If You Went to Meps Medical for One Branch
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Joining the military is not like joining whatever other organisation. And the application process to join the military is unlike virtually any other job application process. Before you tin join the military, you need to fill out a host of forms and make full out dozens of documents, including your health history, a background check, and more. Today, we're going to focus on your health history.
Whether you are applying to the armed forces for the first time, or you are thinking virtually going back in afterwards a break in service, yous demand to fill out a medical prescreen form called the 2807-2 Medical Prescreen of Medical History Report (PDF) before you can even utilize to accept a military concrete. At that place are many reasons for this, but the big one is to save everyone a lot of time and money. The armed forces has very strict health requirements to ensure that people joining the military are physically fit for service.
Do you accept a Va Service-Connected Disability Rating? It may be possible to join the war machine with a VA disability rating, depending on your specific condition(due south). Utilize the following process to understand how the medical waiver process works.
How to Fill Out Course 2807-2
The course is adequately self-explanatory, and it has instructions printed on it. That said, you want to have your time when filling it out. It is very in-depth and you desire to ensure it is accurate before you submit it to your recruiter. Your recruiter will then submit your 2807-ii and other information to MEPS, the War machine Entrance Processing Station. This is the control that processes all military entrance physicals.
Of import: If you mark "Yes" on annihilation in section 2, y'all must submit supporting information. Better yet, it is highly recommended that you submit supporting documentation from a medical professional stating your condition and that you are fit for service. Failure to practice then volition increment the chances that your 2807-2 is kicked back to y'all with a medical disqualification. (You may even so become medically butterfingers, but including the data volition help smooth the process when applying for a medical waiver).
Note – Delight don't lie on your military application. It's a federal offense and tin can atomic number 82 to major bug if discovered. And if you lot somehow slip through the cracks and are later defenseless, you could be dishonorably discharged. Information technology's just not worth it!
Permanent and Temporary Disqualifications
MEPS volition either accept or decline your prescreen request. If it is accepted, you lot will exist able to procedure through MEPS where you will accept a physical where yous will either laissez passer or fail. If your 2807-2 is declined or y'all fail your concrete at MEPS, you will receive either a Temporary Disqualification (TDQ) or a Permanent Disqualification (PDQ). Don't let those terms scare you away.
A Temporary Disqualification simply ways the physical condition is temporary and yous cannot process through MEPS because of the medical condition. This could exist something every bit simple as a broken finger. They can't allow you to join the war machine with a broken os. But information technology is classified as a temporary condition because it will heal. A TDQ will delay your request to procedure for a military machine physical until your status has healed and you can testify the status no longer affects you.
A Permanent Disqualification is for a medical condition that is permanent. A surgery, for example, is a permanent condition because information technology cannot be undone. A surgery doesn't necessarily hateful you cannot serve, information technology just means MEPS cannot process your 2807-2 without additional information. In that location are other reasons for a PQD, and each state of affairs will be unique. Some issues are eligible for a medical waiver, while others are not.
If you fail your MEPS physical or your Medical Prescreen Form (2807-two) is kicked dorsum with a medical disqualification, then y'all may, or may non, have the option to apply for a waiver, depending on the reason(s) for your PDQ(s).
Applying for a Medical Waiver – Get Familiar with the DODI
Once your 2807-ii has been rejected by MEPS and you take been given a PDQ, you tin can start the process of applying for a medical waiver (if your condition is waiverable). Not all medical weather condition are eligible for a medical waiver.
To get a head start on the waiver process, you should get familiar with the DODI (Department of Defense Instruction for Medical Standards for Date, Enlistment, or Consecration in the Military Services), also known every bit theDoDI 6130.03 (PDF). This is the official certificate used by MEPS doctors to decide medical eligibility for military applicants.
If you received a PDQ, it should include a PULHES Code, or PULHES Gene, which is a standardized medical code used to rate your physical condition(southward). You can use these codes to look up your condition(south) in the DODI to see if the condition(s) are waiverable.
Of import: This is where you demand to footstep up and do some research. Nigh recruiters don't have the time to hold your paw through the application process. Spending time on your finish will make information technology easier for your recruiter to work with yous to help you get a waiver. Call back, each recruiter is different, and most are willing to piece of work with you lot if you are willing to piece of work with them. And helping them with their job shows y'all are defended and motivated to join the armed services.
Unfortunately, non all medical conditions are waiverable…
Some Medical Conditions Aren't Eligible for Waivers
I wish I could tell you that all you had to practise to get a waiver approved was fill out a form, tell the armed services you are a hard worker, and become a couple character references. Unfortunately, that isn't the case.
The armed forces has some very firm standards for which types of medical waivers they volition approve and will not approve. And the decision is completely out of your hands. And in many cases, you cannot entreatment the decision. It is elementary and last.
I won't try to list all the medical atmospheric condition for which you lot cannot receive a waiver, considering information technology is extensive. Some common maladies include having a history of asthma, Add together (if taking sure medications), diabetes, drug dependency, severe nut allergies (especially peanuts), problems with certain organs, certain skin conditions, and much more. The best thing to practice is download a copy of the DODI mentioned above, and research your medical conditions.
Again: at that place are some weather for which there are no waivers.
Applying for a Medical Waiver to Join the Military
Once you become your 2807-2 dorsum from MEPS and y'all look through the TDQ(s) or PDQ(s) they gave you, you volition need to gear up your case for a medical waiver. Basically, you will demand to get a doctor or medical specialist to review each item for which yous received a TDQ or PDQ. The doctor volition need to write a note on his or her letterhead with the appointment, your medical history for that condition, your current status, and whether or non you lot are physically capable of serving in the military, based on his or her cess.
You volition need to pay for the medical examinations our of your pocket.The military volition not cover this expense.
Once you have these messages, you will need to submit them and a new 2807-2 to your recruiter. Your recruiter will then start the waiver process by sending the forms and supplemental data to the Surgeon General'south Role for your branch of service. The Surgeon Generals Agency may or may not request additional information.
The Medical Waiver Procedure Tin Exist Time Consuming
I had to get medical waivers to join the Air National Guard – the waivers were required because I had ii genu surgeries while I was on active duty. Because I had a history of surgery, I needed to get a physical from an orthopedic surgeon who looked at my health history, gave me an exam, and stated I was physically fit to serve again. The process for me to join the ANG took well-nigh six months from start to cease. It went like this:
- Submit 2807-2. It was declined past MEPS with multiple PDQs.
- Research PULHEES codes in DODI. Realize each condition was waiverable.
- Set up medical appointments with specialists.
- Go exams and messages from doctors on their letterhead.
- Resubmit 2807-2 with appropriate messages from doctors.
- 2807-2 was again declined past MEPS; my recruiter so sent in the 2807-two and my doctors letters to the Surgeon General's Function and requested a medical waiver to take the MEPS physical.
- Waiver approved; scheduled for a concrete at MEPS.
- Physical declined by MEPS (this will happen almost 100% of the time, considering of the PDQs). My physical was good with the exception of the items we already knew nigh. MEPS recommended a medical waiver based on my concrete and supporting documentation.
- MEPS forwarded my physical and all documentation to the Surgeon General'due south Role for a waiver.
- Waiver Approved.
This process can accept months, depending on the complexity of your example, your medical conditions, how long it takes to become your medical exams and messages, how busy MEPS and the SG's office are, and other factors (the summertime is the worst fourth dimension because this is when MEPS processes thousands of recent high school and college graduates).
There is No Entreatment Procedure if Your Waiver is Denied
Here is the bargain with waivers – you either go a medical waiver or y'all don't. You can't appeal. The Surgeon General's office is the appeal. If they deny you the opportunity to serve, and so that is the last reply. Writing to your Congressman or Senator won't raise your chances of joining the service. It just won't happen.
However, depending on your medical status, there may be other options you can effort. For example, each co-operative of the military, including the Guard and Reserves, has a unlike Surgeon General's Office. So if you take a borderline case, y'all might consider joining another branch of service. You might fifty-fifty consider a career in the Guard or Reserves instead of joining on active duty.
Just be careful non to waste everyone'south time. If your condition is not waiverable, don't become through the application process over again – it wastes everyone's time and money. The only fourth dimension it is worth going through this process again is if yous accept medical weather condition that are waiverable, merely for ane reason or some other, the co-operative you applied to decided not to accept you at this fourth dimension.
There are reasons this can happen. For instance, if some branches of the war machine aren't having problem coming together their quotas, they may not need to take someone with a history of health conditions. All things existence equal, they will take the person who doesn't require waivers. (it's faster, easier, and cheaper to get this person into uniform, and historically, they are more likely to end training).
But some other branches may be having a more than difficult time meeting their quotas, or they may exist more open to putting prospective troops through the waiver procedure. Then you may have luck applying to a dissimilar branch of the service, or applying to the Guard or Reserves. In fact, I have heard it can be easier to join the Guard and Reserves if you need medical waivers. Again, it'south just worth pursuing this avenue if your medical status(s) are waiverable.
Final annotation: Delight practise not try to apply to more than one co-operative of the armed services at the aforementioned time. It will cause red flags in the system and may forestall you lot from being able to join. Exhaust all options with your first application before trying to use to a different branch of the military. Best of luck!
Source: https://themilitarywallet.com/get-medical-waiver-to-join-military/
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