Expert: Rod Powers - 12/28/2007

Question
Hi Rod;

I'm 20 years old; recently I enlisted in the Navy and am in the Delayed Entry program, and am currently pursuing the CTI field, having scored a 131 on the DLAB and a 98 on the ASVAB. During my enlistment process, I disclosed my medical history as completely as I knew, and I was allowed to enlist.

I thought it would be prudent of me to get a copy of my complete medical history to make sure there would be no surprises down the road, seeing as CTI's go through a rigorous background check to be granted top secret clearance. What I've found is that at age 10 I "presented symptoms of ADD" and was placed on Ritalin for two one-week intervals, 6 months apart. Apparently my teachers felt that it didn't do any good and that was the end of it. I haven't taken ritalin since I was 11 (the 2nd 1-week interval), and have successfully completed high school and some college, and have been steadily employed since the end of high school.

My questions are these: 1) How do I go about properly disclosing these so that I can complete my enlistment process? and 2) Will this jeopardize my chances of qualifying for the CTI job?

Answer
Hi Peter,

You need to be completely honest (see my article at: http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/joiningup/a/falsestatements.htm).

Tell your recruiter that you've discovered medical history information that you wish to have added to your record.

I sincerely doubt that it will have any negative impact on your enlistment (see my article about ADD and the Military at: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/asthma.htm), or security clearance, as long as you insist on being honest about it.

For more information about the United States Military, feel free to visit my U.S. Military information site at: http://usmilitary.about.com Hope this helps!

Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com