Hello everyone.
I am making this post as to try and help anyone in the future who may experience a similar situation.
BACKGROUND: I applied to USAFA and AFROTC last year, and later AROTC. I did not receive a USAFA appointment, but I did receive both a AFROTC and AROTC scholarship.
I have an allergy to a single type of tree nut. As a result, I was DQ'd by DoDMERB. As is procedure, I was automatically considered by AFROTC for a medical waiver. This was denied very quickly (this is what influenced me to apply to AROTC). After I received my AROTC scholarship, I was automatically considered by the AROTC WA for a waiver. This took quite a while to resolve, but was not an awful process.
Here is a quick timeline for those looking for a VERY GENERAL time frame (please understand these are done case-by-case, year-by-year so my experience != yours):
July 22, 2019 - DQ'd for tree nut allergy
about December 30, 2019 - AFROTC waiver DENIED (apparently if you have a tree nut allergy for which you have been given an epi-pen, you are automatically denied a waiver - words of a AFROTC WA worker who I called after my denial. Please note that if you can demonstrate you do not need an epi-pen, you may still be able to get a waiver).
April 03, 2020 - AROTC application added to DoDMERB and DQ'd medically
May 20, 2020 - AROTC requests remedial documents (I sent them a personal letter about my allergy, all of my medical records, new tests, and a consultation from my allergist who indicated I was fit for military service.) THIS IS PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP!! (Sending in all of your records and any information which may help your case will greatly assist you).
Today, July 10, 2020 - Medical Waiver Granted
All in all, for my AROTC application, I waited about 3 months to hear for a final answer on my waiver. I would like to reiterate, that the time it takes for YOUR file to be reviewed for a waiver will vary based on your condition(s), time of year, what year it is, how complicated your file is, etc. My time frame will not necessarily be yours, this is just to give you a very general idea of how long you may need to wait to get an answer.
MY ADVICE:
1. Be proactive. If you want to give yourself the best chances of getting a waiver, you need to be in contact with your doctor, and anyone who has information which may be able to assist you. If you have questions pertaining to YOUR situation, contact Mr. Mullen or DoDMERB staff. I'm sure I annoyed him plenty of times with questions, but in my defense if he wasn't so dang helpful I probably would have stopped. Also, read other postings in this forum. They are very helpful.
2. Be patient. I certainly wasn't, and it sucked. Understand that all the people who review your medical file are working extremely hard, and probably have a lot on their plate. I was checking my status at least once a day (quarantine didn't help with that. This behavior will only stress you out, and make your life less pleasant. Do check your status often, don't check it every 3 hours.
3. Be optimistic. Encourage yourself to believe you will get a waiver. If you do, you may be more likely to proactively pursue potentially essential advice/information.
Thank you to:
@MullenLE . Everyone here knows it - he is the God of this forum, and DoDMERB. Legends will be spoken of this man for years to come.
@Falcon A. He gave me extremely good advice and was quite knowledgeable.
@Melmr @THmom and @TacticalNuke. All three were kind enough to share their stories and were able to provide me some peace of mind.
If anyone has questions about my experience navigating the wonderful world of federal government bureaucracy, please PM me. I will be very happy to help.
I am making this post as to try and help anyone in the future who may experience a similar situation.
BACKGROUND: I applied to USAFA and AFROTC last year, and later AROTC. I did not receive a USAFA appointment, but I did receive both a AFROTC and AROTC scholarship.
I have an allergy to a single type of tree nut. As a result, I was DQ'd by DoDMERB. As is procedure, I was automatically considered by AFROTC for a medical waiver. This was denied very quickly (this is what influenced me to apply to AROTC). After I received my AROTC scholarship, I was automatically considered by the AROTC WA for a waiver. This took quite a while to resolve, but was not an awful process.
Here is a quick timeline for those looking for a VERY GENERAL time frame (please understand these are done case-by-case, year-by-year so my experience != yours):
July 22, 2019 - DQ'd for tree nut allergy
about December 30, 2019 - AFROTC waiver DENIED (apparently if you have a tree nut allergy for which you have been given an epi-pen, you are automatically denied a waiver - words of a AFROTC WA worker who I called after my denial. Please note that if you can demonstrate you do not need an epi-pen, you may still be able to get a waiver).
April 03, 2020 - AROTC application added to DoDMERB and DQ'd medically
May 20, 2020 - AROTC requests remedial documents (I sent them a personal letter about my allergy, all of my medical records, new tests, and a consultation from my allergist who indicated I was fit for military service.) THIS IS PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP!! (Sending in all of your records and any information which may help your case will greatly assist you).
Today, July 10, 2020 - Medical Waiver Granted
All in all, for my AROTC application, I waited about 3 months to hear for a final answer on my waiver. I would like to reiterate, that the time it takes for YOUR file to be reviewed for a waiver will vary based on your condition(s), time of year, what year it is, how complicated your file is, etc. My time frame will not necessarily be yours, this is just to give you a very general idea of how long you may need to wait to get an answer.
MY ADVICE:
1. Be proactive. If you want to give yourself the best chances of getting a waiver, you need to be in contact with your doctor, and anyone who has information which may be able to assist you. If you have questions pertaining to YOUR situation, contact Mr. Mullen or DoDMERB staff. I'm sure I annoyed him plenty of times with questions, but in my defense if he wasn't so dang helpful I probably would have stopped. Also, read other postings in this forum. They are very helpful.
2. Be patient. I certainly wasn't, and it sucked. Understand that all the people who review your medical file are working extremely hard, and probably have a lot on their plate. I was checking my status at least once a day (quarantine didn't help with that. This behavior will only stress you out, and make your life less pleasant. Do check your status often, don't check it every 3 hours.
3. Be optimistic. Encourage yourself to believe you will get a waiver. If you do, you may be more likely to proactively pursue potentially essential advice/information.
Thank you to:
@MullenLE . Everyone here knows it - he is the God of this forum, and DoDMERB. Legends will be spoken of this man for years to come.
@Falcon A. He gave me extremely good advice and was quite knowledgeable.
@Melmr @THmom and @TacticalNuke. All three were kind enough to share their stories and were able to provide me some peace of mind.
If anyone has questions about my experience navigating the wonderful world of federal government bureaucracy, please PM me. I will be very happy to help.
