Varicocele and Seizure History Questions

USNAParent12

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We have two questions we hope somebody may be able to shed some light on:

Right Varicocele Question
Our son has accepted his USNA appointment for the Class of 2012. Though cleared by DODMERB (no waivers required), we are concerned that our son may have a disqualifying medical condition DODMERB may have overlooked (reference DODI 6130.4, page 21, E1.13.8.2 - Any right varicocele is disqualifying): http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/613004p.pdf).

Our son’s unpalpable right varicocele was discovered at age 14 during a testicular ultrasound to determine the extent of his palpable left varicocele (which is not large, does not cause him discomfort, has not restricted the growth of his left testicle, but will eventually require surgical repair for sterility prevention). His varicocele is being followed regularly by a urologist.

The DODMERB medical questionnaire our son completed did not contain any questions pertaining to varicocele and to the best of our knowledge, his physical exam did not indicate any right or left varicocele. Our son was required to submit follow-up documentation of other medical conditions listed in the medical history questionnaire (concussion history, broken bones, childhood absence seizures), but nothing with respect to varicocele. He received DODMERB clearance soon afterward.

We have a couple of questions (all of which were posed to DODMERB and to the USAFA and USNA medical offices via phone and email with no response):
1) Is our research correct that varicocele is a medical disqualifying condition?
2) Must our son report the varicocele even though the DODMERB medical questionnaire contained no questions on the topic and his medical exam found no evidence of it?
3) Could his varicocele prevent him from serving in the military in certain capacities such as flying or special ops?

Childhood Absence Seizure History Question
Our son’s medical history includes childhood absence seizures (diagnosed at age 7, controlled through medication through age 11, seizure free and off meds for 5+ years) which is not in itself a medically disqualifying condition (reference DODI 6130.4, page 37, E1.24.9: http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/613004p.pdf).

Will his history of childhood absence seizures (even though he has been seizure free and off meds for over 5 years) prevent him from serving in the military in certain capacities (such as flying or special ops)? At the October USNA CVW the Admissions Officers told us that once cleared for admission by DODMERB, he is technically cleared for all USNA service selections. We find this hard to believe.
 
We have two questions we hope somebody may be able to shed some light on:

Right Varicocele Question
Our son has accepted his USNA appointment for the Class of 2012. Though cleared by DODMERB (no waivers required), we are concerned that our son may have a disqualifying medical condition DODMERB may have overlooked (reference DODI 6130.4, page 21, E1.13.8.2 - Any right varicocele is disqualifying): http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/613004p.pdf).

Our son’s unpalpable right varicocele was discovered at age 14 during a testicular ultrasound to determine the extent of his palpable left varicocele (which is not large, does not cause him discomfort, has not restricted the growth of his left testicle, but will eventually require surgical repair for sterility prevention). His varicocele is being followed regularly by a urologist.

The DODMERB medical questionnaire our son completed did not contain any questions pertaining to varicocele and to the best of our knowledge, his physical exam did not indicate any right or left varicocele. Our son was required to submit follow-up documentation of other medical conditions listed in the medical history questionnaire (concussion history, broken bones, childhood absence seizures), but nothing with respect to varicocele. He received DODMERB clearance soon afterward.

We have a couple of questions (all of which were posed to DODMERB and to the USAFA and USNA medical offices via phone and email with no response):
1) Is our research correct that varicocele is a medical disqualifying condition?
2) Must our son report the varicocele even though the DODMERB medical questionnaire contained no questions on the topic and his medical exam found no evidence of it?
3) Could his varicocele prevent him from serving in the military in certain capacities such as flying or special ops?

Childhood Absence Seizure History Question
Our son’s medical history includes childhood absence seizures (diagnosed at age 7, controlled through medication through age 11, seizure free and off meds for 5+ years) which is not in itself a medically disqualifying condition (reference DODI 6130.4, page 37, E1.24.9: http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/613004p.pdf).

Will his history of childhood absence seizures (even though he has been seizure free and off meds for over 5 years) prevent him from serving in the military in certain capacities (such as flying or special ops)? At the October USNA CVW the Admissions Officers told us that once cleared for admission by DODMERB, he is technically cleared for all USNA service selections. We find this hard to believe.

First let me say I admire and appreciate the level of honesty here. It is not often seen, which is a whole different issue.

To answer your 3 questions bluntly the answer is yes to all 3, and I will explain below.

1. Yes, a right varicocele of any size is a disqualification.

2. I'm not sure if I'm following this correctly, so correct me if I am mistaken. It sounds like your son did not disclose this on the Report of Medical History, DD Form 2492. There are no specific questions regarding varicoceles, but block #76 - "Had or been advised to have, any surgical operations", block #77 - "Consulted, or been treated by clinics, hospitals, physicians, healers, or other practitioners for other than minor illnesses" or block #78 - "Had any injury or illnesses other than those already noted" could have been answered yes for the varicocele issue.

Now if I'm way off base and it was mentioned on the DD Form 2492 then it was either cleared, or completely missed by the reviewer and physician at DoDMERB. In either case, send me a private message and I can get you the contact info for someone at DoDMERB who will take the time to review the information and get back to you as quickly as possible.

3. A varicocele, right or left, that could be injured with the required safety equipment required for a particular specialty could cause a disqualification for that specialty, aviation is one that readily pops into mind. DoDMERB reviews applicants for entry into a program leading to commission, they do not review the physical examinations for specialty programs. That is done by the service academies and ROTC programs after the beginning of the junior year.

As for the history of absence seizures, as long as they do not reoccur, there will be no issues for commissioning into any specialty.

Again, please feel free to send me a private message if you would like the contact info.
 
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