All Branch Topic (ABT) HPSP Disqualifying Conditions

[Jon394821]

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Hi everyone. I'm prior service enlisted (12yrs Army), and will be a 1st year medical student in August. I was looking at HPSP or maybe reserves MDSSP to help offset the cost of medical school. I'm interested in any branch, but have only really read through some of the Army specific regulations. Wondering if you could tell me if my situation would be disqualifying.

Earlier this year I moved across country to where I was accepted to medical school. I felt like I wasn't making friends well, and was having a hard time connecting with people in the new city so I ended up going to VA and seeing one of their social workers. The social worker subsequently diagnosed me with GAD and referred me to their psychiatrist for possible medication. I was started on buspirone, which I took for 45 days, and then stopped due to me not feeling it had any effect (negative or positive) whatsoever. Frankly I feel such a diagnosis is a bit of a stretch as it's not like I'm having any issues functioning in school and/or daily life.

Would this be disqualifying? If so, would such a disqualification be waiverable? Thanks.

 

[deleted480308]

https://sites.google.com/site/medschoolnavyhscp/about-hscp

with so much time in already, I'd look and navy hscp......it allows your retirement clock to keep ticking while in school (it doesn't with hpsp and you only clock guard retirement with mdssp). You'd make e6 money with 13yrs in which is more thann enough to help you minimize tuition loans and still live nicely. by the end of residency you'd have reached 20 and would be able to walk out the door with full retirement at about 23-24yrs just 4 years after residency.

 

[deleted480308]

no idea on the disqualifyinig medical condition....best you can do is disclose it and ask for a waiver if they say no

 

[Jon394821]

Yeah my thought was that I may as well try and hit the magical 20yrs, retire, and then bounce to civilian life. Will have to run the numbers to compare HSCP vs HPSP if I'm only needing 8 years till retirement. Army was the only branch that said HPSP was even possible for this year. Navy/AF stated that I'd have to wait until next year and apply for a 3-year. (Yet more math to work on and compare.)

Hopefully someone can chime in about whether I'm screwed from the get-go due to the aforementioned. 🙂

 

[Ziehl-Neelsen]

Minor psychiatric conditions treated with medication for a short time (depression, GAD, OCD, PTS, etc.) are extremely waiverable; I know multiple people with histories of such disorders who received waivers and are AD physicians in the medical corps. Make sure you disclose the issue (as the alternative could get you in a heap of trouble). You will have a secondary appointment with a psychiatrist who will write the report for a medical waiver (if he determines the condition to be waiverable).

 

[Jon394821]

Minor psychiatric conditions treated with medication for a short time (depression, GAD, OCD, PTS, etc.) are extremely waiverable; I know multiple people with histories of such disorders who received waivers and are AD physicians in the medical corps. Make sure you disclose the issue (as the alternative could get you in a heap of trouble). You will have a secondary appointment with a psychiatrist who will write the report for a medical waiver (if he determines the condition to be waiverable).

Thanks for the reply. That makes me feel much better.

I'm glad you mentioned that I should make sure and disclose all of this. My recruiter was strongly alluding to the fact that I should omit it from the application; which I did not feel comfortable with at all. Would you happen to know what the requirements are to have such a thing waivered? i.e. certain period of time has passed? And how long the waiver process takes?

 

[idq1i]

Because the recruiter just has to sign you up. What happens next doesn't matter to him. If they discover that you hid a disqualifying condition, they will kick you out and go for recoupment with interest. If you are honest, get waivered in, and your condition gets worse, you are not on the hook for recoupment. Your condition would have to be pretty incapacitating (to the point that you can't practice medicine) to get kicked out once you are in.

 

[deleted480308]

Because the recruiter just has to sign you up. What happens next doesn't matter to him. If they discover that you hid a disqualifying condition, they will kick you out and go for recoupment with interest. If you are honest, get waivered in, and your condition gets worse, you are not on the hook for recoupment

Yeah, you are the one on the line for lying....don't

Recruiters are the worst

 

[Jon394821]

Thanks for the responses everyone. Does anyone know if there's some sort of time requirement in order to get a waiver for what I described (i.e. more than a year ago, or no meds in the past two years, or whatever)? And does it vary by branch? Thanks!

 

[asdf123g]

what other conditions are disqualifying for HPSP?

 

[HighPriest]

Realizing that it's not a good deal.

 

[jonb12997]

google "AR 40-501"
or go to: http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r40_501.pdf

 

[jabreal00]

You probably will require a waiver. However as long as you've been off the medication for at least 90 days by the time the board meets I don't see it being an issue. They may make you get clearance from BH though. I've written plenty of memos asking for waivers for people who may have been diagnosed with one particular condition (within my specialty) who are no longer symptomatic and off medications prior to reenlisting, Army PA school, and whatever else military related programs.