Expert: Rod Powers - 10/13/2009

Question
I am 28 years old and I received an honorable discharge from the Army in 2006 after 4 years of service and am concerned about my chances of being able to re enlist either in the Army or Air Force. I received a RE code of 3 ( I believe) for not being within height and weight standards at the time of discharge and I receive 20% disability from the VA for degenerative disc disease. I have virtually no problems with my back now since I have lost a considerable amount of weight. I currently fall within H/W standards for the air force but am still overweight as far as the army is concerned. So because of my re enlistment code will I be judged strictly on my weight or will body fat percentage be taken into account? I understand that most of the military services are not granting many waivers at this time because they are over manned but do you think this is something that is even worth pursuing? I probably wouldn't be looking to do this until summer of 2010 but I just want to get my ducks in a row. Would my chances of getting a waiver be better if I waited until the end of the fiscal year to re enlist? Also would the same standards apply if I was seeking a commission in the reserves? I currently have my associates degree in Nursing. I am considering either commission in the reserves or re enlistment and applying for the AMEDD commissioning program while on AD (which I know is not guaranteed) any insight would be helpful.
Thanks

Answer
Hi Shalonda,

An RE-Code of "3" generally means the individual is allowed to re-enlist, but only if a waiver is granted. To even be considered for a waiver, you would have to convince the service that the original reason(s) for the discharge no longer exist, and are not likely to happen again in the future.

Separate from the RE Code, your history of degenerrative disc would likely be a medical disqualifier (even if it's okay now, the "history" of it ever happening would probably be disqualifying). That would mean a separate medical waiver (see: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/medicalwaiver.htm).

Chances are, because your original discharge was due to weight, the recruiter will probably want you to be within the "weight chart" standards (regardless of your body fat), before he/she will consider pushing for a waiver.

That's all of the bad news. The good news is that both the Air Force and Army (and Navy) badly needs nurses. If you get your bachelor's degree in nursing, there is a good chance that either service will be more lenient in granting non-criminal waivers.

For more information about the United States Military, feel free to visit my US Military information site at: http://usmilitary.about.com

Hope this helps!

Rod Powers
About.com US Military Guide
http://usmilitary.about.com