Medical Records - Possible DQ

RobertGDog

RobertGDog

5-Year Member
Joined
May 31, 2018
Messages
25
Hello, First time posting. My DS is applying for the SA's and ROTC scholarships. We requested his medical records to see what is mentioned in them. We think he may have a disqualifying condition. He was (mis)diagnosed with Tourettes when he was 10 years old. Our DS had a tic (head twitch) after taking ADHD medication on and off for a year between ages 9 and 10. We took him to a neurologist who wrote a letter to our DS's doctor saying that he has Tourettes, OCD, Anxiety and ADHD. The Neurologist recommended a cocktail of meds but we decided to take him off all meds. We are now learning that Tourettes also involves verbal tics. Our DS did not have any verbal tics that is required for a Tourettes diagnosis. His tics slowly disappeared by age 14 and now he is tic free. Curious if anyone has advice for us on this topic.
Does the DoDMERB ask for records this far back?
Is this a disqualifying condition?
Is this waiverable? If so, what information should we gather now to speed up the waiver process?
Thank you.
 
Yes they ask this far back.. The 85 question medical history you fill out asks if you "have or if you have ever had".... to each item. They wont initially ask for records, you just fill out a history questionnaire and go for an exam. But if you are honest about reporting those diagnoses then yes its very likely you will either get a "remedial" to send them records or will just get a flat out DQ. Waivers are possible. Good luck to your family!
 
The only thing that’s for certain is you won’t know until you go through the process. Over this last year I have seen things discussed that make me realize that there really are no absolutes in any of this process, including DODMRB.

And in case anyone reading is wondering “why go through all this if xxx (insert any question/obstacle here including your dodmrb concern) will happpen”....that right there is a weeding out that makes it easy for admissions. You have to want it and fight for it no matter the challenge.

Additionally, going through this whole process is such a HUGE growth, learning and development opportunity, that will benefit any candidate whether they they ultimately receive an appointment or the TWE, that it’s totally worth going through, IMO. The change in my son from this time last year until now is remarkable. I hadn’t thought about how much he would grow going through the process. I look at his peers graduating high school, and DS seems more confident and mature already. He has met and interviewed before 18 member panels. Managed doodles of paperwork. Written a gazillion essays. Interviewed with Naval and Air Force Captains. Been an advocate for himself.

I digress.....but my point is that you won’t know if you don’t try. And if one thinks ‘why try if I’m not good enough (or have a medical issue the could be a DQ...)’, realize that there is value also in the journey. That was something I hadn’t expected in our experience.

One last thing to your point: different SA’s and ROTC programs have different standards I have seen over the year. So something disqualifying to one may not be disqualifying for another. Obviously there are things that are DQ’s across the board. The best way to speed up the process is to get a SA application completed far enough into the process to trigger DODMRB. IMO. That happens quicker with a SA than the ROTC process. And as I understand, it’s a percentage of completion of the application that triggers DODMRB (USNA USAFA in our case).

Good luck!!
 
RobertGDog said:
Hello, First time posting. My DS is applying for the SA's and ROTC scholarships. We requested his medical records to see what is mentioned in them. We think he may have a disqualifying condition. He was (mis)diagnosed with Tourettes when he was 10 years old. Our DS had a tic (head twitch) after taking ADHD medication on and off for a year between ages 9 and 10. We took him to a neurologist who wrote a letter to our DS's doctor saying that he has Tourettes, OCD, Anxiety and ADHD. The Neurologist recommended a cocktail of meds but we decided to take him off all meds. We are now learning that Tourettes also involves verbal tics. Our DS did not have any verbal tics that is required for a Tourettes diagnosis. His tics slowly disappeared by age 14 and now he is tic free. Curious if anyone has advice for us on this topic.
Does the DoDMERB ask for records this far back?
Is this a disqualifying condition?
Is this waiverable? If so, what information should we gather now to speed up the waiver process?
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Did you have him reassessed by another Dr. and have records indicating he did/does not have Tourettes? If not, if it were me, then I would insure I had that done so that there is evidence in the medical records that he does NOT have the condition. If you just took him off the meds on his own and your own personal research leads you to misdiagnosis, but it has never be confirmed by a physician, then I would believe he would have problems getting through with this. I would it hard NOW so you can have this document in the records BEFORE he submits his DoDMERB forms.
 
Thank you all for your replies!
We have not had him re-evaluated by a medical professional yet but we will definitely look into it. We aren't sure which type of doctor would re-diagnose our DS - physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, neurologist, etc. Anyone have suggestions? I really appreciate the responses through this forum!
 
You are wise to research the medical records early. Be prepared to answer the DoDMERB questions clearly and truthfully. A DQ is not that big a deal, as many inconsequential DQ's will be waived, especially if there has been no recurrences for over two years.

It would be a good idea to have a letter prepared by a physician who is familiar with DoDMERBB (ex military doc etc.) prepare a letter indicating medical clearance and likelihood of previous misdiagnosis.
 
Thank you USMAROTCFamily. That thread was encouraging.
I downloaded the DoDMERB medical history report that we will be filling out. We want to fill it out correctly. It doesn't specifically mention ADHD/Tourettes/Tic Disorder. Would we check box #23 (Mental condition or illness) or #78 (Any illness or injury other than those already noted)? Aside from ADHD and Tourettes, his neurologist put in his letter to our physician in 2011 that my DS had anxiety and OCD. I guess we need to check box #22 which mentions anxiety. Do we can explain OCD with #23 Mental condition or illness?
This letter from the neurologist was so long ago, and the conditions mentioned are no longer issues, but it seems that we need to explain everything.
Thanks for all of your help!
 
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