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Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/Waivers
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Question
I was granted a waiver in 1998 for hearing loss to enter the Marine Corps. In 2003, I got out but went to Iraq in 2005 in support of OIF III. The Marine Corps is now telling me I am disqualified for the same waiver they granted me in 1998 and again in 2005. My question is how can they deny me reentry if they have waived this same problem twice...and my hearing is at the same level?
Hi Kendra,
In short, they can. The Department of Defense (DOD) sets general medical standards for enlistment and reenlistment (See my article at: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/intmedstandards.htm)
If you fail to meet those standards, each of the services have the option of giving you a waiver. There is no *right* to be issued a waiver. Each of the services can decide (at any time) whether or not to issue a waiver in any particular case.
In my experience, it's not unusual for prior-service enlistment applicants to be denied medical waivers that are usually approved for non-prior service applicants.
Hope this helps!
Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com
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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).
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