Medical waiver denied AF, chances of approval with Army?

[W1zardDoctor]

Hey MilMed!

Long story short, I've been applying for AF HPSP since October. Responses have been SLOW. Today, I finally heard back that my medical waiver was denied. I had childhood asthma (last prescription at age 15, no incidence since age 9, and lots of time in sports (including Swimming) in HS, and a recent (06/2022) psoriasis diagnosis).

Before I put effort into trying with the Army, I'm wondering if anyone has had success getting either condition waived as a disqualifier?

Thanks in advance!

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[DrMetal]

Hey MilMed!

Long story short, I've been applying for AF HPSP since October. Responses have been SLOW. Today, I finally heard back that my medical waiver was denied. I had childhood asthma (last prescription at age 15, no incidence since age 9, and lots of time in sports (including Swimming) in HS, and a recent (06/2021) psoriasis diagnosis).

Before I put effort into trying with the Army, I'm wondering if anyone has had success getting either condition waived as a disqualifier?

Thanks in advance!

It's hard to say. The success of a waiver is a function of a) what medical ailment exactly you're trying to waive and b) the needs of the service, with that latter factor sometimes overbearing the former.

For instance, in the Navy, we tend to have too many junior medical officers, and the HPSP pipeline is full of applicants. Thus, I don't see many waivers going through.

The only way to really know, is to just apply and see what happens.

 

[TheEarDoc]

You can go talk to the AMEDD recruiter for the Army (don't talk to regular recruiter). Be honest about what happened with your last attempt and see if they feel there is a chance and if so let them work your packet.

 

[IdkLol2049]

It's hard to say. The success of a waiver is a function of a) what medical ailment exactly you're trying to waive and b) the needs of the service, with that latter factor sometimes overbearing the former.

For instance, in the Navy, we tend to have too many junior medical officers, and the HPSP pipeline is full of applicants. Thus, I don't see many waivers going through.

The only way to really know, is to just apply and see what happens.

Sorry to hijak an old thread. What are the odds of approval for a waiver for the Army for unilateral deafness? Is that a deal breaker?

 

[DrMetal]

Sorry to hijak an old thread. What are the odds of approval for a waiver for the Army for unilateral deafness? Is that a deal breaker?

I would think the odds would be low. The logic would be, if military service were to somehow depreciate hearing in your good ear, then you would be bilaterally deaf. As such, you shouldn't serve (akin to why we don't allow those with monocular blindness to serve).

But, I don't know this for sure. In theory, anything is waiverable. You never really know unless you apply. The Army and the Navy are hurting right now . If you have a medical acceptance in hand, you might have a shot.

I think we actually have an active duty audiologist on this forum, @TheEarDoc , who may know better.

 

[Gastrapathy]

I'm aware of an individual who got a waiver for unilateral deafness as a reservist. The loss of directional hearing was interesting in theater.

 

[2024NonTradAnon]

It's hard to say. The success of a waiver is a function of a) what medical ailment exactly you're trying to waive and b) the needs of the service, with that latter factor sometimes overbearing the former.

For instance, in the Navy, we tend to have too many junior medical officers, and the HPSP pipeline is full of applicants. Thus, I don't see many waivers going through.

The only way to really know, is to just apply and see what happens.

I would think the odds would be low. The logic would be, if military service were to somehow depreciate hearing in your good ear, then you would be bilaterally deaf. As such, you shouldn't serve (akin to why we don't allow those with monocular blindness to serve).

But, I don't know this for sure. In theory, anything is waiverable. You never really know unless you apply. The Army and the Navy are hurting right now . If you have a medical acceptance in hand, you might have a shot.

I think we actually have an active duty audiologist on this forum, @TheEarDoc , who may know better.

These would seem to be contradictory statements. Could you provide any additional context/insight?

I was trying to determine whether or not to turn in an application for Navy HPSP... While Navy HPSP was my first choice, I thought perhaps I'd apply for the VA HPSP because their processing timeline is significantly shorter, and having a medical school acceptance in hand significantly increases your chances of being awarded the scholarship. I was told by a Navy HPSP recruiter that having an acceptance in hand does not increase your chances as he said the Navy is evaluating candidates based on the "likelihood" that they will complete medical school. However, he also said that this past year, not all available Navy HPSP scholarships were awarded, which would seem to echo your second statement...

The Navy and VA have close enough medical missions that I would be happy to serve with either. The Navy HPSP just requires a lot more hoops to jump through and I wouldn't want to waste my recruiter's time if I wouldn't be a competitive applicant (Note: I am not asking for your evaluation of this as I realized you don't know me. Just trying to parse out whether the pipeline is full as your first comment suggests or whether it is currently a bit less competitive than it has been in years past).

 

[armytrainingsir]

…. why we don't allow those with monocular blindness to serve).

Actually, back in my AD days,we had a one eyed urologist. ( I know, the jokes write themselves). Blind since the age of 8 after being shot in the eye by a BB gun.

Exception to policy and waivers are political/ bureaucratic solutions to DoD regulations and policies so don’t expect them to either make sense or be consistent.

The only certainty is you won’t get it if don’t reapply.

 

[DrMetal]

These would seem to be contradictory statements. Could you provide any additional context/insight?

I was trying to determine whether or not to turn in an application for Navy HPSP... While Navy HPSP was my first choice, I thought perhaps I'd apply for the VA HPSP because their processing timeline is significantly shorter, and having a medical school acceptance in hand significantly increases your chances of being awarded the scholarship. I was told by a Navy HPSP recruiter that having an acceptance in hand does not increase your chances as he said the Navy is evaluating candidates based on the "likelihood" that they will complete medical school. However, he also said that this past year, not all available Navy HPSP scholarships were awarded, which would seem to echo your second statement...

The Navy and VA have close enough medical missions that I would be happy to serve with either. The Navy HPSP just requires a lot more hoops to jump through and I wouldn't want to waste my recruiter's time if I wouldn't be a competitive applicant (Note: I am not asking for your evaluation of this as I realized you don't know me. Just trying to parse out whether the pipeline is full as your first comment suggests or whether it is currently a bit less competitive than it has been in years past).

Interestingly enough, those 2 posts by me were about 6 months apart. We've noticed a sharp decrement in the # of HPSP applications in this current cycle

Well, go ahead and apply. See what happens. If you completed an AF applications, shouldn't be too hard to convert it to a Navy or Army one.

Actually, back in my AD days,we had a one eyed urologist. ( I know, the jokes write themselves). Blind since the age of 8 after being shot in the eye by a BB gun.

Exception to policy and waivers are political/ bureaucratic solutions to DoD regulations and policies so don’t expect them to either make sense or be consistent.

The only certainty is you won’t get it if don’t reapply.

Yep, pretty much.