Question about injury during Cadet Basic Training

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vrs

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Jan 28, 2015
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If a new cadet (NC) is injured during Beast, what are their options? It is possible the NC will either get better, or be separated and reassigned to the Class of 2020. This person had an ROTC scholarship through a college which automatically got revoked when the NC signed the oath at USMA, but the question is: Can the scholarship be recovered in this situation? What are the criteria? What other avenues are available?
Has anyone seen this scenario play out before and what can be done? Moderators, FFRs, have you any suggestions? Thank you for your time.
 
Every year New Cadets get injured and are sent home to come back the next summer to try again. This is very few a summer (like one or two) but it does happen.

I am unsure what the options are regarding ROTC.

If it was me, I would enjoy the year off and work to get healthy and use what I learned while I was there to be better prepared. It is a long life, one year won't matter too much. Again, just my take.

Now, if he/she is separated for the medical injury and is not allowed to come back, that is another story.
 
Hopefully a FFR will weigh in on this .... but having just read about a NC's injury / options on FB I will pass along what this NC's mom said.

If a NC is medically unable to complete Beast, s/he would be put on medical leave with the option of coming back for the next year's class (assuming the injury is recoverable). Being on medical leave disqualifies a cadet from participating in ROTC at a civilian college during the leave period. If the cadet resigns and forfeits his letter of appointment for the next year's class, he could take classes/attend ROTC and reapply for a spot in the next year's class of USMA. However, since he would have signed a contract & taken the oath on R-day at USMA, his ROTC scholarship would have been withdrawn on that day. (This sentence is coming from someone that works at Cadet Command HQ.) He would have to reapply for the scholarship. Also since his medical status has changed since receiving the scholarship, he would have to be medically reassessed for the scholarship.
 
Thank you, GoArmyBeatNavy and ca2midwestmom, for your responses.

Are there any options for keeping up with the academics such as classes for college credit? I understand NCs take validation exams and it's beneficial for all to maintain academic progress. The concern is the cost of a year of college enrollment. Is taking online/onsite classes for credit something that WP can help with financially if the NC commits to going back for 2020? Has anyone any idea what previous NCs in this position have done to make the year as productive as possible?
 
For those in this situation a year at a Community College mirroring a Plebe schedule is a good option. Keeps costs low, yet allows them to keep working on academics. Sorry to hear this has happened. West Point wouldn't pick up these costs.
 
vrs said:
Thank you, GoArmyBeatNavy and ca2midwestmom, for your responses.

Are there any options for keeping up with the academics such as classes for college credit? I understand NCs take validation exams and it's beneficial for all to maintain academic progress. The concern is the cost of a year of college enrollment. Is taking online/onsite classes for credit something that WP can help with financially if the NC commits to going back for 2020? Has anyone any idea what previous NCs in this position have done to make the year as productive as possible?
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If this is a real situation, the NC need to ask his or her chain of command about the next year. The admissions FB posting is a pretty good start, but I don't know if it is legally binding. This forum is a good resource, but not the official source of information.
 
Concur 100% with LG. Admissions and their chain of command will be working with them to ensure they are medically taken care of and then what are the steps to get back to USMA. This isn't the first time it has happened and not the last. Admissions knows how to deal with this.
 
Thank you, NavyHoops and MemberLG. I really appreciate your input and good points.
 
There are no real requirements when a cadet is on a medical leave of absence. The only real requirement is that they pass the army physical fitness in time to start school that next year. In the case of a NC, that cadet will most likely have to go through CBT again. During the time away from WP, the cadet's 'job' is to do the physical therapy needed to get healthy.

It is often recommended that the cadet take some classes just so that they stay academically focused. However, this is not required and WP would not help with that cost. Taking free online classes would also be an option (many colleges like MIT offer free courses online. No college credit but a free education. Khan academy is another free online option.)
The cadet is allowed to have a job or travel (I don't know for a fact, but overseas travel to certain countries may require getting permission). The cadet has lots of flexibility. But the focus needs to be on getting healthy.
 
Thank you, bookreader.
The NC I posted about is not my child, but a quick update: West Point offered several options, and the NC has decided to leave, get better and reapply - kudos for resiliency and fortitude!
My DS is fine and getting along okay. It's the cadre handover and ice-cream social (and phone call day) today, and we can't wait to hear his voice!
I want to say thank you to all of you for your suggestions, support and perspectives. I appreciate your time and thoughts.
 
Sounds like the NC was not given a medical leave of absence then. In the case of a MLA, the cadet simply works to heal and then pass the APFT. Then the cadet is back in. There is no need to apply.
So, this must be a different kind of situation.
 
My DS is in the same situation now. Injured during beast last year and reclassed to class of 2024. His nurse case manager has been wonderful. He’s now healthy and cleared but he’s still real nervous about showing up on R-day and them being like “who are you, you’re not on our list”, since he no longer has access to his portal and get no notifications.
 
ACatSLP said:
My DS is in the same situation now. Injured during beast last year and reclassed to class of 2024. His nurse case manager has been wonderful. He’s now healthy and cleared but he’s still real nervous about showing up on R-day and them being like “who are you, you’re not on our list”, since he no longer has access to his portal and get no notifications.
Click to expand...

He should reach out to his RC/admissions for any questions and direction. I would think there would have been correspondence and a new report packet issued?
 
@ACatSLP - my son was also injured during beast and was sent home on a MLOA. He was assigned a TAC and he was expected to communicate with this person. If he has not been assigned a TAC, then I'd be concerned. The only thing he needs to know is when to show up on RDay. He will be on the list and his TAC can assure him of this. He want to ask for the list of what to bring since it might be a bit different from what he brought last year. All the gear he came home with - well, lucky boy now will have duplicates of everything, so if he looses anything, he can ask you to mail it to him.
Good luck to your son! Mine will graduate in 2 weeks.
 
Thank you! He has been in touch with his TAC thankfully. His entrance physical was cancelled, but they said possibly do it over the phone. He said he’ll reach out to his TAC again in a couple of weeks when things calm down a bit. I appreciate the responses! Sounds promising.
 
ACatSLP said:
Thank you! He has been in touch with his TAC thankfully. His entrance physical was cancelled, but they said possibly do it over the phone. He said he’ll reach out to his TAC again in a couple of weeks when things calm down a bit. I appreciate the responses! Sounds promising.
Click to expand...
I’m not sure I would wait a couple of weeks. Why not reach out on Monday? While yes there is a lot going on you should have a bit more guidance since this is no ordinary Rday. Please don’t wait. I’m sure the people in charge of rday are not the same ones in charge of graduation.
 
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