Will My Medical Records Prevent Me From Getting in to WP?

L

LB101

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Jan 9, 2018
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I am a 17 year old girl, I was diagnosed with somewhat severe asthma at age 12, It is mostly controlled but there have be outbursts. I was in the ER three times last year but I have been doing great since then and have cut down on almost all of my medicines (I only take an inhaler before working out). My worst event was when I passed out at an XC race and was rushed to the hospital. Despite my asthma I played soccer for 9 years and have been a #1 runner and varsity captain on my track team for the past 3 years. I also have one kidney, my other one was removed when I was younger.
Will my medical history be an issue? Are there things I am permitted to leave out, can I explain that I am better now?
 
You need to be honest w/ your medical conditions. NY is a hot, humid place during beast...not conditions conducive to an asthmatic. There will be additional tests you'll be asked to take and decisions made based on those results.
 
I am not a doc or affiliated with DoDMERB, but I would assume that your biggest medical issue is not asthma as much as it is the fact that you only have 1 kidney.
 
I am a doctor, but not military. If you dig through all the threads, you can find dismembered standards. You obviously know you can function well with one kidney. I am not sure what the standard is. Waivers may be Available. The asthma will be your biggest challenge
 
pallen92x said:
Refer to page 45 under "Genitourinary System" for a response to your single kidney question:

https://www.usma.edu/admissions/Shared Documents/wp_admissions-catalog_2013-14.pdf

Regarding the asthma, refer to the "Lungs, Asthma, and Chest" section on page 44. Even with the waiver request, they will request your medical records. When did your emergency room visit occur?
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My ER visits were late October 2016, April 9, 2017, and then April 25. Before that I had never had an ER visit because of my asthma and I haven't had one since.. I resumed my track season after those visits and I am currently in preseason doing fine.
 
I am not specifically talking about your issues, but the military doesnt seem to like to take on people with medical issues. Sometimes, they seem minor in nature and really have no bearing in the person being able to accomplish their job. I think they are looking at the future where the government will be on the hook when these conditions tend to worsen. Dont not apply because you think they may says no. Let them say no to you and then fight it if it happens. Just realize that you may have two strikes against you.
 
I would also add it is not only about being on the hook, medically for years and years, it maybe until the day you die since they accepted you with a pre-existing condition. Serve 20 yrs and you have access to military hospitals for life.

Additionally, the real question for the military will also come down to do your medical conditions that they already know about hamper their ability with regards to their manpower needs.
~ Can they deploy you to remote locations that don't have hospitals like Brooks.
~ Will your medical history impact on what career field they can offer you?
~~ Look at USNA as an example regarding vision color deficiency. Yes, they hand out a few, very few waivers as a matter of fact, but on a whole it would be easier to get a waiver via the AF or the Army for that medical condition.

You should apply, but while you do, make sure you get all of your medical paperwork in order now. You may also want to look into using the services of DoDMERB consultants. You will have to pay for their services, but they may be able to assist you in navigating the system better than anyone here on this board.
 
LB101 said:
pallen92x said:
Refer to page 45 under "Genitourinary System" for a response to your single kidney question:

https://www.usma.edu/admissions/Shared Documents/wp_admissions-catalog_2013-14.pdf

Regarding the asthma, refer to the "Lungs, Asthma, and Chest" section on page 44. Even with the waiver request, they will request your medical records. When did your emergency room visit occur?
Click to expand...
My ER visits were late October 2016, April 9, 2017, and then April 25. Before that I had never had an ER visit because of my asthma and I haven't had one since.. I resumed my track season after those visits and I am currently in preseason doing fine.
Click to expand...

I think you know the answer by now...You're already disqualified with the single kidney and to top it off with the asthma attacks warranting ER visits as late as April 2017...I don't think even the folks at DODMERB Consultants can help you...but, don't take my word for it as I am making no claims to having DODMERB expertise. Feel free to contact them...

http://www.dodmerbconsultants.com/

P.S. I'd love to hear back from you if DODMERB Consultants decides to take on your case.
 
I second the idea for reaching out to the DODMerb consultants. The process for navigating the DODMerb process is not as cut and dry as you may hope, specifically given your complex medical history.

I am not suggesting you may not be eligible for a waiver (as none of us on this forum would know), but it would be helpful for you to have an 'expert' to help you achieve your dream.

Best of luck to you!
 
I'll end this (I think).

I had a cadet in my JROTC program that wanted to serve; very much! He lost a kidney to an illness several years ago (middle school). He is the epitome of fitness, strength, agility, you name it and he has it.

He was denied accessions into the military due to DOD Instruction 6130.03, Enclosure 4, page 25: "(1) Current absence of one kidney, congenital (753.0) or acquired (V45.73) (CPT 50220-50236)."

This DOD instruction covers Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction in the Military Services. He went to every "expert" physician he and his family could find; the answer was the same: this is non-waiverable.

While others above have commented on the asthma, I will quote from the same DOD Instruction; bear with me, it's fairly long, the bottom line is that based upon your description, I think your case would be disqualifying:

d. Airway hyper responsiveness including asthma (493.xx), reactive airway disease, exercise-induced bronchospasm (519.11) or asthmatic bronchitis (493.90), reliably diagnosed and symptomatic after the 13th birthday.
(1) Reliable diagnostic criteria may include any of the following elements: substantiated history of cough, wheeze, chest tightness, and/or dyspnea which persists or recurs over a prolonged period of time, generally more than 12 months.
(2) Individuals DO MEET the standard if within the past 3 years they meet ALL of the criteria in subparagraphs 11.d.(2)(a)-(d).
(a) No use of controller or rescue medications (including, but not limited to inhaled corticosteroids, leukotriene receptor antagonists, or short-acting beta agonists).
(b) No exacerbations requiring acute medical treatment.
(c) No use of oral steroids.
(d) A current normal spirometry (within the past 90 days), performed in accordance with American Thoracic Society (ATS) guidelines and as defined by current National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) standards.

I applaud your desires but I think in this instance, based upon what you've shared, that you'll fall into the same bucket as my one student.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
flieger83 said:
I'll end this (I think).

I had a cadet in my JROTC program that wanted to serve; very much! He lost a kidney to an illness several years ago (middle school). He is the epitome of fitness, strength, agility, you name it and he has it.

He was denied accessions into the military due to DOD Instruction 6130.03, Enclosure 4, page 25: "(1) Current absence of one kidney, congenital (753.0) or acquired (V45.73) (CPT 50220-50236)."

This DOD instruction covers Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction in the Military Services. He went to every "expert" physician he and his family could find; the answer was the same: this is non-waiverable.

While others above have commented on the asthma, I will quote from the same DOD Instruction; bear with me, it's fairly long, the bottom line is that based upon your description, I think your case would be disqualifying:

d. Airway hyper responsiveness including asthma (493.xx), reactive airway disease, exercise-induced bronchospasm (519.11) or asthmatic bronchitis (493.90), reliably diagnosed and symptomatic after the 13th birthday.
(1) Reliable diagnostic criteria may include any of the following elements: substantiated history of cough, wheeze, chest tightness, and/or dyspnea which persists or recurs over a prolonged period of time, generally more than 12 months.
(2) Individuals DO MEET the standard if within the past 3 years they meet ALL of the criteria in subparagraphs 11.d.(2)(a)-(d).
(a) No use of controller or rescue medications (including, but not limited to inhaled corticosteroids, leukotriene receptor antagonists, or short-acting beta agonists).
(b) No exacerbations requiring acute medical treatment.
(c) No use of oral steroids.
(d) A current normal spirometry (within the past 90 days), performed in accordance with American Thoracic Society (ATS) guidelines and as defined by current National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) standards.

I applaud your desires but I think in this instance, based upon what you've shared, that you'll fall into the same bucket as my one student.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
Click to expand...
Oh wow okay, have you every heard any instances of people getting around this?
 
LB101 said:
Oh wow okay, have you every heard any instances of people getting around this?
Click to expand...

None of us here are qualified to comment authoritatively on whether your condition is waiverable. You have gotten some very candid unofficial feedback, especially the post with the current standards.

Please stop for a minute and think why there is a DODMERB standard for Q and DQ, and then why each Service has waiver guidelines based on their mission requirements. It all comes down to unit safety and readiness. If a member is prone to certain issues that can take them offline in the field, that impacts unit strength and mission readiness and safety. The operational areas are often high-stress, environmentally hostile, in remote areas far from advanced medical care. The Services set high accession standards to get the healthiest and least likely to break people.

I got adult-onset asthma late in my career. The pulmonologist sat me down and said if we didn’t get it under control, I could be subject to a med DQ board and medically retired. Asthma is taken very seriously in the armed forces, even more so at the accession point.

You cannot control the process or “get around it.” Let it play out, and invest energy in the things you can impact: doing well in school, staying fit, paying attention to your health, enjoying friends and family, lining up Plans B, C and so on.

If it comes to it, there are other ways to serve. I don’t have time today, but will look through my posts where I mention serving at one of the “ABC” Agencies not as an agent but as an analyst, and the HS and college programs that are available. If you’re doing really cool stuff as a highly-cleared, say, operational logistics coordinator for field operations for the CIA at Langley, one kidney and occasionally misbehaving airways shouldn’t get in the way. Starter hint: google “CIA college student opportunities.” You’ll land here:
https://www.cia.gov/careers/student-opportunities

Try that with other “ABC” agencies. They are looking for good young minds. If service is important to you, it’s an honorable way to serve. A young woman I know, had really wanted to go to USNA or NROTC, but has Crohn’s Disease. She was DQ’ed. She took that good brain of hers, majored in math at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, did summer internships at NSA in Maryland, now works for them as an analyst at a nice pay grade with good Federal benefits.
 
Captain MJ is spot-on!!

There are SO many "other" ways to serve...I've worked with many of the "alphabet agencies" in my career...civilians...but make no mistake, they were just as much "warriors" as I was/am. And their contributions were essential to our nations well-being!!

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
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