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DoDMERB. Department of Defense Medical Evaluation Review Board. But WHAT is it all about?
The Medical exam for the Service Academies (and ROTC) is probably the most straightforward and most misunderstood of all the parts of the Service Academy Application process.
First, some simple details.
-DoDMERB is the Board that evaluates the exam results, and not really the ones who GIVE the exam.
-The requirements are set by the SERVICE and not DoDMERB. DoDMERB does NOT issues waivers.
-Waivers vary. What is acceptable to USNA may not work for NROTC or any other Service. Waivers also have limits. There are only 'so many' colorblind candidates accepted at USNA for instance. That number can change from year to year and is not published. So a colorblind candidate who is accepted in November gets a waiver. A MORE QUALIFIED CANDIDATE who finishes the Application in December may not be acceptable since there are no more spots (waivers) available for colorblind candidates at a later date.
Why you want to ask "the question", and how any response will be wrong.
What question?
Is "THIS" (replace 'this' with a medical condition) a problem?
For some reason, people canNOT understand that you can't do a medical diagnosis online. So for the sake of being clear, I won't argue with you and your belief in online medical support. I'll ask my own question of you.
Is my car a good deal for someone to buy? Will it get a lot of bids? It is a good car, and only had one accident a LONG time ago, and has worked perfectly ever since. The buyer's mechanic will inspect it soon. Will that ONE ACCIDENT be a problem? Can anyone with experience tell me if the mechanic will find the car acceptable?
Now, most people LAUGH when I ask for a long distance mechanic's evaluation, and ask for someone to tell me what ANOTHER mechanic will determine on inspection...
But, almost DAILY, concerned applicants for a SERVICE ACADEMY or ROTC (who are otherwise reasonable and intelligent people) think they can post an online question about a sports injury, mood disorder, depression, history of drug use, etc. and get an estimate of what their 'chances' are for DoDMERB. Does this make any sense?
Now the REALLY SAD part of this is that, like any online community, there are people who will ANSWER YOUR QUESTION. If I ask the world what my car is worth, SOMEBODY out there will tell me, "...ask for $2,000!" based on their "experience" which means based on nothing.
The ONLY person who would be qualified to answer your medical question is a Military Medical Doctor who is ALSO experienced with DoDMERB exams, or a DoDMERB official. And if the person responding has those qualifications, they certainly have enough sense to RESPOND WITH "I DON'T KNOW" (unless they have your medical records in hand). Do you get it? The only people with the skill set to correctly answer the question STILL CAN'T ANSWER IT without you records.
And yet people ASK medical DoDMERB questions online all the time, and other people ANSWER. Please don't be either of these people! A whole new way to use the concept, "Don't ask, Don't tell"
The DoDMERB exam is one part of the Service Academy (and ROTC) application. It is straightforward. The DoDMERB team is dedicated to helping applicants be admitted to their respective Service. Past experience (last year, last month, last week) from well intentioned advisors has NO impact on today. EXAMPLE? The colorblind waivers may have been exhaused yesterday. Since DoDMERB does NOT handle waivers, how would they know?
Do you want to increase your chances or a successful exam? Do the following...
Be honest
take the exam as early as possible
take any remedial exams as soon as possible
Do not quit and don't believe anything unless it comes directly from DoDMERB.
Good Luck. |
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