Separated from USNA, need advice/guidance

So sorry to hear about your struggle, but Bravo Zulu to you for crawling your way back. I would definitely contact a lawyer as soon as possible. Most will offer a telephonic consultation for free or for a flat rate of $200-$500. Well worth the money in my opinion. I will pm you a few names of attorneys experienced in all things service academy related. Blessings to you.
 
Old Navy BGO said:
A pretty cynical view of lawyers. Yes, there are some who are in it for themselves and give the rest a bad name.
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Not cynical, just based in fact -- the fact that the vast majority of lawyers (JAGs included) are only after one thing, and it certainly isn't justice.

Anyway for @FormerMid2011, if all else fails you might also consider using social media. I don't speak from experience but I've heard stories of servicemen getting traction by literally tweeting the hell out of elected officials. Just a thought.
 
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Mr2020 said:
Why are you blaming the Spanish class then? Obviously this is a pattern of mediocre performance rather than a single point of failure. I don't think you're looking at this logically. Try a lawyer or negotiating the payment down, but in my opinion you owe the money. Other than repaying the debt, enlistment in the navy wasn't a second chance like you think it was.
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The issue is not why he failed out... it's about the way his repayment went
 
FormerMid2011 said:
What advice do you have about my SA debt? Repayment doesn’t seem like an option. When I was separated from the NA, I elected to repay my debt through Enlistment. I would argue that I upheld my end of the deal, I enlisted. If I was good enough to be an officer, I should’ve been able to enlist. Physically, nothing changed.
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FormerMid2011 - - Please find your original documentation when you departed the NA. Did the NA/SecNav indicate enlistment was their method assigned for repayment of the debt? This will help your attorney fight the debt. You may have elected enlistment but is that what the service assigned when the separation process was complete? I ask this because I believe you enlisted some years after, rather than immediately after, your NA departure.
 
I would definitely consult an attorney first. Failure to repay your USNA education could lead to your being put on a "debarment" list. That basically means you can't work for any government contractor or any entity that does business with the federal government. Trust me, most large companies do business with the US government.

You really want to understand what options you have. I would check with several attorneys -- understand what they will do and their fee structure. Keep in mind the cheapest (or the most expensive) is not always the best.

Consulting a MOC may be an option. But you first need to understand what the law requires and then your options. Only then could you send an intelligent letter to an MOC. Just telling an MOC that "life wasn't fair to me" isn't going to be very effective.
 
You should also have gotten a DD-214 when you left USNA. Dig around for any paperwork you were given, especially any acknowledgments you signed.
 
Are you sure the Navy believes that you still owe the debt? Seems to me if you opted for enlistment as repayment, and then enlisted, it would be wiped. I would read the fine print of what you signed, talk to the best lawyer on the subject you can find and buy an hour of their time. Let them read through your contracts with you to see exactly where you stand. From there you can decide which way to go on this. Take it one day at a time. Keep it all in perspective. You were basically still a kid who failed Spanish. You are not a failure. You failed a class. That’s it. It’s hard when consequences are so big, but they make you who you are. Glad you are climbing out of that dark space towards your future. You are young and have the world ahead of you. Sending prayers your way.
 
Thank you for writing this. You’re obviously intelligent and you write very well. My only advice is no matter what, focus on getting your degree and any advanced degrees beyond that. You’re much more mature now and will take any steps early enough in college to get any academic help you might need. But make sure a wedding and home buying don’t throw you off your college goals. My dad was enlisted and then went to night school with 5 kids at home working 3 jobs to earn a degree. Not the ideal way to do it but he got the degree. Grind away, focus, get that degree and come back and give us an update. We are all so proud of you and rooting for you!!
 
Hi, I would like to provide some help. I am a prior USAFA cadet dismissed in 2013. Owe $120,000. Know the struggle. I requested to serve enlisted and was denied, even though I should not have been. Hired a lawyer, I first went to a remissions board to dismiss debt based on my financial standing-DENIED.
Next step was the Air Force Board of Military Corrections- I actually received positive news that I was able to serve in the AF Reserve to fulfill my debt, this, however, is still unclear to me and I am currently working that out, they are currently telling me that I will have to go back to basic, a condition that I was unaware of, and at the age of 29, not something I particularly am thrilled about having to undertake again.

To get you some concrete answers:
-Can you get a VA Loan? YES. I bought my house using a VA loan, you just have to get a Certificate of Eligibility, which was surprisingly easy. Don't let people on here tell you how to feel about doing that. DO IT, no down payment required!
-I am in the same boat as you as far as getting the debt reduced or waived.. so far there has been very little that has helped. Congressional/Senator letters have only helped very little in getting responses from DFAS etc.

Please send me a message with any other questions, I know VERY well the struggle and isolation that this debt has and how little information there is out there, and I am very willing to share with you anything that could assist.
 
I realize this is an old story. Any updates on what happened with repayment. Its a funny legal issue that I would think would work in your favor if it was done in civilian court. Since you were medically separated when you enlisted, that means the academy should never have allowed you to attend in the first. If so, then you technically weren't academically separated but rather medically separated. If they disagree as I am sure they would, then the same determination of being medically qualified should have been used when you enlisted. You cant have it both ways.
 
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