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NAMI Waiver Recommendation

Piposterous

"The road to success is always under construction"
pilot
Hello everyone.
I've been an on and off user on this site for a while now. 25January marked my 17th month of being in the OCC application process for the Marine Corps, unfortunately I have been hung up on some medical obstacles. Things are finally starting to look up and I am seeking some advice...

Back in May 2015 I made my a trip down to Pensacola for a NAMI appointment. I did the whole process and everything seemed to have gone smoothly. One of the extracurriculars that I had to be screened for was in the Psychiatric Department due to a childhood diagnosis of ADD. After an extensive testing, brain picking, and interviewing process I was evaluated as misdiagnosed and was declared psychiatrically fit by Psychiatric department. Three weeks later the psychologist at NAMI sent me a signed letter stating that I was "Aeronautically Adaptable" and "waiver recommended".

The plot thickened 4 months later when I unexpectedly learned that I was NPQ'd by NAMI due to permanent hardware in my ankle. NAMI stated that if I have the hardware removed I will be reconsidered for a waiver so long as I conduct another complete long form flight physical. After consulting with my orthopedic surgeon, I elected to have surgery to have the hardware removed. I have made a full recovery.


As stated, I will soon have to conduct another full form flight physical - Psychiatric included. My questions are:
  • Should I bring that letter which was sent to me by the psychologist in hope to streamline/skip that 3 hour interview process?
  • By bringing it could it adversely affect my interviewing process and prove to be a bad idea all together?

Just for clarification, I am not worried at all about the interview; I would rather not have to go through that 3 hour process again.
 

TimeBomb

Noise, vibration and harshness
What was NAMI NPQ'ing you for and recommending a waiver in that letter? The ankle hardware? Remember, you'll have to have a waiver for every disqualifying condition.
That said, I would bring the NAMI NPQ/AA letter. I don't see how it can hurt you, and it pretty convincingly puts the ADD thing to rest.
R/
 

Piposterous

"The road to success is always under construction"
pilot
Thank you for your advice Sir.

To answer your question, I was ultimately NPQ'd and denied a waiver due to the fact I had permanent screws in my ankle. This NPQ was very unexpected because while down at NAMI I had x-rays done and saw 2 orthopedic surgeons, both of which after looking at my ankle said that I was good to go. What made the NPQ even more baffling was that I looked up the NAMI waiver guide regarding retained hardware and it states that orthopedic retained hardware is Not Considered Disabling so long as it has resolved the issue and should be removed only "if it causes discomfort". Additionally, NAMI stated that if I kept the screws in I could still go ground, but couldn't sit in a cockpit.

It would seem that when I get back down to NAMI that all they would want to do is an orthopedic review since that was the root of the NPQ. However as I have stated, they have declared another long form flight physical. With your advice, I will certainly bring that Psychiatric letter stating that I am AA since I will have to go through that department again.
 

Piposterous

"The road to success is always under construction"
pilot
Why are you going through NAMI? Only once you go through OCS is when you work with NAMI. For now, your physical docs go thru N3M and N3M only.

With all due respect, the Marine Corps Officer Selection process is slightly different than the Navy's process. All Officer Candidates who sign an air contract for the Marine Corps must conduct a long form flight physical through NAMI prior to going up on a selection board. After conducting the flight physical, NAMI's verdict must come back before the candidate's book can go on the selection board. This is how the Marine Corps can guarantee a flight spot to candidates who get selected on a board because it eliminates the post-OCS NAMI Whammy episode.
 

exNavyOffRec

Well-Known Member
With all due respect, the Marine Corps Officer Selection process is slightly different than the Navy's process. All Officer Candidates who sign an air contract for the Marine Corps must conduct a long form flight physical through NAMI prior to going up on a selection board. After conducting the flight physical, NAMI's verdict must come back before the candidate's book can go on the selection board. This is how the Marine Corps can guarantee a flight spot to candidates who get selected on a board because it eliminates the post-OCS NAMI Whammy episode.

yep, and the USMC also has many fewer spots so they have less margin for people dropping for medical.
 

FormerRecruitingGuru

Making Recruiting Great Again
With all due respect, the Marine Corps Officer Selection process is slightly different than the Navy's process. All Officer Candidates who sign an air contract for the Marine Corps must conduct a long form flight physical through NAMI prior to going up on a selection board. After conducting the flight physical, NAMI's verdict must come back before the candidate's book can go on the selection board. This is how the Marine Corps can guarantee a flight spot to candidates who get selected on a board because it eliminates the post-OCS NAMI Whammy episode.

Based off your profile it sounded like you were a navy OCS applicant. Disregard.
 
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