You are here:
- Home
- News/Issues
- U.S. Military
- Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard
- High Cholesterol and Timetable
Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/High Cholesterol and Timetable
Advertisement
Question
Hi there. Two questions: 1. I went through all of my medical exams to enlist in the US Army. The doctor who examined me signed off on my physical by saying I'm good to go but that if my blood test comes back with something like high cholesterol, that I could get a waiver. I'm 40. Today I learned that they will not give me a waiver and I have to wait 6 months to do another blood test. Does this sound correct? I mean I pass everything else and the doctor tells me I should get a waiver, but now I'm told this is not possible. 2. I started my recruitment process in July. It is now mid-November. Is this normal that the process should take this long? It seems like this is going so slow. I appreciate your help!
Hi Tom,
You may wish to read my article about medical waivers at: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/medicalwaiver.htm
The doctors that work at MEPS have zero, nada, nothing, zip to do with medical waivers, so that doctor should not have said that you would get a waiver. He/she has nothing to do with it.
The doctors at MEPS do not work for any individual military service. Instead, they work for MEPCOM, which is a joint-command that falls directly under the Department of Defense. Their job is to determine whether or not you meet DOD medical standards, period.
Medical waivers, on the other hand, are up to the individual services.
I've known the enlistment process to take over two years, for some. It all depends on how many waivers and what kind are needed in an individual case.
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
Related Articles
- Medical Waivers for Joining the U.S. Military
- US Military Enlistment Standards - Medical Standards
- Patient Control or Doctor Control for Hypertension and High Cholesterol
- What To Do If You Are At High Risk For Heart Disease - Dealing With High Heart Disease Risk
- Military Medical Careers - Military Medical Careers for Doctors, Nurses, and Allied Healthcare
Answers by Expert:
Rod Powers
Expertise
Rod Powers is considered one of the premire experts about U.S. Military career information on the planet. He has more than 30,000 articles about U.S. Military career information on the About.com U.S. Military Careers Information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com. Additionally, he is the author of "ASVAB for Dummies," "ASVAB AFQT for Dummies," (available in Dec 2009), and "Veteran Benefits for Dummies," all published by Wiley Publishing. He is also the author of "Barrons' Guide to Officer Candidate School Tests," published by Barron's Educational Series.
Experience
Rod Powers is a retired Air Force first sergeant, with 23 years of active duty service, 11 of those years as an Air Force First Sergeant. He has helped thousands of military members, recruits, and military applicants since he took over the About.com U.S Military Careers Information site in 1999. He has a reputation for "telling it like it is," so questions may not be answered based on "what you want to hear," but will be answered based of the bast available information, concerning the service/situation.
Education/Credentials
Rod is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Noncommissioned Officers Academy, the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy. He also holds an Associates Degree in Personnel Administration from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF).
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.