Hi everyone,
I am a current PGY1 finishing up my intern year and getting ready to start my ophthalmology residency this summer. I recently traveled to my program to do onsite onboarding at our affiliated VA medical center only to find out that my onboarding was denied because I was not registered in the Selective Service System. For anyone as ignorant as I was, this is the registry that lives on from the days of the military draft, which all men ages 18 are required to register for in case the president decides to reinstate the draft. There seems to be varying awareness about this, some of my friends remember registering and even receiving a card proving it, some of them have no idea what it is, but somehow got registered at some point. The bottom line about the registry is that you can only register from ages 18-26 and if you do not register, you are ineligible for federal grants, federal loans, and FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT INCLUDING VAs. Most people get registered in high school (I turned 18 after graduating) or while applying for federal loans for college or grad school, which I also never did. Once you pass 26, you're essentially screwed and you need to apply for a waiver by demonstrating that you did not avoid the registry intentionally. The website say, "a non-registrant may not be denied any benefit if he can 'show by a preponderance of evidence' that his failure to register was not knowing and willful. Offer as much evidence supporting your case, and as much detail, as possible." I am currently 30 years old and learned about the registry for the first time last week when my VA onboarding was denied. I have spoken to my local VA as well as the VA case worker at my congresswoman's office for guidance and it seems like this is a very difficult hurdle to overcome.
My question is whether anyone out there has been in my shoes and successfully gotten a waiver for the SSS. If so, what kind of evidence beyond sworn affidavits saying "I didn't know and was never told" did you provide? Did you hire a lawyer who specializes in this?
I've been waiting a long time to train in ophthalmology and right now it's feeling more and more likely that I won't be able to come this summer. Any guidance or advice people can offer would be very appreciated.
I am a current PGY1 finishing up my intern year and getting ready to start my ophthalmology residency this summer. I recently traveled to my program to do onsite onboarding at our affiliated VA medical center only to find out that my onboarding was denied because I was not registered in the Selective Service System. For anyone as ignorant as I was, this is the registry that lives on from the days of the military draft, which all men ages 18 are required to register for in case the president decides to reinstate the draft. There seems to be varying awareness about this, some of my friends remember registering and even receiving a card proving it, some of them have no idea what it is, but somehow got registered at some point. The bottom line about the registry is that you can only register from ages 18-26 and if you do not register, you are ineligible for federal grants, federal loans, and FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT INCLUDING VAs. Most people get registered in high school (I turned 18 after graduating) or while applying for federal loans for college or grad school, which I also never did. Once you pass 26, you're essentially screwed and you need to apply for a waiver by demonstrating that you did not avoid the registry intentionally. The website say, "a non-registrant may not be denied any benefit if he can 'show by a preponderance of evidence' that his failure to register was not knowing and willful. Offer as much evidence supporting your case, and as much detail, as possible." I am currently 30 years old and learned about the registry for the first time last week when my VA onboarding was denied. I have spoken to my local VA as well as the VA case worker at my congresswoman's office for guidance and it seems like this is a very difficult hurdle to overcome.
My question is whether anyone out there has been in my shoes and successfully gotten a waiver for the SSS. If so, what kind of evidence beyond sworn affidavits saying "I didn't know and was never told" did you provide? Did you hire a lawyer who specializes in this?
I've been waiting a long time to train in ophthalmology and right now it's feeling more and more likely that I won't be able to come this summer. Any guidance or advice people can offer would be very appreciated.
