Friend of a friend's son has his heart set on a military career. He was born with a heart defect called aortic stenosis. Apparently he had surgery and has lived a completely normal life. He's a PT stud who dreamed of a career in the USMC but told his recruiter about the condition and was told 'I wish you hadn't told me that, I'll ask my boss - answer came back no' - or close to that effect.
My understanding from research (partially on the forums on this site) is a medical denial from MEPS is final - as the Joint medical eligibility standards are the same. However, if you haven't been to MEPS and not been evaluated by a military physician there word from a recruiter is not necessarily final.
I consulted AR 40-501 (Standards of Medical Fitness) and only found one reference to aortic stenosis in paragraph 2-18a (quoted below). My reading - as a complete layman - is that it's definitely disqualifying when combined with another condition - but I'm not clear if it's independently disqualifying.
Passage: "Current or history of all valvular heart diseases, congenital (746) or acquired (394), including those improved by surgery, do not meet the standard. Mitral valve prolapse or bicuspid aortic valve is not disqualifying unless there is associated tachyarrhythmia, mitral regurgitation, aortic stenosis, insufficiency, or cardiomegaly."
I sent my friend a copy of the regulation and advised they take it to the family doctor and get his interpretation on whether he met medical eligibility standards or not - and what the consequences would be if he did not report that aspect of his medical history (as the USMC recruiter seemed to indicate would have been preferable).
My major question to those of the forum who might know (bottom line at the bottom, MI style) is there better advice I can give this family? Does anyone have direct experience/knowledge with this condition and can give the answer on eligibility?
My understanding from research (partially on the forums on this site) is a medical denial from MEPS is final - as the Joint medical eligibility standards are the same. However, if you haven't been to MEPS and not been evaluated by a military physician there word from a recruiter is not necessarily final.
I consulted AR 40-501 (Standards of Medical Fitness) and only found one reference to aortic stenosis in paragraph 2-18a (quoted below). My reading - as a complete layman - is that it's definitely disqualifying when combined with another condition - but I'm not clear if it's independently disqualifying.
Passage: "Current or history of all valvular heart diseases, congenital (746) or acquired (394), including those improved by surgery, do not meet the standard. Mitral valve prolapse or bicuspid aortic valve is not disqualifying unless there is associated tachyarrhythmia, mitral regurgitation, aortic stenosis, insufficiency, or cardiomegaly."
I sent my friend a copy of the regulation and advised they take it to the family doctor and get his interpretation on whether he met medical eligibility standards or not - and what the consequences would be if he did not report that aspect of his medical history (as the USMC recruiter seemed to indicate would have been preferable).
My major question to those of the forum who might know (bottom line at the bottom, MI style) is there better advice I can give this family? Does anyone have direct experience/knowledge with this condition and can give the answer on eligibility?
