Just received DQ letter for vision

H

Heyriddle

5-Year Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2013
Messages
94
Our son has amblyopia but was thankfully treated at a young age. While not perfect, we made a lot of progress. Uncorrected, one eye is 20/20 and the other is 20/40. The 20/40 eye can be corrected to 20/20 with glasses.

DQ letter stated that he cannot be corrected to 20/20 vision.

We are somewhat shocked and don't know what to do next. The letter basically says wait and see if one of the academies wants to grant a waiver. He's applying to USNA, MMA, CGA, AFA, and for a NROTC scholarship.
 
That is exactly the process. You cannot request a waiver, the source (branch) will request it for you. They do not request it for everyone. They will request if they consider the candidate competitive for an apptmt or scholarship.

It can take weeks or months to get the waiver approved.

Meanwhile, what I would do is get all of your DS's medical paperwork in order if they request anything.
 
Thank you for your quick response. Ay idea why they would say that the eye is not correctable when in fact that it is?

Would you also recommend that we take hi. To his Opthamologist in the menu time?
 
I am not a doc. All I know is that DoDMERB has specific regs, and if the doc states it is not within the parameters set forth, than the DQ will occur. The other option is remedial, this is where they request additional medical records. However, obviously they deemed it to be a DQ and not a remedial.

Your DS will go through the waiver process for each source. I.E. 5 sources. USNA, NROTC, USMMA, AFA and CGA. USNA can decide not to waive, but at the same time NROTC may waive. It is not like the exam where everyone now has the DQ in his records as a result of the exam. It is source by source if or when they start the waiver.
 
Okay...

I worked with a young man two years ago who has a serious case of "without my glasses I'm pretty visually impaired!" I'm no doctor but he was close to the limits on diopters. BUT he was "fine."

When he did his eye check for DODMERB, the doctor overcorrected his eyes and he was DQ for being outside the diopter limits. He and his parents called me all in a panic..

LONG story short, his eye doctor took the DODMERB results, made a set of glasses to their results, put them on this young man, and watched him walk into a door. WAY OFF!!!

So he wrote up a report, gave his results (tested something like 3 times over 2 weeks, all tests within DODMERB standards) and submitted them to DODMERB for review.

DODMERB sent this young man to another doctor (not the same as the first one) and he took all this information with him. The new doctor read all, then said "let's take a look..." and tested him.

He was fine; within the numbers, he's now a 3-degree.

So...I wrote all that to give you a hint...if you believe the exam is flawed, its time to call DODMERB and explain that you believe the exam to be incorrect, you have a medical report that contradicts, etc...etc...and can you have a retest?

It'll be up to them but it has been done.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
Thanks for the info! I managed to get the report from the Concorde contracted optometrist. We have an appointment with the Opthamologist. One step at a time.....
 
Well....

The eye is not correctable to 20/20. So basically one eye without correction is 20/20 and the other is 20/25 with correction.

BGO just told him that this is not waiverable. Is this true? Is there no hope?
 
Vision not correctable to 20/20 is "disqualifying." IOW, DODMERB will issue a DQ.

It's my understanding that, unless a requirement is stated in the law (e.g., age), it is potentially waiverable. Whether a waiver is likely is another matter.

I strongly suggest you contact USNA Medical (which would have to grant the waiver) to find out whether they will even consider a waiver in your situation. Please understand that -- even if they say a waiver is possible -- the final decision to grant you a waiver depends on whether USNA wants to offer you an appointment. Howevever, if they won't waive it regardless of your qualifications, then you know where you stand and can pursue Plan B.

Also, each SA and ROTC program can have different waiver determinations. So the answer for USNA might be different than from another source.
 
My son has the exact same issue. According to DOD ophthalmologist, he was only correctable to 20/20 (-) in his left eye and received a DQ.

usna1895: How does one go about contacting USNA Medical to see if he has a shot at being competitive and if a waiver submission is a possibility?

You may note I made a similar inquiry on a different post and it was suggested that nothing was going to happen until all steps in the app were completed.

Thx...
 
Last edited:
I would start by calling Candidate Guidance (actually, have your DS do it) and asking if they'll give you the number for the Medical Officer. Your DS should state very clearly that he understands that waiver decisions aren't made until the entire package is in and USNA decides on an appointment decision BUT he want to know whether his condition is potentially waiverable so he knows whether to continue with the process.

Honestly, they may or not tell you if it's not waiverable -- IOW, it may be a VERY, VERY rare case that would be waived (i.e., 99% are not) but they don't want to say "no" outright. Not saying that will happen only that it's a possibility. He might also ask if the condition has been waived in recent years. I'm not saying the above will work, but it's worth the time of a call to see if you can get more info.

Your DS's approach should be -- "I'm not trying to back you into a corner or demand a decision on the spot. Rather, I want to know whether this is something that is doable if I'm a strong candidate or that there's no realistic shot so I need to move on my Plan B."

Also, whoever told you nothing would happen until everything is in is correct. USNA won't make a decision on a waiver until they are prepared to offer an appointment. However, they do know how frequently (if ever) this condition is waived. That can provide some guidance. For example, issues that are almost never waived include: asthma after age 13, ADHD or ADD that requires meds or accommodations, psychological disorders, missing one of two organs (e.g., kidney). Not sure where your DS's vision issue falls in the spectrum.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top