We are currently in the process of appealing to the Navy Board of Corrections about son's disenrollment, after losing appeal to have him reinstated into NROTC or allowed to enlist. There were some inaccuracies in the files - I have no idea if this will help him, or not. Our lawyer said that it might be useful in reducing DS debt of $150K.
The sad fact is that he never really considered life outside of the military and this time since disenrollment has been a shock. He realizes now that there were clues that he was on a short list to be disenrolled, but hindsight is 20/20, right?
I have no idea what the honor violations were for that QB at Naval Academy. I am sure that they were significant, yet I also know from my son's case that standards can be applied differently for different people. He saw it, regularly. This young man will likely see a very large bill and will probably have to do what we have done, which is hire counsel and hope they can help improve the situation. This kid's career in the Navy is over.
From what we understand and it has been said before, DFAS may not notify son for months, or years - we heard 2-3 years before, but someone else posted up to 7 years. Yikes. It has left him in a state of limbo. Trying very hard to save up as much money as possible and has moved home to save on expenses. He dreads getting the mail, worrying when DFAS finally contacts him. Payment plans that he has heard of range from 30 days, to 3 -10 years. Don't forget, there is interest added - so the debt is well beyond the original amount, when all is said and done.
Not dischargeable in bankruptcy, not considered student loan debt, so it's not deductible in any way, either.
One point for those trying to get a job after this debt is on their record - some employers might think of it as a "bad risk", leading to trouble with securing employment...especially in classified jobs for defense contractors, for example.
Bottom line - don't fall out of compliance. Be the best officer candidate you can be, whether in ROTC or the service academies. For those parents and students who are considering either - realize that there is a cost if disenrolled from program. We, as parents, never saw the contract or knew the reprecussions of disenrollment. Son didn't send contract to us or probably even read completely; as most young adults don't have experience reading contracts, he probably missed that point. It's full sticker price of tuition, not what you might have paid as a traditional college student using financial aid such as institutional or state grants, low interest loans, etc. Had we been aware, we might have considered having him go to an in-state public university, instead of a private, due to the staggering different price for list tuition.
My goal is not to dissuade you from pursuing this dream - just be aware of the big picture. We probably would have asked many, many more questions at the beginning, but being handed one of those big checks was such an honor for a 17 year old kid.