For those who think they may not make it through meps!

[JMonte85]

So I went to meps the other day and I want to tell you my list of issues I had.. From lots of research that all pointed to me probably needing three or four waivers and possibly PDQ with no waiver.. and maybe even a psych eval for Alcohol, I want to show you that you can't always beleive what you hear or expect everything to be black and white.

Here is my list of items I had to write down at meps.. I was the last person to leave the room while filling out the paperwork:

-Had ear infection couple years ago
-used an inhaler once for a bad cold
-two uses of marijuana ( I also put this on my pilot application of course, and didn't effect me)
-had chronic cough for a couple months due to bronchitius
-had bronchitius
-have acid reflux (thought this one for sure would get me a waiver)
-hurt my shoulder a couple years ago
-had a uti just last year
-drank too much at my fraternity one year and woke up at a bus stop.. University police made me goto the emergancy room to get checked out
-had issue with my tsh being low on a blood panel, got tested for hyperthryroidism which came out negative but the results still showed a low tsh...
-I had a hemorroihd a couple times from weight lifting.. I even had one two weeks ago.. that was pretty bad I got from starting too heavy with a new tricep routine.. it was pretty painful but has since went away after using some medicine.. But supposenly any hemorroihds within 60 days is TDQ, I told the doc I had one a couple weeks ago, and he didn't even say much about it.. did the regular check and said it looked fine and that was it...

You know how many waiver I needed for all this stuff? Not one! Not one at all!

I was proactive for the inhaler though and sent up a pft before I went to meps.. But I was honest about everything with the doc, and he didn't even mention anything to me about the alcohol incident..

I've read countless time for enlisted guys how most of these things especially the inhaler use and acid reflux was something that got someone a waiver, but apparently I guess it's a case by case.

Anyhow, hope that eases some of your minds who worry about meps.. I know I worried about that place for a while..

 

[egd33]

I am not sure how it works with MEPS vs the physical I had at the branch clinic at NASP, but they said I was good to go and given PQ (by a NAMI flight surgeon no less), but after my processor uploaded my physical to whoever gives final approval on that stuff, they came back a couple days later saying I needed a waiver for retained hardware (which was being recommended and not an issue) as well as one for PRK which also should not be a problem but was held up because I had to wait a week before my 6 month wait was up to get my last followup. While neither waiver in my case is a big deal, it sucks because they are holding up the process for me and I cannot get a FS until they go through. Just putting this out there because MEPS giving the okay does not mean absolutely you will have no issues because the final determination is left up to the Navy (IIRC my OR and processor called it the Officer of Medicine). My OR said he has dealt with a few people that cleared the physical and then got DQ'd when the paperwork from it was sent in and reviewed, but I am sure that is rare and you will probably have no issues (or at worst have to wait on a waiver or two).

 

[JMonte85]

I am not sure how it works with MEPS vs the physical I had at the branch clinic at NASP, but they said I was good to go and given PQ (by a NAMI flight surgeon no less), but after my processor uploaded my physical to whoever gives final approval on that stuff, they came back a couple days later saying I needed a waiver for retained hardware (which was being recommended and not an issue) as well as one for PRK which also should not be a problem but was held up because I had to wait a week before my 6 month wait was up to get my last followup. While neither waiver in my case is a big deal, it sucks because they are holding up the process for me and I cannot get a FS until they go through. Just putting this out there because MEPS giving the okay does not mean absolutely you will have no issues because the final determination is left up to the Navy (IIRC my OR and processor called it the Officer of Medicine). My OR said he has dealt with a few people that cleared the physical and then got DQ'd when the paperwork from it was sent in and reviewed, but I am sure that is rare and you will probably have no issues (or at worst have to wait on a waiver or two).

Well I'd hope that isn't the case for me, but I will follow up if that does happen. Good luck on your situation, I'm sure you will be fine just seems routine.

 

[TAMR]

Just found out I may have to go to MEPS in several weeks. I lift a lot, but I didnt plan on going to MEPS for another four months; so I haven't been getting in running shape. Do I take my PRT at MEPS?

 

[egd33]

Just found out I may have to go to MEPS in several weeks. I lift a lot, but I didnt plan on going to MEPS for another four months; so I haven't been getting in running shape. Do I take my PRT at MEPS?

PRT is not required anymore (at least not for the application). I have a final select for OCS and have not taken an PRT and it has never even been brought up (my recruiter basically just told me to be in excellent shape when I get to OCS). It may vary between recruiters/NRDs though, but I know it is not required by the Navy itself.

 

[Sonog]

Honestly though, couldn't you have just "forgotten" about 1/2 of the stuff you listed? I can see where it can be very important to be honest about any serious maladies such as a shoulder issue or any serious prescriptions, but do they really need to know you used an inhaler for a cough once, or that you had bronchitis a couple of years ago?

 

[squorch2]

Yeah, I know my integrity is situational too.

 

[NTXRockr]

Sonog, Squorch is right; integrity is what your entire career is built upon, and it takes years to create and only seconds or a single choice to destroy. Yes, he could have "forgotten" some of what he or you may think are insignificant issues, but to a flight surgeon one of those may be a precursor to something else like an underlying condition that could be a safety of flight issue down the road. And what happens if he "forgot" to list half or all of the miniscule issues, and then it's discovered down the road? They've discharged pilots for less, and at a time like this with the economy and government shakedown that's happening, I wouldn't be jeopardizing a potential career (and a freaking awesome one that others would kill for, mind you) over putting details on paper that likely have no affect on the overall outcome.

Now, I have actually honestly forgotten something on my form. I detailed everything like Eagle did above and included my use of Nasonex nasal spray, but for some reason had overlooked it on my Collegiate Contact Reports for almost two years now! My new OR was going through each question with me to get to know me a little better, and when it came up I caught and corrected myself, and we changed it on this last report. It had to go to OPO and ended up not a big deal, as I explained I notated it in my medical docs, etc. Point is, I could've neglected to mention it anywhere and shown up to OCS with a 3 month's supply of prescriptions, and then opened up a can of worms when they saw that it was never in any of my paperwork or med docs. But I corrected it, and all is well.


Eagle, I had a long list too, and many in the military told me to "forget" some of the items on there. But I put them on like I know I should, and it mostly worked out hitch free. However, they ended up NPQ'ing me on several things that were not so obvious: my history of ear infections as a kid and notoriously bad ear wax prompted the FS to DQ me because he thought I had excessive scar tissue on my ear drums, but my ENT looked in the next week and laughed that they mistook a shit-ton of ear wax literally coating and discoloring my entire ear drums for scars and perforations - medically cleared there with a waiver. The notorious "black box" for depth perception caught me on the last line, but they DQ'd me because I said I needed to adjust my head because it literally was out of my field of view; the next week, an optometrist and an opthamologist both cleared me of depth perception issues, and at 20/20 - medically cleared again with a waiver. I had severe high blood pressure at MEPS (141/90, 145/88, 156/95, etc) and was sent to my doctor for a full week each morning and afternoon, where I was found to have normal blood pressure (118/78 to 120/80 all ten times) and given a waiver. Ever since then at any physical, dental or doctor's visit where they use the machines, I'm over 140/90 and joke about having "white coat syndrome"...I asked to have my blood pressure manually taken, and I'm almost a rock steady 120/80 at 60bpm. So even though they made issues out of a few of my list, most were discarded and some taken further, but in the long run it all worked out for the best. I still think you were lucky that they didn't investigate any of them much further or DQ you for something else. Guess your location is less "fail" happy than mine, seems this one has their main priority at finding something to fail you on.

 

[Sonog]

I value integrity, you're looking at a guy who has a waiver for being honest about a past mistake. I've never lied about any medical issues, because I've never had any. I was playing devil's advocate.

 

[squorch2]

You can't BS a BS-er. Better to admit "yeah, I was wrong" than say "what?! I was just kidding!"

 

[UCbearcat]

I know this is the Marines side of the house but my OSO sent me through DODMERB instead of MEPS. He felt as though DODMERB might handle my medical history more favorably and not just DQ without researching it first. It took a long time but DODMERB did grant me a waiver for Rhabdomyolysis in the end, and I was able to go to OCS and pass my flight physical.

 

[LFDtoUSMC]

UC,

How long did you have to wait for the waiver?

I've been waiting for nearly 90 days for an empyema waiver from DoDMerb.

 

[JMonte85]

Guess your location is less "fail" happy than mine, seems this one has their main priority at finding something to fail you on.

Either the doc was retiring and no longer cared.. Or he took into consideration the difference between my position and the job I'm going for as opposed to mass enlisted potentials who flow through the doors everyday.

Really don't know.. Was pretty surprising to me as well.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

So I went to meps the other day and I want to tell you my list of issues I had.. From lots of research that all pointed to me probably needing three or four waivers and possibly PDQ with no waiver.. and maybe even a psych eval for Alcohol, I want to show you that you can't always beleive what you hear or expect everything to be black and white.

Here is my list of items I had to write down at meps.. I was the last person to leave the room while filling out the paperwork:

-Had ear infection couple years ago
-used an inhaler once for a bad cold
-two uses of marijuana ( I also put this on my pilot application of course, and didn't effect me)
-had chronic cough for a couple months due to bronchitius
-had bronchitius
-have acid reflux (thought this one for sure would get me a waiver)
-hurt my shoulder a couple years ago
-had a uti just last year
-drank too much at my fraternity one year and woke up at a bus stop.. University police made me goto the emergancy room to get checked out
-had issue with my tsh being low on a blood panel, got tested for hyperthryroidism which came out negative but the results still showed a low tsh...
-I had a hemorroihd a couple times from weight lifting.. I even had one two weeks ago.. that was pretty bad I got from starting too heavy with a new tricep routine.. it was pretty painful but has since went away after using some medicine.. But supposenly any hemorroihds within 60 days is TDQ, I told the doc I had one a couple weeks ago, and he didn't even say much about it.. did the regular check and said it looked fine and that was it...

You know how many waiver I needed for all this stuff? Not one! Not one at all!

I was proactive for the inhaler though and sent up a pft before I went to meps.. But I was honest about everything with the doc, and he didn't even mention anything to me about the alcohol incident..

I've read countless time for enlisted guys how most of these things especially the inhaler use and acid reflux was something that got someone a waiver, but apparently I guess it's a case by case.

Anyhow, hope that eases some of your minds who worry about meps.. I know I worried about that place for a while..

Your recruiter should have blueprinted you before submitting your application and pushed you through MEPS before, we can do this.

The acid reflux is the one that stands out that may hurt you, especially if you are on any medication or been seeing a doc for it, I have only had one person get cleared that had it, and it took nearly a year.

 

[JMonte85]

Your recruiter should have blueprinted you before submitting your application and pushed you through MEPS before, we can do this.

The acid reflux is the one that stands out that may hurt you, especially if you are on any medication or been seeing a doc for it, I have only had one person get cleared that had it, and it took nearly a year.

I had told them about the Acid Reflux from day 1. I told them on the prescreen before meps I was taking Prilosec OTC, and then I told them at meps I had seen a doctor for it and was prescribed Prevacid.. and even wrote it on the medical form at meps, including doctor visits.. I did everything I was supposed to do. Like I said it's beyond me how I was cleared without even being put up for a waiver.