Expert: John L - 10/20/2008

Question
QUESTION: Okay let me summarize my situation, my father is stationed overseas in korea, there's no meps here we have to fly to guam for me to enlist in either the marine corps or army in 2-3 weeks. Let's just say im very familiar with the military life and im exceptionaly qualified in all aspects except one. I have very mild hand eczema on my right 3 fingers and thumb. It's not cracked,oozing,bleeding,scaly it's just smooth and a little pinkish red from when i use to have it bad. Anyways i been looking for months on the net now discouraged, also getting mixed messages from some recruiters not knowing what they're talking about. Some say we need a picture and diagnosis other say in medical regulations it's a dq can't help you. What i think is they know they can get me through meps so it's not that im worried about it flaring up during bootcamp and getting sent home, and by then it wont be the recruiters problem so oh well im just a number on his quota so he or she could careless if i spend a grand flying over to guam to enlist. I need help real bad, what should i do? I know army doesn't check your hand during bootcamp once you get through meps i have a few friends that recently went to basic and ait but i want to join the corps real bad but i hear they do routine hygeine checks with your nails and hands. Should i get a doctor's note? just go in without telling the army and forget the marines? does it matter on the meps i go to? so many options please help

ANSWER: Basically, eczema is disqualifying but canbe waived if you rarely have flare up, ot haven't had one in a while.  There are varying degrees of the condition.  

If you say nothing and it flares up in basic, you can be discharged for failing to disclose it.  Your best bet is to get a Dr's records on it and let them clear you.  Its worth it in the end, and you need to downplay it as much as possible.  If it is real bad, you may have to forgo the military.

If you only have it on one spot, then you will probably be good to go.



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QUESTION: No not real bad at all looks just like normal now just a little wrinkly like i been in the pool because of scarring but no actual residual or lesions left behind anymore but if you do get a waiver during boot camp if they see it turn red a bit will they get you ointment, leave you be, or send you home? i guess what im asking is are they more lenient since they know you have a waiver?

ANSWER: If they grant you a waiver and it flares up in boot camp, they will just treat it.  They dont worry about it unless it prevents you from training.

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QUESTION: If i was to get a waiver or even be denied a waiver or sent home because it flared really bad, would the army know about any of this when i try to enlist with them? hypotheticaly speaking if it went away after one of them scenarios could i enlist with the army no problem or also apply for a medical waiver because they have had previous knowledge of me and the marine corps?

Answer
With the new age of electronic record keeping, most documents are stored in a central data base accessible by  all branches of the military.  So the old days of hiding what happened in another branch when you go to another branch are basically gone.  All official records are scanned and input into a data base.  Especially medical records, thats where the government has been burned in the past.  They are correcting it.