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Medical Condition not disclosed - now a problem
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I have a feeling that your marginal step 1 score is about to become the least of your worries. I have no sympathy for anyone who lied about a serious mission compromising medical condition to get commissioned in the US military.
You might have gotten a waver before, now you're very likely to get shown the door. (and given a large bill, due upon receipt) Deliberate deception is the definition of conduct unbecoming an officer.👎 I don't see how or why they would let this slide.
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There may be more to the story of which we are unaware...
but if the story is, as initially presented, then I agree with this completely.
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Man you are in for a world of hurt. Good luck.
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This is something that gains more sympathy if you're a 17yo kid with a GED who gets snookered by recruiters trying to join.
You are a medical student and at least several years into adulthood. You have graduated college, and are smart enough that you did quite well. You are entering a profession where integrity, honesty, and ability to follow direction are incredibly important. The statement "my recruiter told me to lie" is not going to fly very well. At the end of the day, you signed off on legal documents that were very specific about what you did and did not need to disclose. Saying "my recruiter said it was okay" is going to hold about as much water as signing off on discharging an unstable patient or ordering a dangerous procedure by saying "the nurse said I should." At the end of the day, you're accountable.
These forums serve two purposes: to help the individual involved and to help others that are reading the thread. All you can really do at this point is fess up, throw yourself at the mercy of the military and see what happens. Best case? Medical discharge without Uncle Sam seeking reimbursement. But as this is a pre-existing condition that you lied about, this is not likely to happen. What is possible is a discharge with Uncle Sam seeking restitution for the monies paid. Keep us posted.
No one is going to have a piece of advice that will really help your case at this point. Honesty is always the best route, and it might help you even at this late hour, though no promises. Further lying is definitely not recommended. The reason many of us are posting on this thread is not so much to help you as to make this a cautionary tale for others who think of not telling the truth in hopes of picking up HPSP.
Regardless, I wish you luck. Keep us posted.
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The only advice I would give you is to call your HPSP representative immediately and let them know what is happening. Your situation is going to get worse every single day you wait to report it. Like it or not, the perception that you are going to have to fight is that you actively chose to withhold information for your own personal gain. My guess is that "the recruiter told me now to report" isn't going to go over well. If this is truly a case of a childhood problem that hadn't been a problem for many years and is now reemerging, that explanation might be acceptable. Be prepared for some tough questions about your decision making process. Its not good to have someone question your decision making skills, but it is infinitely better than someone questioning your integrity. Lots of people get second chances after questionable decision making. Very few will get second chances for questionable integrity. Good luck to you.
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Bad news doesn't get better with age.
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Just as I would not ask medical advice from a group of lawyers, I would not ask for legal advice from a group of physicians. Find a lawyer experienced with military contracts and go over the details of your case, then ask for advice.
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I will try to be helpful. To start, you are not the first and won't be the last to end up in this position. Recruiters will often tell applicants to minimize or completely fail to disclose prior medical issues. Does this practice annoy me? Yes it does, but recruiters have quotas, and applicants want in. A real conflict of interest.
The big issue is how severe your asthma actually is and how big an impact it will have on your ability to complete your service. If you went 8 years on no meds and did not have an issue, it is likely it will have minimal impact on your service. Since it is next to impossible to medically board doctors, getting kicked out on a med board is not really in your future should you go on active duty.
You do need to disclose your health issues. Give them all the information you have. The HPSP office will evaluate and determine if you should remain in the program. If you have been a good student, checked all of your boxes, and caused the program manager minimal to no problem, they will likely retain you in the program. If you are otherwise a problem child, it will give them the excuse they need to cut you loose.
Recoupment is possible and is inconsistently pursued. Again, will likely be based on how big a pain you have been prior to this disclosure. Don't let the threat of recoupment keep you from contacting the head office. Sooner is better than later.
Hope this is helpful.
The big issue is how severe your asthma actually is and how big an impact it will have on your ability to complete your service. If you went 8 years on no meds and did not have an issue, it is likely it will have minimal impact on your service. Since it is next to impossible to medically board doctors, getting kicked out on a med board is not really in your future should you go on active duty.
You do need to disclose your health issues. Give them all the information you have. The HPSP office will evaluate and determine if you should remain in the program. If you have been a good student, checked all of your boxes, and caused the program manager minimal to no problem, they will likely retain you in the program. If you are otherwise a problem child, it will give them the excuse they need to cut you loose.
Recoupment is possible and is inconsistently pursued. Again, will likely be based on how big a pain you have been prior to this disclosure. Don't let the threat of recoupment keep you from contacting the head office. Sooner is better than later.
Hope this is helpful.
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If I only had a nickel for every dumb or foolish thing I did in my latter college years ... yeah I was an adult and should've known better ...
I believe you, when you say that you believed your recruiter when he told you that old medical problems are not important and didn't need to be disclosed. Naive maybe but we all make dumb errors. I wish you the best.
Fortunately, your condition doesn't preclude the practice of medicine, so even if the military shows you the door, with or without a bill, you still have a long and bright future ahead as a practicing physician ... with the income to repay the government for HPSP, if that's in the cards. It could be you exit this scenario largely intact, head to civilian residency but instead of owing student loans for med school, you owe the government. That might not be so bad.
Just a few days ago, another SDN user who is currently applying for HPSP PM'd me asking if he should disclose two non-disqualifying conditions that have not been an issue for him for many years. He forgot to mention them when initially filling out the application. I told him to take the time to disclose them, even though they were trivial issues. This is why.
Perrotfish is right, you absolutely need qualified legal advice, and not from us. Good luck and please come back and let us know what happened.
I believe you, when you say that you believed your recruiter when he told you that old medical problems are not important and didn't need to be disclosed. Naive maybe but we all make dumb errors. I wish you the best.
Fortunately, your condition doesn't preclude the practice of medicine, so even if the military shows you the door, with or without a bill, you still have a long and bright future ahead as a practicing physician ... with the income to repay the government for HPSP, if that's in the cards. It could be you exit this scenario largely intact, head to civilian residency but instead of owing student loans for med school, you owe the government. That might not be so bad.
Just a few days ago, another SDN user who is currently applying for HPSP PM'd me asking if he should disclose two non-disqualifying conditions that have not been an issue for him for many years. He forgot to mention them when initially filling out the application. I told him to take the time to disclose them, even though they were trivial issues. This is why.
Perrotfish is right, you absolutely need qualified legal advice, and not from us. Good luck and please come back and let us know what happened.
