What is the real story with Army ROTC?

O

OldAFRet

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Background - my son did 3.5 years JROTC in high school. Did a year (sort of) of community college, with no ROTC program. Transferred to a 4 year college (as a transferring Freshman) which has an ROTC program.

He walked on to the ROTC program 1st day. They handed him an application (and no, he does not have a DODMERB physical, or dental records, etc.). He's a bit over max BMI, so they are not issuing him uniforms until he gets down to acceptable levels. He has been PTing with the group, and hopefully, the weight will fall off quickly.

As with most 19 year old males, his father, who only did 20 years active duty in the Air Force, and has only been working for the Marines as a contractor for nearly another 20, is the most ignorant person on earth and can't possibly know anything about anything.

First question: What is his status as an ROTC cadet? As I see it, he's merely an applicant to the program at this point.

A week or two into his association with the ROTC program at his college, he was contacting by an Army National Guard recruiter about the SMP program, and seems to be blinded by the promise of tuition assistance, monthly stipend, and drill pay as an E-5. SMP program requires (as I read it):
- at least 30 college credits completed with 2.0 GPA or higher (he should be there by the end of Spring 2022 semester).
- approved major.
- 180 minimum on AFPT (60 min in each area).
- BMI/weight below maximums
- A status as a CONTRACTED, NON-SCHOLARSHIP CADET. Yes, that was boldface and all caps, as this is the first area where we disagree. Like I said before, as near as I can tell, he's merely an applicant, taking ROTC class and PTing at this point in time.
- completion of BCT and optionally, AIT in the U.S. Army

Second question: At what point does he become a contracted, non-scholarship cadet? Please, authoritative answers you can back up with documentation only.

This Army National Guard recruiter is asking my son to start filling out enlistment paperwork, with a goal of him attending BCT this summer (and possibly a very short AIT course such as being a truck driver). Son is reticent to share the paperwork the recruiter is sending him (probably to show me what a big bad adult he is).

Hopefully, someone here is active with the ROTC program, and can give me some authoritative answers before my little Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius, winds up an enlisted grunt toting an M-4 around BFE (not that there's anything wrong with that if a person knowingly and willingly wants to go that route).

Thanks,
 
OP, your post has more Edge than U2 - but as a fellow parent who also remembers being that age and feeling certain at that time that I knew all and that my parents were well intended but often "wrong" (it took me a short while but I figured it out), I empathize. Hang in there.

He becomes a cadet when he meets standards, has a signed contract, and takes his oath IMO.
At this time your DS is not meeting standards so he is not active in the unit, and is a college programmer. He is factually participating and once he meets standards will then will be active and will be competing for a scholarship, overall. Since he has not qualified, I would just consider his status as not qualified and not yet active, and of course not (yet) on scholarship - Did he sign a contract? If so then....

He should continue this semester, and work out the BMI issue. He should ask for guidance on nutrition - colleges have great resources. He should stick with it. He doesn't need to fix this immediately - he just needs to continue to improve over the semester. Good luck to him!

If he improves, does well, which he certainly can and will if he works at it, he will meet standards, qualify, be active, and compete for a scholarship. As of now he is participating in ROTC, and needs to focus on discipline, doing well in academics, , exercise to meet the standards and he will move forward.

Does he want to serve in active duty or reserves? SMP is not a path for active duty. Recruiters recruit but just key here if your son is 18 is to ensure he signs NOTHING until you review it. . I would just ask your son - what does he want? Does he want to be working with a guard unit once a month while in college? Just learn about the SMP program and ensure he knows what is he signing up for - looks like you have that part covered. to be honest, I would just table SMP talk for this semester entirely, focus on improving and academics, and reassess at the end of the semester - hopefully he'll be qualified, in uniform, thriving in ROTC with great grades.

I happened to be a pretty average person,, a bit of a nerd, and not especially intelligent, and that's OK - I get by despite not winning the lottery in a few areas others are gifted in. But my DW and I did hit the lottery in one area - we are blessed with rock star kids. One aspect that our kids know is that we believe in them, and a clearly understood message is "you got this". They know we believe in them and they know we feel they are capable of doing anything they set their minds to. And quite often, they do. So free guidance here is to make sure your DS hears the same "you got this" message and encouragement that weight loss will come if he works out daily and that he has a path here that he's on - he will do it if he wants,. Ensure that he doesn't "Hear" through your frustration a message he is an overconfident, clueless, arrogant, j*ck*ss etc who doesn't yet get it" that you have doubts about - that may factually be true in your opinion - or just fact, but let 'em know you believe in them and have their back. It makes a difference.

Hope that helps - Good luck.
 
Mom of 4 here. Your post made me lol in my coffee.

I would text most of @Herman_Snerd ’s post to my own son. And any others that pop up who are in the know. That’s what I would do. Herman know his stuff. And isn’t dad who obviously knows nothing (eyeroll 🙄).

I have 3 who applied ROTC scholarship programs. Ultimately they went different routes, but my oldest ended up Air National Guard…through a series of events and meetings with recruiters. Your questions/concerns are VALID. They are hounds (as they should be, that’s their job!!). It all eventually worked out for my oldest (other than being set back 3 semesters in college bc recruiter made some ‘promises’ that didn’t pan out with basic), but could have gone waaaaay differently.

You will get the real deal here, people in the know. @MohawkArmyROTC for one. And they AREN’T dad. Screen shot, copy the link, etc but I would show these to him. #NotDad.

BTW….we couldn’t tell my oldest ANYTHING. Nothing. He had to learn it on his own. So his journey is his own. He owns it. His mistakes are his own. And now I realize how comforting that is to me. We have a great relationship bc none of his unhappiness is able to be blamed on me. Alternately, his success and accomplishments are even sweeter as he got there on his own. And he is EXACTLY where he was meant to be. Eating crow a bit bc he is going to graduate at the same time as his younger USNA brother. ‘If only he had listened to mom’ is a thought tucked away, words not to be spoken. Probably 😂
 
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Herman_Snerd said:
he is an overconfident, clueless, arrogant, j*ck*ss etc who doesn't yet get it
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Yes, it's a strained relationship, and that's pretty close to how I feel at this point, with possibly a few more adjectives. He does want to serve on active duty, which I support, but not as an enlisted guy, except for maybe in the USMC. Strange a retired AF enlisted guy would tell his son to look at the USMC, isn't it? USMC has so many options for upward mobility within its ranks (a Major I worked for as a contractor emptied my trash can every day as a Lance Corporal once upon a time).

But, he's my son, and I love him despite all this. I have money to put him through college debt free, so ROTC is not the only way he'll be able to attend college. ROTC is something he wants to do, and I think he's blinded by this promise from a recruiter of getting paid to take a free ride through college (versus the free ride from dad).

My purpose here is to try to get real info on how ROTC and this SMP program work. It's been a productive day off, cruising a forum for answers (and making a few semi-on-topic posts myself).

What I think I've learned:
- He thinks his application is a contract, which it clearly is not.

- I think his ROO (if that is the right term for the US Army Officer in charge of the program) is letting him participate unofficially, and holding his application until he makes BMI and can pass the AFPT with a 180. Darn nice fellow if this is the case.

- His application will not be approved/disapproved until he gets scheduled for this DoDMERB physical.
--I still am not sure if his ROTC unit schedules this, or if he needs to. At this point, give me the form, and I'll pay a private physician to do it so I can call it done, but someone give me a straight, authoritative answer on this please.

- He's not really even an ROTC cadet at this point, with no approved application and DoDMERB physical. And he won't get a qualifying score on his physical being over his max BMI.

- Once his application is approved (with a qualifying DoDMERB physical), he will be a Cadet (non-contracted).

- Once an approved/qualified Cadet, he may be offered a contract (with or without scholarship), which upon acceptance results in his being commissioned as a 2LT upon completion of his BS degree, and continued participation in ROTC.

- I am surmising from what I read he may or may not be offered a contract, but be allowed to participate in ROTC throughout his college career (in which case, upon graduation, he has no service commitment). And if it keeps him PTing every day, and gives him a little more self discipline, this ain't a bad thing.

- If contracted, as a non-scholorship cadet, I do not believe he get the ROTC stipend. True/False?

- Now for the SMP thing. It's apples and oranges as far as I can tell. Since he cannot participate in this until he is a contracted, non-scholarship cadet, and he's gone to US Army BCT, he should not be focused on it at all at this time.

- Once contracted, he may apply for the SMP program, at which point he works with the Army recruiter to get into BCT (over the summer between either his Freshman/Sophomore year, or Sophomore/Junior year). Only with BCT under his belt does he begin to receive the stipend and drill pay. True/False?

Am I right or wrong so far? Sure would be nice if ROTC had some better resources for parents, wouldn't it?


justdoit19 said:
BTW….we couldn’t tell my oldest ANYTHING. Nothing. He had to learn it on his own. So his journey is his own. He owns it. His mistakes are his own. And now I realize how comforting that is to me. We have a great relationship bc none of his unhappiness is able to be blamed on me. Alternately, his success and accomplishments are even sweeter as he got there on his own. And he is EXACTLY where he was meant to be. Eating crow a bit bc he is going to graduate at the same time as his younger USNA brother. ‘If only he had listened to mom’ is a thought tucked away, words not to be spoken. Probably
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Sure is tempting to let him transfer to the University of Hard Knocks. Let him do what he feels like he needs to do, make his own mistakes, and move on. But that's not how I was raised - I made them, I need to take care of them until they can take care of themselves. I just don't want him being as stupid as I was at that age. Is that expecting too much?
 
The ROO is the recruiting officer. The officer in overall charge is the Professor of Military Science (PMS).

DoDMERB physical must be completed by the assigned DoDMERB contracted doctor. You cannot go to your own physician. Participation without a scholarship usually requires the equivalent of a high school sports physical done by your doctor. A scholarship will not kick in until DoDMERB physical is completed. My son's NROTC unit sent noncontracted midshipmen to a nearby army base to complete the DoDMERB physical before they applied for an in-shool scholarship. I imagine this varies by unit.

After two years in the program, everyone must contract to continue in the program. Not all participants are offered a contract. If not contracted they are dismissed from the program.

If he is contracted without a scholarship he still gets the stipend.

I'll defer to others on the SMP program.
 
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kinnem said:
The ROO is the recruiting officer. The officer in overall charge is the Professor of Military Science (PMS).

DoDMERB physical must be completed by the assigned DoDMERB contracted doctor. You cannot go to your own physician. Participation without a scholarship usually requires the equivalent of a high school sports physical done by your doctor. A scholarship will not kick in until DoDMERB physical is completed. My son's NROTC unit sent noncontracted midshipmen to a nearby army base to complete the DoDMERB physical before they applied for an in-shool scholarship. I imagine this varies by unit.

After two years in the program, everyone must contract to continue in the program. Not all participants are offered a contract. If not contracted they are dismissed from the program.

If he is contracted without a scholarship he still gets the stipend.

I'll defer to others on the SMP program.
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Thank you. That explains a lot, and leaves me more certain son has no clue what is going on, which worries me to no end. Maybe his ROO and or PMS did explain things to him in more detail, but he's using selective hearing.

In 1977 I did apply for an AFROTC scholarship, application was accepted, and I was scheduled for a pretty exhaustive physical at Eglin AFB. Didn't get the scholarship, so I wound up enlisting. I assume that physical was my DoDMERB. That process hasn't changed in 40+ years then.

His unit had a contracting ceremony at the start of Fall semester - all were juniors, so the two years participation to potentially be offered a contract as a non-scholarship cadet lines up.

I think my revised fact list now becomes:
1. Son is merely an applicant to the ROTC program at this time.
2. He has not filled out a scholarship application, (a totally separate process as far as I can tell) so should have no expectation of receiving a scholarship offer at any time.
3. Either of a) an approved application to join the unit as a non-scholarship cadet, or b) an application for scholarship would have triggered the DoDMERB physical process.
4. Now I recall I did pay for him to get the equivalent of a sports physical at a local doctor, so your statement in the second paragraph regarding a sports physical equivalent seems to line up.
5. No contract with ROTC, no stipend, and he shouldn't expect a contract offer until Fall of his Junior year?
6. He is simply not eligible for SMP at this time. This needs to be forgotten until Fall of Junior year, when, hopefully, he will be contracted.
7. This Army recruiter is doing a bait and switch, promising the 09R MOS (which son does not qualify for), but telling him he can do a short AIT. Son would simply be an enlisted Guardsman at that point. No stipend, but just regular drill pay as an E1 (unless he gets the E-3 guarantee for being an Eagle Scout, and/or having completed over 3 years of JROTC). And as I read the National Guard education benefits page, he'd need active duty time to qualify. Bottom line is he needs to stop talking to this recruiter until he has a contract.
 
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OldAFRet said:
Now I recall I did pay for him to get the equivalent of a sports physical at a local doctor, so your statement in the second paragraph regarding a sports physical equivalent seems to line up.
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This should not occur. DoDMERB is free.

The doctor is contacted by the DoD. Your son should pay the physician nothing.
 
Your son needs to talk to his PMS ASAP to figure out what his options are.

I'm an MSII cadet who contracted yesterday. There's a lot of nuance in the different contracts / scholarships people can get, so he could be helping himself, or completely screwing himself depending on what he's signing up for.

The only advice your son could use right now is to talk to his PMS to find out his REAL options to get a scholarship, go SMP, etc. His PMS will be able to clarify what his options are, and what he's signing up for with that recruiter. Everyone here can only really speculate on what he is signing up for right now because only your son has 'all' the info.

The goal of the PMS is to commission cadets. Your son's PMS likely wouldn't let your son screw himself over by enlisting and potentially precluding himself from contracting with ROTC, as that would be against the PMS's interests.

In general, ROTC cadre are pretty good at guiding cadets through these processes. If your son is talking to a recruiter and hasn't discussed what he's doing with cadre that is a big red flag to me.
 
AROTC could offer him a scholarship at any time, or not. I don't believe you apply for a scholarship while in AROTC.
 
js9907 said:
Your son needs to talk to his PMS ASAP to figure out what his options are.

I'm an MSII cadet who contracted yesterday. There's a lot of nuance in the different contracts / scholarships people can get, so he could be helping himself, or completely screwing himself depending on what he's signing up for.

The only advice your son could use right now is to talk to his PMS to find out his REAL options to get a scholarship, go SMP, etc. His PMS will be able to clarify what his options are, and what he's signing up for with that recruiter. Everyone here can only really speculate on what he is signing up for right now because only your son has 'all' the info.

The goal of the PMS is to commission cadets. Your son's PMS likely wouldn't let your son screw himself over by enlisting and potentially precluding himself from contracting with ROTC, as that would be against the PMS's interests.

In general, ROTC cadre are pretty good at guiding cadets through these processes. If your son is talking to a recruiter and hasn't discussed what he's doing with cadre that is a big red flag to me.
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I really appreciate a response from a current cadet. MSII, means you're second year NROTC, correct? You contracted at the start of your second year then?

Dad's not a total cynic as another thought I have in the back of my mind is that perhaps his PMS is already helping him by sitting on son's application until he loses his "Covid-19" so many of us seemed to have gained. No point in scheduling a DoDMERB knowing my son would would not qualify at this time.

It was actually my son's ROO who told him about SMP. Son contacted this recruiter about the program, and is being pushed to go to BCT this summer. Recruiting is a dog-eat-dog world (got a little experience in this area). Back in my day, a high schooler could make an appointment with a recruiter from a particular branch, and be literally blocked in the hallway by a recruiter from another branch who would try to snipe him.

I met quite a few of the cadets in his outfit, and all seemed really tight, so maybe one or more of his upper-classmates might try to keep him on target.

Thanks for taking time to respond.
 
OldAFRet said:
I really appreciate a response from a current cadet. MSII, means you're second year NROTC, correct? You contracted at the start of your second year then?

Dad's not a total cynic as another thought I have in the back of my mind is that perhaps his PMS is already helping him by sitting on son's application until he loses his "Covid-19" so many of us seemed to have gained. No point in scheduling a DoDMERB knowing my son would would not qualify at this time.

It was actually my son's ROO who told him about SMP. Son contacted this recruiter about the program, and is being pushed to go to BCT this summer. Recruiting is a dog-eat-dog world (got a little experience in this area). Back in my day, a high schooler could make an appointment with a recruiter from a particular branch, and be literally blocked in the hallway by a recruiter from another branch who would try to snipe him.

I met quite a few of the cadets in his outfit, and all seemed really tight, so maybe one or more of his upper-classmates might try to keep him on target.

Thanks for taking time to respond.
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MSII means I'm a second year Army ROTC cadet. The reason I contracted this year (my second year) is because I have a 3 year scholarship I applied for in high school. If your son's cadre is tracking what's going on, they'll make sure he ends up in a good place. Best of luck to him!
 
OldAFRet said:
Background - my son did 3.5 years JROTC in high school. Did a year (sort of) of community college, with no ROTC program. Transferred to a 4 year college (as a transferring Freshman) which has an ROTC program.

He walked on to the ROTC program 1st day. They handed him an application (and no, he does not have a DODMERB physical, or dental records, etc.). He's a bit over max BMI, so they are not issuing him uniforms until he gets down to acceptable levels. He has been PTing with the group, and hopefully, the weight will fall off quickly.

As with most 19 year old males, his father, who only did 20 years active duty in the Air Force, and has only been working for the Marines as a contractor for nearly another 20, is the most ignorant person on earth and can't possibly know anything about anything.

First question: What is his status as an ROTC cadet? As I see it, he's merely an applicant to the program at this point.

A week or two into his association with the ROTC program at his college, he was contacting by an Army National Guard recruiter about the SMP program, and seems to be blinded by the promise of tuition assistance, monthly stipend, and drill pay as an E-5. SMP program requires (as I read it):
- at least 30 college credits completed with 2.0 GPA or higher (he should be there by the end of Spring 2022 semester).
- approved major.
- 180 minimum on AFPT (60 min in each area).
- BMI/weight below maximums
- A status as a CONTRACTED, NON-SCHOLARSHIP CADET. Yes, that was boldface and all caps, as this is the first area where we disagree. Like I said before, as near as I can tell, he's merely an applicant, taking ROTC class and PTing at this point in time.
- completion of BCT and optionally, AIT in the U.S. Army

Second question: At what point does he become a contracted, non-scholarship cadet? Please, authoritative answers you can back up with documentation only.

This Army National Guard recruiter is asking my son to start filling out enlistment paperwork, with a goal of him attending BCT this summer (and possibly a very short AIT course such as being a truck driver). Son is reticent to share the paperwork the recruiter is sending him (probably to show me what a big bad adult he is).

Hopefully, someone here is active with the ROTC program, and can give me some authoritative answers before my little Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius, winds up an enlisted grunt toting an M-4 around BFE (not that there's anything wrong with that if a person knowingly and willingly wants to go that route).

Thanks,
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I don’t have any answers for you but I do have a question your son might want to consider ask, it might shed light on why they might suggest SMP, which you are correct would happen after his freshman year so it makes no sense to sign anything now. What is the school’s mission for AD cadets his graduating year, and how many do they already have committed to a 4 year or 3 year AD scholarship? For example, they try to offer scholarship offers (budget permitting) to close that gap between what they have and what they need. That becomes important if he is trying for active duty and would like to contract before his junior year. There is no guarantee he would get Active Duty, that would be based on his OML and needs of the Army which I am sure you are aware of.

So a few assumptions in your second post that are a slightly different version in reality, he is an actual participant, there really is no application that has to be approved. His performance and participation is basically a very long job interview for the Army. He can continue on this path with out a scholarship until the end of his sophomore year, once a junior, he needs to contract to continue, and if he does that (at the discretion of the Army based on recommendation of his Cadre) he will receive a stipend for his last two years and he will have a service commitment. He does not have to pass DODMERB or his PT test until time to contract but of course for PT, and height and weight, that could have a big factor in whether or not he is offered a scholarship or even allowed to continue and contract without a scholarship. Also the APFT is no longer the standard to contract, but the replacement test is still being challenged and cannot officially be used, so the test he will need to pass to contract is TBD, maybe one of the ROO’s will jump on and answer where they are at currently with that issue.

So in a nutshell the only way he would contract prior to his junior year would be on a scholarship, that might answer one of your questions. My familiarity with ROTC is my daughter was a 3 year AD scholarship winner, was upgraded to a 3.5 year and is currently serving in Infantry as a 2LT, and I have been reading this board faithfully for about 5 five years. But like anything, things do change so I don’t claim to know it all by any means, and my facts might be off! But I have definitely benefitted from this board and you are in a good place! With my DD, she was an Advanced Designee scholarship winner, when she started before the scholarship was active, she was non-contracted, but still a full participant. She had her DODMERB becuase of the scholarship, I am not sure when that will be requested for your son, but that is initiated by Army ROTC, not him. When a scholarship does go active, whether it is through the school’s corresponding brigade (who approves campus based scholarships) or the national guard, then he would be contracted at that point and everything mentioned above as passing PT, DODMERB etc, would have to occur for that. Then beyond that without a scholarship, as a junior, as I said above, if in good standing with the program and passing everything, he would contract, non scholarship, and would receive a stipend but no tuition or scholarship.

You are right, recruiters recruit, it is what they do. And they are good at it. The ROO doesn't typically have any connection with the National Guard, but to the ROTC program itself, so I am as perplexed as you are! A recruiter tried or talk my daughter into signing up for SMP as a high school senior after earning a scholarship for Army ROTC, and it doesn’t start until after freshman year as you have learned, so there was no point. She actually asked her ROO about and never told me what the answer was, but never brought it up again so that is a tell tale sign that it was not “go for it” by any means!

Good luck to you and I hope you find the answers you seek and your son listens, he can always jump on here too if he is interested, there will be a lot of other people’s Dad’s but not his Dad that will help him see some light! Great advice from Herman, be his cheerleader best you can and that you have his back, he may be open to share more with you, here is hoping anyway!
 
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Good info thus far. Rethinking my assumptions and still figuring out what's going on.

BLUF: Son need to: get his mind off all this magical money he may or may not get paid to help with college; focus on melting the weight off; get his grades as high as he can; and learn to defecate the proverbial Tiffany Cuff Links for his cadre.
 
Looks like there's been some great dialogue and guidance/ updates shared by the OP and others - great. OP thanks for your thoughtful responses and questions on this post and others - I can see you're working this all out and still have questions - that's good - keep asking 'em!

Just quick follow-ups.
  • Your son should IMO primarily work with his chain of command/ immediate supervisor to begin to get answers on your remaining questions - overall a great first place to start. A lot of units have a "contact us" email listed and it's often the ROO or admin - but you can check his school and if you have general questions about the program, SMP (not about your son), then I think it's very OK to list them out and reach out. For specific questions on his situation, performance, etc, I would let him be the voice.
  • Yes, the AS100 - Freshmen, AS400- Seniors (generally speaking) in Army ROTC - FYI for Navy ROTC it's reversed in numbering with Seniors being MIDN 1/C (first class) and those starting out being MIDN 4/C (fourth class).
  • Overall I think you're spot on in encouraging him to move forward, continue to make progress on the BMI issue, and excel academically- if he can do that the rest will fall into place.
  • Agree with you tabling the SMP discussions for now - just focus on the points above.
  • As others pointed out, while participating in ROTC all college programmers are considered for a scholarship - they do not need to specifically apply for one like some do in HS and Some do as Freshmen back to the national process. Those with less than 3x (30, 32? please look up to confirm) credits CAN apply for the national scholarships like HS seniors again or for the first time while freshmen or they can win a scholarship while CPs as well - he should discuss whether he should apply, with his (chain of command). But I would keep it simple and just focus on the points above for now.
  • with regards the school of hard knocks, it's always a struggle of when to let go and let them fall, and when to shepherd the young adults. I for one took ownership to ensure my DS's HS applications to ROTC were the best he could make them. He did the essays and took lead in communicating with the recruiters, etc. , he filled it all out but I was there with him along the way. I felt it was too important to let him fail. But at college I have not had a single interaction with his unit other than welcome orientation when I sat silent in the back of the room. There's been a time or 2 I wanted to call when he first started and was dealing with some shenanigans, but I didn't engage and continue to stay hands off, and it's all working out OK. Hang in there and know you're not alone in trying to figure out when to be active and when to let the young adults work it out. I'm hoping you'll continue to post that he's still in ROTC and in his way to getting where he needs to be / learning/ improving. The physical stuff gets a lot easier when they are in a bit better shape.
 
OldAFRet said:
I think my revised fact list now becomes:
1. Son is merely an applicant to the ROTC program at this time. Yes. A participating student. Free to come and go as he chooses. The PMS is also free to tell him to go away as well.
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OldAFRet said:
2. He has not filled out a scholarship application, (a totally separate process as far as I can tell) so should have no expectation of receiving a scholarship offer at any time. Correct. The ROO will offer him one. Being over weight, low PT, probably very low chance of this happening.
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OldAFRet said:
3. Either of a) an approved application to join the unit as a non-scholarship cadet, or b) an application for scholarship would have triggered the DoDMERB physical process. Correct. ROTC controls this process. Not you guys.
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OldAFRet said:
4. Now I recall I did pay for him to get the equivalent of a sports physical at a local doctor, so your statement in the second paragraph regarding a sports physical equivalent seems to line up. Yes. The university doctors can also do this. If not DODMERB qualified all students taking PT need a safe to train physical.
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OldAFRet said:
5. No contract with ROTC, no stipend, and he shouldn't expect a contract offer until Fall of his Junior year? Non- scholarship contracted cadets need to wait until at least their true sophomore year. But the PMS needs to approve him contracting, not his desire.
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OldAFRet said:
6. He is simply not eligible for SMP at this time. This needs to be forgotten until Fall of Junior year, when, hopefully, he will be contracted. He can enlist in the guard now, go to basic this summer then AIT (and most likely miss fall 2022) then theoretically contract january 2023 (his “sophomore” year). However the PMS needs to approve the contracting which happens after he enlists and returns. Alternativly, the guard CAN offer him a 3 yr GRFD scholarship and then he can enlist 09R and contract his sophomore year. Danger will robbins—— the PMS can theoretically over rule this. End result of enlisting with no guarantee— he is a soldier in the guard. Not a rotc cadet.
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OldAFRet said:
7. This Army recruiter is doing a bait and switch, promising the 09R MOS (which son does not qualify for), but telling him he can do a short AIT. Son would simply be an enlisted Guardsman at that point. No stipend, but just regular drill pay as an E1 (unless he gets the E-3 guarantee for being an Eagle Scout, and/or having completed over 3 years of JROTC). And as I read the National Guard education benefits page, he'd need active duty time to qualify. Bottom line is he needs to stop talking to this recruiter until he has a contract. See #6. Now depending on the state the guard might have some sort of deal with the schools for tuition help for guardsmen. Every state is different.
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kinnem said:
DoDMERB physical must be completed by the assigned DoDMERB contracted doctor. You cannot go to your own physician. Participation without a scholarship usually requires the equivalent of a high school sports physical done by your doctor. A scholarship will not kick in until DoDMERB physical is completed.
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You can go to a private physician for the follow ups if needed, correct?
My son is DODMERB qualified, but gets daily emails from some group Concorde Inc.

Says if you have remediated using option 2 (MTF) or Option 3 (Own provider) please email us. Then they can notify DODMERBs.

Gave him a login of www.dodmets.com. I told him not to login just email with your status in case it was a scam.
 
TBVADAD said:
You can go to a private physician for the follow ups if needed, correct?
My son is DODMERB qualified, but gets daily emails from some group Concorde Inc.

Says if you have remediated using option 2 (MTF) or Option 3 (Own provider) please email us. Then they can notify DODMERBs.

Gave him a login of www.dodmets.com. I told him not to login just email with your status in case it was a scam.
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https://www.dodmets.com/ is the long-time Fed contractor for military accession physical testing and evaluation, coordinating with civilian providers to provide necessary services and handling payment. Legit.

If your son hasn’t already done this, he should go to the DoDMERB home page and read every menu item on the left side, including Contacts, which tells him who his file is assigned to, as well as FAQs, process overviews, etc. DoDMERB is the joint DOD agency which oversees medical evaluation processes, located in Colorado Springs.
 
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