<p>The waivers are granted by USNA admissions? I thought they were given out by DoDMERB
???????</p>
<p>From the DoDMERB website:
[quote]
Waivers may be granted by the program to which youre applying: not DoDMERB! You may submit a request for a waiver of a disqualifying medical condition, in writing, to the Admissions Department of the Service Academy/ROTC Program to which you are applying. A medical waiver allows applicants to enter programs even though they may have a disqualifying condition. Not all conditions are waiverable and the process for waiver consideration varies with each Academy and ROTC program.</p>
<p>If you initiate waiver action, there may be ADDITIONAL MEDICAL TESTS, EVALUATIONS OR CONSULTATIONS that must be obtained and evaluated prior to determining your final medical status. Please be prompt in satisfying these additional requirements; it is imperative for your application that these issues be addressed/resolved as soon as possible. Bear in mind, additional information may lead to further inquiries or requirements.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The process outlined for obtaining waivers for the Naval Academy is as follows:
[quote]
U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY (USNA) There is no need for you to request a waiver. If you are competitive for an offer of admission to the United States Naval Academy or one of the preparatory programs, you will automatically be considered for a waiver by USNA. The Admissions Department will contact you if there are additional requirements for the waiver process.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Thank you Grappler. I guess that pretty much settles this issue, huh?</p>
<p>My son was DQ'd by DODMERB, but we're still hopeful that he will receive a waiver. Am I correct in assuming that they wouldn't be considering a waiver if he were not a good candiate? Will they notify him if he does NOT get the waiver or do we just continue to wait for THE ENVELOPE? (He may know the answers to this, but doesn't like to answer all of my questions. I think I'm stressing over it more than he is). I keep thinking that no news is good news as far as the waiver goes, but maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part.
The only thing I've seen people mentioning for waivers is eyesight. Anyone know of anything else that has gotten waivered? Have those receiving waivers already been notified?</p>
<p>I can't help you along the lines of other waiverable disqualifications because I needed an eye waiver. I received my appointment without being notified of a waiver, so I assume they gave me one.</p>
<p>My daughter was medically disqualified for pes planus(flat feet) by DODMERB. She never received notice of a medical waiver from USNA, just an appointment letter.</p>
<p>One of the things that DoDMERB and the AFA waiver authority stress is that waivers, unlike medical DQs, are handle on an INDIVIDUAL basis. That means one person who had one DQ could get a waiver while a person with an identical DQ could NOT get a waiver.</p>
<p>anxious mom
You will have to read completely the hard copy that came to you from DoDMERB....they clearly dilenate what the DQ is on...If you feel comfortable mentioning what it is...you can say and then some of us can tell you our experiences. If you go back through last year's and this year's threads on this subject...you can read the reports of many other kids and families in your situation. Some requested review 3-4 times from DoDMERB....and finally got waived. Some did not.</p>
<p>In our case, back in August our first DodMERB has several remedial request with a DQ possible flag. It scared the living daylights out of us. Ours was related to infant allergies we reported to antibiotics. I had to send them xeroxed copies of my child's babybook notes, along with doctor's comments to get that cleared. Then we had an eye issue that required a follow-up visit to a second doctor....but that cleared. It took months,but at last in December DodMERB reported her 'medically qualified'. How sweet the sound.</p>
<p>If your son will let you read his DoMerb stuff, they provide paperwork to explain everything. What I also did was use Google and typed in the specific codes and tapped into actual Military medical information sites explaining what they meant in plain engish and what you needed to do to answer all the questions. By the time we were both on the phone with the medical office at USNA ( they called us 3 times in September on the process) I was able to discuss fluently with the medical officer all that was going on. Boy, that helped me feel like I understood what needed to be done and how to solve these issues.</p>
<p>Bottom line....don't simply sit back....be aggressive in this process. Time is running out for your son so getting on this right away is essential. Find out what they want - get doctor's and second opinions on board...get the info back to them the fastest way possible and keep us informed.</p>
<p>God bless!</p>
<p>Thanks, peskemom.
I have read the letters from dodmerb. Our first red flag was that we had to send all paperwork from birth. That was difficult since we have lived in 3 different states during that time. We thought everything was good to go, but then the second letter came stating that he needed to see a podiatrist. I forgot the term they called it, but essestially he has had some problems with an ingrown toenail. It has never limited his activities which the podiatrist stated so again we thought we were in the clear. Then we got the official letter stating that he was disqualified. According to everything we read, it said that USNA automatically considers a waiver for qualified applicants so we didn't have to request one. From everything I have read at at this website, I had my son check the dodmerb site again and it does say something about being considered for a waiver (I've forgotten the exact term they used) we are still hoping that he has a chance to get in. I guess my question is: If he were already completely out of the running, would we have been notified? Should we still remain hopeful that he still has a chance since we haven't heard anything?</p>
<p>Hmmm, medical DQ for ingrown toe nail... i think DoDMERB has stooped to an all new low! jk jk</p>
<p>Anyways, you are correct in that the Naval academ will automatically consider your son for a waiver if he is competitive for an appointment. I beleive your question is how do you know if he is competitive for an appointment?</p>
<p>I think you could call his Liason officer or counselor at the academy and they might be able to give you some insight. But being March already, hopefully we all will be finding something out sooner or later.</p>
<p>[EDIT: apparently CC decided to post half way through typing!]</p>
<p>As peskesmom said - Be agressive! this is my second year fighitng for a waiver and wouldnt have gotten nearly as far as i have now if i just sat back and waited.</p>
<p>Have your son check the DoDMERB website. In my case when the waiver was denied it changed from "Pending Waiver Submission/Review" to "Waiver Denied." However, shortly after i sent additional information in it changed back to "Pending Waiver Submission/Review" I think if the naval academy has put in a waiver for your sons condition it would say "Pending Waiver Sumission/Review" IF NOT, it MIGHt say "Disqualified" but that may also mean that naval academy has YET to put in for a waiver.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Your BGO should be able to help you with this but my understanding is that medical waivers are only granted to candidates who receive appointments. In other words, your son's waiver request will only go to the USNA medical review board if the admissions board wants to offer him an appointment. If it's any consolation to you, my plebe daughter says every one of her roommates got a medical waiver, 2 asthmas, 1 vision and her own flat feet. Hang in there, you don't have much longer to wait!</p>