Should have checked NO!!!

N

NROTC123

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Joined
May 22, 2018
Messages
72
do you always submit medical records at some point during process or is it all based on how you answer questionnaire whether they want them or not. I can't imagine they take your word for it
 
They take your word for it because if you lie or try to obfuscate something, it will more than likely be found out later.
That's when they tell you that you just lost your NROTC scholarship.
 
They want honesty you check a box because it's in your record that has not been an issue and I may never be able to serve out country for a tree nut allergy that I had one reaction to that wasn't even anaphylactic or hives or rash when I was 8. Now I must trust their process I guess.
 
yep, as above, chances are good the skeletons will emerge from the closet.

Lieutenant, sergeant, private, whoever, reports to sick call:

"Doc my back hurts." Really, for how long? "It started before I joined." I review the SF-93. No mention of back pain.
"Doc, they assigned me to the paint locker today and my asthma started acting up." Really? SF-93 and sea duty screening form, nothing.
"Doc, I can't take the small pox vaccine. I have eczema." Really, did you check YES to that on the medical history form? "HuuuH?"
 
Do NOT self diagnose but DO be forthright in answering all the questions.

If you didn't go to the doctor don't say you have something just because your Mom etc said so. [e.g. being short of breath occasionally doesn't automatically mean you have asthma etc.]

But if you have seen a physician for symptoms you need to report the results of that diagnosis.
 
Keep in mind that if this is for a Scholarship and you lie and a few years into your scholarship they find out you lied and you cannot serve then you will end up owing all that money back. It is better to be honest in your answers. As previously stated, do not self-diagnose or provide more information than they request but be honest.
 
When she was about 13, my DDs physician prescribed an abuterol inhaler for shortness of breath during the cross country season. However, he never diagnosed that she had asthma. She only used the inhaler a few times and didn't find it to be effective. It could very well be that she was just out of shape and running out of breath due to exercise. Whatever the case, she became a top tier runner throughout HS and the inhaler prescription was all but forgotten until it came time to fill out her ROTC application where she answered affirmatively to the question regarding a history of asthma. That was a mistake. Even with documentation, she was DQ'd by DODMERB and had to go through the waiver process. Ultimately, she was given a stress test and performed well but it was still a LONG time before she found out that her waiver was approved. In hindsight, if you are not certain that you received an official diagnosis for something, check with your doctor to make sure that you answer the medical questions appropriately. It could have saved us a lot of headaches if we had done so. Don't assume that they will do a thorough review of your records to determine that some malady was never really an issue. There are some things that are pretty much automatic DQs and they won't feel the need to delve further into your records to assess things.
 
The simplest answer to any DODMERB question you have regarding disease, ailment, etc., is this (and this is what I tell all my candidates) "Unless you have a medical degree from a recognized university then the answer is this: did a physician DIAGNOSE you with XXXXX and anotate it in your records?" If the answer is yes, then your answer is yes. If the answer is no, then YOU DO NOT HAVE THAT! I don't care if grandma said "oh she's just got a touch of childhood asthma, she'll grow out of it." IF a physician didn't write in your medical records: "Diagnosis: reactive airway disease (asthma)" then you do not have it!

Use that as your "mantra" and you should be fine when filling out forms. If it wasn't diagnosed by a physician...

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
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