Medical Waiver

[kristi]

My son required a waiver for a herniated disc he had 4 years ago. Only a month into the program and unfortunately he has re-herniated his disc. He absolutely loves the ROTC program (Army) and has done very well up until injuring himself. Is he likely to get a medical discharge for this or will he be given another chance? He is devastated...

 

[AROTC-dad]

Did he pass DoDMERB yet? i.e. has he contracted?

If he has passed DoDMERB, then he has a good chance of landing on his feet. The key point will be if he can be fully released without restriction, which means that this is unlikely to recur.

If he has NOT passed DoDMERB, then it will be an uphill battle. Heavy ruck marches are not conducive to bad discs. While deployed in Mosul, my DD's husband jumped off of a six foot wall with a 80 pound ruck during a mortar attack and compressed his discs as a result. Not fun.

 

[kristi]

Yes, he did pass his DoDMERB, he had no issues for years. He did get contracted but it wasn't long after that that he hurt himself. So, seems like the question is will he again get fully released without restriction? In the meantime, he can assume they will continue to pay for his schooling and will not have to pay the money back?

 

[AROTC-dad]

My DS had passed DoDMERB and earned a 3 year scholarship back in 2015. Last January, he was demonstrating some extreme snowboarding stunts (he is an instructor) and took a bad fall, fracturing his pelvis, and his radius plus dislocating his shoulder.
After discharge, he did not miss a single academic or MIL-SCI class. He was on PT restriction while on crutches for 90 days, after which he went back to snowboarding, scored a 285 APFT and secured a full release from his orthopedist.

His battalion did not ask for any additional medical reviews. (I'm not sure his PMS even notified Cadet Command).

My DS never missed a stipend or tuition payment as a result of his keeping his battalion fully informed and taking his recuperation seriously.

Good luck to your DS!

 

[k2rider]

Unless things have changed, if they are unable to do PT for a set period of time, they will be (can be?) released from the program. My daughter had a knee injury the 2nd semester of her sophomore year and couldn't participate in PT. After 60 or 90 days, I don't recall which, she was released from the program and we had to fund her tuition that semester. Over the Summer, she had surgery and took ROTC classes online to catch up. She showed up the next fall, passed the PFT and was on her way.

 

[AROTC-dad]

60 or 90 days,

My DS's accident happened at the beginning of the Winter break, so 30 days were cleared. He missed no classes and he showed up at PT just to observe.

He was back on PT by mid March, so his net loss of PT was about 45 days. He had no interruption of tuition.

I think his Cadre gave him a "break" (pun sort of not intended).

 

[k2rider]

60 or 90 days,

My DS's accident happened at the beginning of the Winter break, so 30 days were cleared. He missed no classes and he showed up at PT just to observe.

He was back on PT by mid March, so his net loss of PT was about 45 days. He had no interruption of tuition.

I think his Cadre gave him a "break" (pun sort of not intended).

Yeah, they held on to my daughter longer than they were "supposed to" hoping it would improve as she was their Ranger Challenge female but it just got worse. It all worked out in the end and the experience to have to work her way back in was probably good for her.

 

[MohawkArmyROTC]

If he is on profile for more than 45 days then he will need a medical determination.

 

[AJC]

If he is on profile for more than 45 days then he will need a medical determination.

You have got to love a definitive answer!