Selective Service Registration and Denial in residency

[orcawhale]

Hi I'm an older med student age 29 and I just learned that some if not many residencies have a selective service requirement. from a previous post:

"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."

I'm having trouble finding information on which residencies I would be barred from applying to... does anyone have information on how to circumvent this situation as well as how many residencies at all may have this requirement...? thank you so much...

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[NotAProgDirector]

The usual problem here is the VA, as mentioned. However, this happened to a resident of ours in the past, and we were able to get a waiver. It was a struggle though, and you shouldn't 100% count on that. When researching programs, assess whether they are afilliated / rotate at a VA.

 

[Helpful Troll]

Hi I'm an older med student age 29 and I just learned that some if not many residencies have a selective service requirement. from a previous post:

"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."

I'm having trouble finding information on which residencies I would be barred from applying to... does anyone have information on how to circumvent this situation as well as how many residencies at all may have this requirement...? thank you so much...

"What Does the Law Say?​

Pursuant to federal law, a person required to register with Selective Service, but who failed to register, may not be denied any federal right or benefit if he can show by a preponderance of the evidence (e.g. more-likely-than-not) that his failure to register was not knowing and willful. See 50 U.S.C. 3811(g).

The final decision regarding a non-registrant’s eligibility for employment lies with the department or agency granting the right or benefit."

If you haven't reviewed the Selective Service Website regarding men over age 26 it might help to do so.

 

[comp1]

It can be waived, even for federal employment although geeze is it annoying for managers. This is so silly and should just be done automatically. The government most certainly knows who you are and where you live...

 

[Raryn]

Hi I'm an older med student age 29 and I just learned that some if not many residencies have a selective service requirement. from a previous post:

"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."

I'm having trouble finding information on which residencies I would be barred from applying to... does anyone have information on how to circumvent this situation as well as how many residencies at all may have this requirement...? thank you so much...

First thing, I would suggest going in and double checking to make sure you didn't register. Many institutions tacked the SSS form on to things like voter registration, drivers license submission, and student aid applications in college - in addition to the fact that many high schools simply had folks fill it out while they were there. It's entirely possible you were registered and simply forgot. The official website to check is Verify Registration | Selective Service System

Next, if you didn't register & you were required to - that is, you were a US citizen before age 26 - then it gets a bit hinky for any residency that has a VA affiliation. They can apply for a waiver on your behalf but it is never guaranteed.

 

[GoSpursGo]

The usual problem here is the VA, as mentioned. However, this happened to a resident of ours in the past, and we were able to get a waiver. It was a struggle though, and you shouldn't 100% count on that. When researching programs, assess whether they are afilliated / rotate at a VA.

Just curious, do you think that a program instead of applying for a selective service waiver could just get a match waiver on the grounds that they wouldn't be able to start the program? I wonder if a less charitable program might decide that it's not worth the effort.

It can be waived, even for federal employment although geeze is it annoying for managers. This is so silly and should just be done automatically. The government most certainly knows who you are and where you live...

While undoubtedly the government knows, that really isn't the point of exclusion from federal work and benefits--it clearly is intended to be punitive, ie why should we give you a taxpayer-funded job when there is an equally qualified person who did not ignore their SSS requirement? Whether or not that is "fair" or makes sense when the draft hasn't been conducted in over 50 years now can be reasonably debated, however the bottom line is that the OP is likely going to be somewhat at the mercy of some VA HR person as to whether or not a waiver would be granted.

OP I agree with @Raryn that you should double check that you really didn't register. If you did not, then you should likely plan to target programs without a VA affiliation, and ideally also start compiling any available evidence that you failed to register by mistake in case you do wind up needing to apply for a waiver.

 

[LucidSplash]

If you’ve been getting federal school loans at any point in time, you’re probably registered. I don’t think you can get those without having registered.

 

[orcawhale]

yeah i didn't have any loans or scholarship for undergrad and med school wise i did take loans, but i had already passed the age threshold so i never had to deal w the selective service. i was also serving in the south korean military from 18-20 and had lived in south korea from ages like 10-18 so i also never actually went through many of the rites of passages here in the united states. i don't have a driver's license here and never even got an ID here besides a passport when i was 20. thank you for the responses everyone. i will see what residencies are available to me still

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Just curious, do you think that a program instead of applying for a selective service waiver could just get a match waiver on the grounds that they wouldn't be able to start the program? I wonder if a less charitable program might decide that it's not worth the effort.

They absolutely could. They could tell the matched candidate that it is their responsibility to get the waiver and not help them at all. If the waiver is not obtained by July 1st, they could file for the waiver. Then the NRMP investigates which takes weeks. And the program can't refill the spot until it's actually approved. So it's basically a pain for the program either way.

yeah i didn't have any loans or scholarship for undergrad and med school wise i did take loans, but i had already passed the age threshold so i never had to deal w the selective service. i was also serving in the south korean military from 18-20 and had lived in south korea from ages like 10-18 so i also never actually went through many of the rites of passages here in the united states. i don't have a driver's license here and never even got an ID here besides a passport when i was 20. thank you for the responses everyone. i will see what residencies are available to me still

This is the type of story that would be likely to actually get a waiver.

What I would recommend is trying to deal with this right now. Nothing says you have to have a spot to get the waiver. If your medical school is affiliated with a VA, you could speak with someone there. The form to complete is here: https://www.sss.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Status.pdf You'll be filling in section 6, and you'll want to include as much documentation as you can. You may want to consult with a lawyer to make sure you've put together the best package you can, although I have no idea what laywer would know anything about this process.

 

[LucidSplash]

…I have no idea what laywer would know anything about this process.

If it were me, I would probably start with an immigration lawyer or one versed in dual citizenship issues, which is what this sounds like.

 

[GoSpursGo]

yeah i didn't have any loans or scholarship for undergrad and med school wise i did take loans, but i had already passed the age threshold so i never had to deal w the selective service. i was also serving in the south korean military from 18-20 and had lived in south korea from ages like 10-18 so i also never actually went through many of the rites of passages here in the united states. i don't have a driver's license here and never even got an ID here besides a passport when i was 20. thank you for the responses everyone. i will see what residencies are available to me still

FWIW, I completely agree with @NotAProgDirector , this sounds like a very believable story and is the exact kind of situation where this waiver process exists. I would try and get a waiver now if possible.

Good luck!

 

[comp1]

Omph, that is a really sad story. You literally participated in mandatory military service already. That story might melt even the cold VA HR rep's heart.

 

[Splenda88]

I had issues getting fed student loan when starting med school because I did not register for Selective Service (SS). I got a waiver after I wrote a letter explaining my situation.

My residency was affiliated with the a VA and I do not remember they asked anything about SS.