never diagnosed by a doctor. Passed DoDMERB with no issues. At my flight physical my junior year when they give you a full body exam, this was how the conversation went.

"Hey, you've got flat feet"

"Cool"

"They cause you any issues?"

"No, sir"

"Cool"

Hilarious Yea, I didn't mark it on the form.

 

[MullenLE]

And we wonder why we're in an ethical swamp?????.....????? And to quote the infamous Bubba Gump, "That's all I have to say about that." No smile here.....

The DoD medical accession standard with regard to flat feet is:

{Implied DQ if} "(5) Rigid or symptomatic pes planus (acquired or congenital)"

 

[Impulsive]

Then don't even mark it on the form. I was in the same boat and ran track and xc in high school with no issues. Never diagnosed by a doctor. Passed DoDMERB with no issues. At my flight physical my junior year when they give rated candidates a full body exam, this was how the conversation went.

"Hey, you've got flat feet"

"Cool"

"They cause you any issues?"

"No, sir"

"Cool"

Not good advice.....each case is different, telling someone to intentionally omit anything from a military form is asking for trouble, now or possibly later when it is REALLY an issue. Better to trust the system (it is designed to afford you and your fellow team mates the security of knowing you are all fit and able to serve), it is there to assist EVERYONE and not hurt ANYONE. Above all BE HONEST!

 

[jellojello]

Not good advice.....each case is different, telling someone to intentionally omit anything from a military form is asking for trouble, now or possibly later when it is REALLY an issue. Better to trust the system (it is designed to afford you and your fellow team mates the security of knowing you are all fit and able to serve), it is there to assist EVERYONE and not hurt ANYONE. Above all BE HONEST!

Right, yea I totally understand that. It would be detrimental and selfish to lie just to get in, and it could cost lives. But my flat feet doesn't cause me problems. I run a crap ton, and at high intensity, sprinting is a sport where the whole point is to drive your legs into the ground as hard and as frequently as you can. Competed at district, regional, and state championships. It never really had a section on the initial form regarding flat feet specifically, but it asked if I had ever experienced any pain with my feet, which I have not. So I marked no for those questions. But yeah I do have flat feet. Asymptomatic flat feet, and by the DoDMERB standards it says that symptomatic or rigid flat feet is when flat feet becomes a disqualifying factor. So I think I'm good, but we'll have to see.

 

[Thunderbolt462]

Not good advice.....each case is different, telling someone to intentionally omit anything from a military form is asking for trouble, now or possibly later when it is REALLY an issue. Better to trust the system (it is designed to afford you and your fellow team mates the security of knowing you are all fit and able to serve), it is there to assist EVERYONE and not hurt ANYONE. Above all BE HONEST

I'm genuinely curious because this seems potentially problematic. Should an applicant answer "yes" to any condition they even think they might have? If so, I suspect many applicants would be able to mark "yes" for the majority of boxes on the DD 2492.

If an applicant has symptoms that they purposely ignore or a doctor diagnoses a condition and they answer "no," then I agree that's problematic, and would potentially lead to dismissal if discovered.

From the USAF Academy website: "Use good judgment when listing medical problems. Do not self-diagnose a problem. List the full circumstances, treatment received and age during each episode."