I asked this question during my sea tower, just out of curiosity. I didn't (don't) even know if my vision made me eligible, but figured I'd ask. It seemed pretty straght forward. Get a consult from an eye doc, and then get on the list. For us, the problem was two fold: 1) getting in to an eye doc in Pearl or Trippler (not too big a deal), and 2) getting scheduled for the actual procedure. There apparently was a big wait list and at the time, you had to go to San Diego to get it done (on your dime, of course). I don't remember what the down time was, if any.