YES Answers on Form 2492 -- Possible DoDMERB Action

[TomV]

My son has an ROTC scholarship DoDMERB exam scheduled for Aug. 14. Following are the questions that will have "Yes" answers. I'd appreciate any insight into likely DoDMERB responses -- initial DQ, request for records, additional information, etc.

#14 Current medications and #59 Skin Conditions
Son is currently in last month of Accutane treatment for acne. Will this cause a DQ or will he be in some type of "pending" state awaiting results of blood test taken 8 weeks after stopping medication? Assuming 8 week test is clear, will he automatically be cleared on this item or will we have to request a waiver?

#19 Head Injury and #21 Loss of memory
Son was tackled during football game and had trouble remembering plays. (Not good when you are the quarterback!!) The play was very ordinary and he jumped right up and went back into the huddle. He finished out the series of downs but did not play the second half. No loss of consciousness, no dizziness, no headache -- just does not remember first half of game. We did not go to hospital or doctor. Will lack of medical records present a problem? Hopefully the "head injury" form will be all that is required on this one.

#60 Adverse reaction to drugs, medicines, etc.
Son is allergic to antibiotic Bactrum. Any potential issues regarding this?

#77 Treatment by other doctors or medicat facilities
Following a bout with stomach virus/diarrhea my son was referred to a gastroenterologist(sp?) for lower abdominal pains. Doctor performed colonoscopy which revealed a small rectal ulcer. Ulcer was treated with medication and there have been no further complications or recurrence. Would this be an automatic DQ or evaluated based on doctor and/or hospital records? I'm thinking I should go ahead and have the records in hand to speed things up when the request comes.


Like most applicants, my son is "healthy as a horse" working out and playing varsity sports. Hopefully there won't be any show-stoppers with the DoDMERB evaluation. I told my son to expect requests for additional information and that we just have to be patient with the process.

Thanks in advance for the assistance!!

 

[RetNavyHM]

TomV,

I'll take these one at a time.

#14/59 - Current use of Accutane is a disqualification but can be removed easily 8 weeks after your son discontinues the medication provided DoDMERB has copies of all medical records (especially the one where he has discontinued the medication) provided the treatment worked.

#19/21 - DoDMERB will send your son a head injury questionnaire. Its 5 questions long, answer the same as you have here and it will not be a problem.

#60 - No problem at all.

#77 - Just based on what you've stated this one is going to be a disqualification. Its one of those "history of" disqualifications. There are a couple of different disqualifications that could be added for this depending on what the medical records state.

Now for what will happen when DoDMERB gets your sons physical examination. More than likely your son will be found disqualified for the Accutane use right off the bat. That is easy to get removed 8 weeks after the last dose of medication (this will need to be requested by your son). At that time DoDMERB will then request the records on the ulcer and the head injury questionnaire. You can always check the DoDMERB web site and see what disqualifications ("D" codes) and what remedials ("R" codes) are on your sons files. There is a note on the web page that if an applicant has a disqualification, do not submit the remedials until a waiver is granted or the disqualification is removed. My suggestion for your son: We know he will be disqualified for the Accutane and for the ulcer. We know the Accutane is time limited (8 weeks after the last medication use) so we want to focus mainly on the ulcer disqualification. You want that disqualification added as soon as possible to give the waiver authority the maximum amount of time to review his file, so I would submit the medical records as soon as they are on the DoDMERB web page regardless of what his medical status is.

If this happened recently (last 3 years) and if there was rectal bleeding involved a waiver will be difficult to obtain. If this happed greater than 3 years ago, or if it happened 1-3 years ago without rectal bleeding then the chances of a waiver increase. If it happened greater than 10 years ago without any re-occurrence I would say the chances of a waiver are very good.

Even if this occurred recently I would definitely push for the wavier if this is what your son wants. Even if the waiver is denied initially, feel free to request that the wavier authority re-look at his file, even if its over and over again.

I hope this has helped and that it hasn't discouraged you or your son. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask away!

 

[TomV]

Thank you for the response. The information and explanation is of great help.

We know the ulcer issue will be the most problematic. There was never any associated bleeding so maybe that will be in our favor.

Am I understanding correctly that we need to send the medical reports on the ulcer as soon as we see that DODMERB has received the examination results; even before there are "D" and "R" codes listed and prior to being asked for them?

The ROTC DoDMERB Medical Guide has a couple of points regarding waivers that appear to be conflicting:

• · A disqualified applicant must request waiver consideration through Cadet Command, as they are not assigned to a Battalion.
• · DoDMERB WILL automatically post the disqualified physical examination to Cadet Command for waiver consideration via the DoDMERB website

So, does Cadet Command not consisder waivers until requested by the applicant? Or, does Cadet Command automatically evaluate results for waiver consideration and then notify applicant of results?

Does the competitiveness of the applicant come into play in these decisions? What about recommendations from PMS?

Thank you again.

 

[RetNavyHM]

TomV,

As soon as you see there are codes on your son's DoDMERB web page I would gather all the items requested (forms can be downloaded off the DoDMERB web page as well) and submit them to DoDMERB.

Each ROTC wavier authority has different requirements for waivers. For Army ROTC your son will need to request the waiver in writing (I would do that as soon as you see he has been disqualified). The letter can be something as simple as "I request a wavier for X", but I would suggest that your son go more in depth and explain in his words why each disqualification should be waived, how it has affected him, if at all, and what activities he currently participates in. For the second part of your question, all medical information that DoDMERB has, they forward it on to the waiver authority. There is no need to submit medical information to both DoDMERB and the waiver authority, I would just submit it all to DoDMERB.

For ROTC, the initial review by the waiver authorities does not look at how competitive the applicant is, or take any outside recommendations. If the waiver is initially denied, I would request that the waiver authorities take a re-look at the file and also get the PMS involved at that point.

 

[TomV]

Well, the results are in and things look a little better than I thought they might. At least we only have three "R" codes and no "D" codes. That gives hope for a possible clear bill of health without waivers if all goes well.

Two of the codes are straightforward as to what information is required. The third is as follows:

R251.11 - Upon completion of Accutane therapy, please provide DoDMERB with a copy of the diagnosis and all treatment records (including all lab results and liver function tests that have been performed). Please provide the actual date that Accutane was discontinued. You may only be "considered" for medical qualification eight (8) weeks AFTER your therapy has been completed.

First, I am glad to see that this did not raise an automatic disqualification. My son completed his Accutane treatment just last week. So, does DODMERB want ALL treatment records and lab results for the entire course of treatment? Or just a statement of completion of Accutane therapy and lab results showing everything is okay? Do we send everything in now or wait till the eight weeks are up? Now that I've written this, it is pretty obvious that I need to call DODMERB and clear this up.

 

[RetNavyHM]

TomV,

At the 8 week mark DoDMERB will want all treatment records from your son's Accutane treatment. Make sure that the record when the physician discontinued your son's Accutane treatment is included. Also ensure that all the lab tests are included with the records.