Received DQ Today. Are these codes "waiverable?"

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Nov 21, 2019
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DS was DQ'd by DoDMERB today with the following codes:

D155.70Myopia - refractive error greater than -8.00 diopters (spherical equivalent)Myopia - refractive error greater than -8.00 diopters (spherical equivalent)
D225.00History of any dislocation, subluxation or instability of the shoulderHistory of any dislocation, subluxation or instability of the shoulder
D271.40History of systemic allergic reaction to food or additivesHistory of systemic allergic reaction to food or additive
Correspondence Posted - Single Disqualification


Question: Are any of these NOT "waiverable" for USMA and USNA?

DS has received congressional nominations for both SA's, so assuming he's competitive. Has passed his CFA too.

His shoulder required surgery for a torn labrum and is without any restrictions.
He's allergic to seafood, although not diagnosed from a physician.
During the DoDMET exam, he was told his eyes are healthy, just "weak" (poor vision). He wears contacts, so not sure if this code is considered correctable or not.

Any insight is appreciated. I don't want to set any false sense of hope, and definitely have plans B-Z in place.
 
If vision cannot be corrected to 20/20 with glasses or contacts to my knowledge it is not waiverable. A shoulder surgery is definitely a concern but can probably we waived depending on the severity. Food allergies seem to be wildcards.
 
DS was DQ'd by DoDMERB today with the following codes:

D155.70Myopia - refractive error greater than -8.00 diopters (spherical equivalent)Myopia - refractive error greater than -8.00 diopters (spherical equivalent)
D225.00History of any dislocation, subluxation or instability of the shoulderHistory of any dislocation, subluxation or instability of the shoulder
D271.40History of systemic allergic reaction to food or additivesHistory of systemic allergic reaction to food or additive
Correspondence Posted - Single Disqualification


Question: Are any of these NOT "waiverable" for USMA and USNA?

DS has received congressional nominations for both SA's, so assuming he's competitive. Has passed his CFA too.

His shoulder required surgery for a torn labrum and is without any restrictions.
He's allergic to seafood, although not diagnosed from a physician.
During the DoDMET exam, he was told his eyes are healthy, just "weak" (poor vision). He wears contacts, so not sure if this code is considered correctable or not.

Any insight is appreciated. I don't want to set any false sense of hope, and definitely have plans B-Z in place.

If his refraction is not worse than -10 and a dilated fundus exam shows no retinal pathology, then he’s in the waiverable range. Demonstrating he is correctable to 20/20 with corrective lenses would help. If he requires contact lenses to be better than 20/40 DVA, then that’s not waiverable. Any condition that requires wearing of contact lenses is not waiverable. I don’t have the DODI in front of me now, but if I recall the standard is 20/40. If USAFA or USNA, then you should be correctable to 20/20.

If you want to get over the seafood allergy thing, then get him tested to prove he isn’t.

History of labral surgery is easy. Provide the primary notes (initial visit, operative notes, post-op notes) from the surgery. A current “love” letter from ortho saying all is good is nice but not as good as all the primary notes from the shoulder issue. Make sure he has full range of motion and strength in the shoulder. Should be good to go.
 
The military is concerned with high myopes (generally refraction worse than -5) are

1) higher risk for retinal detachment

2) generally have bad uncorrected visual acuity. The supply of lenses the military has when deployed can correct someone who is 20/400 to just better than 20/30-40. If you’re 20/600 or 20/800, then I don’t think the military has the supply of lenses to correct to better than 20/40.
 
Thank you for the insights.
DS has all medical documentation regarding his shoulder and does have full range of motion and strength. We'll pursue the "love letter" too.
I'm not terribly worried about the seafood, but will look into the allergy test. He's never required medical care...just upset stomach.
I know that DS eye prescription IS correctable to 20/20, but I believe he has two different prescriptions: one for glasses and one for contacts.

Any suggestions regarding what documentation and/or additional tests we should request from his optometrist?
 
A good lesson here. If a doctor has not diagnosed you allergic to something, then do not self report it based on a past incident. Most people are not medical professionals and are not qualified to diagnose themselves or their children. The reaction you had may have been something else that you had not considered. If you are a medical professional then you should not be diagnosing those close to you. Every year I see candidates self diagnose themselves and then are either DQ'd or forced to prove they don't have some condition that Dr. Mom said they had.
 
Thank you for the insights.
DS has all medical documentation regarding his shoulder and does have full range of motion and strength. We'll pursue the "love letter" too.
I'm not terribly worried about the seafood, but will look into the allergy test. He's never required medical care...just upset stomach.
I know that DS eye prescription IS correctable to 20/20, but I believe he has two different prescriptions: one for glasses and one for contacts.

Any suggestions regarding what documentation and/or additional tests we should request from his optometrist?

Can you tell me his eye glasses prescription? I’d like to see how much astigmatism he’s got
 
If your kid got an upset stomach from eating seafood, how do you know that is an even an allergy? Was he tested for food allergies or does he perceive himself as having a food allergy without medical diagnosis? It is the same for 'headaches'--having a headache makes you human--but it is not a medical diagnosis until it is diagnosed by your physician. (Why bring up headaches? A friend's son was sent home on R-Day for checking the "I sometimes get headaches' box--talk to your kid, if it is not a diagnosis, it is not part of their medical records.)
 
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This is entirely up to the specific academy. They may or may not request a waiver.
 
Can you tell me his eye glasses prescription? I’d like to see how much astigmatism he’s got
I've received his chart and without sharing all of the specifics, the refraction is slightly worse than -10 (same in both eyes). However, his Dva is 20/20 (both eyes) and correctable with contacts and glasses. Healthy Fundus
 
I've received his chart and without sharing all of the specifics, the refraction is slightly worse than -10 (same in both eyes). However, his Dva is 20/20 (both eyes) and correctable with contacts and glasses. Healthy Fundus

Ouch.

I suppose anything is possible but if he’s worse than -10 diopters, I haven’t heard any medical waiver authority recommend waiver yet.

Since your DS has an LOA, that might help.
 
I guess the truth is that no one here knows--and Admissions will seek a waiver for those candidates for whom they wish to seek a waiver.
Edited to add: Admissions in general and waivers in particular are a long process. There is no easy or quick path to R-Day for any of them. It is November and they won't report to the Cadet in the Red Sash for 7 1/2 months. Anything can happen. What is important is for the highly qualified applicant to have fantastic plans that include and don't include USMA and for the family to enjoy these last holidays and school events together. No matter what, you won't be in the same place this time next year. Savor this and for all the anxiousness know that the answer will come but there is no way to know when.
 
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This is late in the process for waivers either way. My DS has received a waiver to USAFA, USMA, and USNA for reconstructive knee surgery. Air force requested a waiver in august and it only took about two weeks. Navy was similar. Army waited until end of september and that took a month. So I think the later it gets the longer it takes.
 
This is not ‘late in the process for waivers.’
 
Update: Today our DS received notice from his MALO that his Regional Commander (admissions) is initiating the waiver. Apparently it will be assigned to a physician for review.
I'm sure we'll find out more about what is involved/requested shortly, but if anyone has been through this process before, any insights are appreciated.
Thank you.
 
Thank you for the insights.
DS has all medical documentation regarding his shoulder and does have full range of motion and strength. We'll pursue the "love letter" too.
I'm not terribly worried about the seafood, but will look into the allergy test. He's never required medical care...just upset stomach.
I know that DS eye prescription IS correctable to 20/20, but I believe he has two different prescriptions: one for glasses and one for contacts.

Any suggestions regarding what documentation and/or additional tests we should request from his optometrist?

For eye testing, good to have cycloplegic (medicine drops paralyze the ability of the eyes to accommodate) refraction and dilated fundus exam.

If he’s got high astigmatism (don’t know because you didn’t provide his full eye glasses prescription), then corneal topography, depth perception testing, and low contrast visual acuity should be added to the high myope testing.

And a partridge in a pear tree
 
For eye testing, good to have cycloplegic (medicine drops paralyze the ability of the eyes to accommodate) refraction and dilated fundus exam.

If he’s got high astigmatism (don’t know because you didn’t provide his full eye glasses prescription), then corneal topography, depth perception testing, and low contrast visual acuity should be added to the high myope testing.

And a partridge in a pear tree

Again, appreciate your comments. They are helpful. Btw, are you an optometrist?
 
Again, appreciate your comments. They are helpful. Btw, are you an optometrist?

Nah. Just like I never wanted to be a podiatrist. Can’t stand looking at people’s feet all day.

Didn’t want to be an anesthesiologist and pass gas all day long.

Didn’t want to be a gynecologist because I didn’t want look at ... all day.
 
The military is concerned with high myopes (generally refraction worse than -5) are

1) higher risk for retinal detachment

2) generally have bad uncorrected visual acuity. The supply of lenses the military has when deployed can correct someone who is 20/400 to just better than 20/30-40. If you’re 20/600 or 20/800, then I don’t think the military has the supply of lenses to correct to better than 20/40.
That is interesting about the retinal detachment. I have 20/200 and have had a retinal detachment in left eye. I wonder why a higher risk with worse vision? Mine was not caused by trauma but they did say I have a higher risk for detachment in my right eye because of my history.
 
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