hobbes,
The instruction that DoDMERB has to go by states "Current or history of psoriasis" as a disqualification. DoDMERB is black and white, and so they had to disqualify. It is a condition that can be waived. If its not to severe, and localized to a small area then the chances of a waiver go up.
Psoriasis is a condition that can be severe and require a lot of medical treatment. It can also flare up depending on the weather conditions and possibly incapacitate the person. In the military (and it sounds as if you are familiar with the military) you never know from one day to the next where you might be, and what type of environment you'll find yourself in.
In the letter you have received from DoDMERB it states what needs to be done for each service academy. For USMA there is no need to request a wavier in writing (if admissions decides he is a competitive candidate then they will forward his name to the wavier authorities). For USAFA your son needs to write a letter requesting the wavier (otherwise no waiver action will be taken). I would suggest that in the wavier request to USAFA your son write a personal statement about the psoriasis, describing in his words where it is at, how severe it is, what medical treatments he uses (and the last time used), as well as how it affects him during the different seasons, what activities he currently participates in (both organized and unorganized) and how the psoriasis affects those activities, if at all. I would also have him do a generic version (leave off the AF request for waiver) and send it in to DoDMERB requesting that it be forwarded to all wavier authorities. All information that DoDMERB has will be sent to the wavier authorities, and your son's statement will help them to know, in his words, how this affects him.
I hope this helps, and if you have any other questions feel free to ask away!
