Can You Join The Air Force With Asthma

If Ive Been Disqualified From One Branch Of The Military Can I Join Another Branch

The Armed Forces use the same disqualifying medical conditions for every military branch.

Therefore, what is disqualifying in the Army is also disqualifying in the Navy.

However, one branch may approve a waiver while another branch may not based on the condition, your role in the military, and other factors.

Its possible to try and enlist in another branch after another denied your military medical waiver.

Once again it primarily depends on the health condition.

For example, someone with Schizophrenia is likely to get denied by every military branch, while another recruit with a small curvature of scoliosis might have better luck the second time around.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is also an anxiety problem.

The disorder causes persistent mental or emotional stress which is usually a result of some form of trauma.

Unfortunately, PTSD is a common mental illness that gets diagnosed to patients who previously served in the military.

While it is rarer for people to try and join the military with PTSD it is not completely abnormal.

Unfortunately, the military considers PTSD a disqualifying mental health condition.

If youve been diagnosed with PTSD you likely wont receive a waiver.

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What Can You Get Medically Discharged For

A physical or psychological condition that interferes significantly with an individuals fitness for duty can be grounds for discharge. Each Services disability evaluation system will determine if a servicemember is unfit for duty due to physical disability. Not all medical problems amount to a disability.

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How The Meb/peb Is Conducted

Physical or mental health problems that are incompatible with military duty or that result in disqualification from worldwide deployment for more than 12 months precipitate a Medical Evaluation Board . Medical boards are initiated by the Medical Treatment Facility , not the individual or the command.

The medical board consists of active duty physicians who review the clinical case file and decide whether the individual should be returned to duty, or should be separated, using the published medical standards for continued military service.

If the MEB determines that the member has a medical condition that is incompatible with continued military service, they refer the case to a Physical Evaluation Board . The PEB is a formal fitness-for-duty and disability determination that may recommend one of the following:

• Return the member to duty
• Place the member on the temporary disabled/retired list
• Separate the member from active duty, or
• Medically retire the member

The standard used by the PEB for determining fitness is whether the medical condition precludes the member from reasonably performing the duties of his or her office, grade, rank, or rating.

Per DoD Instruction 1332.38, the inability to perform the duties of office, grade, rank or rating in every geographic location and under every conceivable circumstance will not be the sole basis for a finding of unfitness. Deployability, however, may be used as a consideration in determining fitness.

Coast Guard Disqualifying Medical Conditions

The U.S. Coast Guard follows the same guidelines as the other military branches.

MEPS is managed by the Department of Defense with the same temporary and permanent disqualifications.

Once again, speak to a recruiter if you have any of the following:

• AIDS/HIV

• PTSD
• Schizophrenia

However, the Coast Guard is starting to apply more waivers to anxiety and depression than in the past.

Regardless, its still very difficult to receive a waiver for more serious mental health problems.

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What Is Asthma As Far As The Military Is Concerned

Most people understand what we mean when we say asthma it is a common respiratory condition that affects 7.7% of American adults and 8.4% of American children and that has become more common every decade in every group of people. To put it another way, 1 in every 13 people are affected by asthma.

However, the military has a specific definition for what asthma is they have no interest if you suffered from a tight chest when you were a kid and had to sit out of gym class every few weeks. Since 2004, they have been concerned with whether you have suffered from asthmatic symptoms since your 13th birthday. If you havent, then it is very probable that you will not have any problems joining the military and working to ensure the safety of American citizens.

It makes no difference if you were treated for asthma from the ages of 4 to 8 or 7 to 12 if you can prove that you have not received medication or any other kind of medical support since your 13th birthday, you are not an asthma sufferer according to the military definitions.

Military Rules For Recruits With Asthma

Previously, any history of asthma was disqualifying, regardless of age. While medical waivers were sometimes possible, waiver approval usually required scheduling and passing a pulmonary function test.

In the present day, asthma is only disqualifying if it occurs after the applicants 13th birthday. Some waivers were granted back then, but typically only for non-combat jobs.

Medical record screening may still be required, depending on the applicants medical history. However, in many cases, a signed statement, attached to the medical pre-screening form, stating that the applicant did not have any type of asthma or treatment for asthma after their 13th birthday will be sufficient.

Also having no issues with the fitness test helps in this process too so arrive in shape with no cardiovascular weakness.

Applicants who have experienced asthma or reactive airway disease after age 13 will require all medical documentation. Waivers may still be considered, depending on the applicants medical history and possibly results from a pulmonary function test.

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Navys Policy On Asthma In 2019

OMK spoke with Officer Mendoza, a Navy recruiter stationed in Atlanta, Georgia, about the Navys policy on Asthma.

Heres what he had to say:

Its definitely possible to get in the Navy if you were previously diagnosed, but it can be very difficult.; For starters, if you currently have asthma, its not going to work out.

The military has a very strict policy on this; if you are currently being treated for asthma, then you will not be able to serve.

In addition, any history of Asthma after the age of 13 will require a waiver.

The waiver process will happen at your Military Entrance Processing Station, or MEPS.

Before enlisting, youll be required to perform whats known as a pulmonary function test, or PFT.

A PFT is essentially a noninvasive test that shows how well your lungs work.

If you can pass this test, you can join the Navy.

What If You Currently Run Ads

According to Recruiter Mendoza, if you are found to have asthma while on duty, you will be discharged.

With that said, someone contacted us and said that this is not necessarily true.

Check out what he had to say below:

• I would like to talk about the Navy that discharged you for being diagnosed with asthma while currently serving this is simply not true.
• I have enlisted for 10 years and am looking forward to 20+ years of enlistment right now.
• I was officially diagnosed with asthma earlier this year, and discharge was never discussed, except when I said that I dont want this diagnosis to cause me to be discharged from the service.
• They are treating me with a single daily pill and an inhaler to use before physical exercise and also as needed.
• They will not discharge me because I was diagnosed with asthma .

DBoydstun, comment left on August 1, 2019

The biggest concerns would be for anyone thinking of becoming a naval aviator , submarine, diver, or firefighter.

Navy policy is pretty straightforward on this too; Any history of asthma , including childhood asthma and exercise-induced asthma, is considered disqualifying for aviation duties and training.

This includes even very mild asthma.

For all other fees , the recruit will perform a series of physical tests during MEPS.

If your doctor expects you have asthma, you will be referred to a specialist.

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Can You Decline A Deployment

The military can deny the request. Officers can request to resign their commission after serving their minimum obligation to the military. It takes time and the military can deny the request. There are assignments that can be declined under certain conditions, but combat deployments generally arent one of them.

Surprising Medical Conditions That Could Bar You From Service

Its no surprise that service members must be in good physical shape to serve in the military. However, there are some medical conditions that you might not know can bar you from service.

The military lays out certain physical requirements that those wishing to serve must meet, and recruits must undergo a medical exam. When joining, they must also disclose significant medical conditions.

Sometimes waivers from medical professionals are an option for certain medical conditions, particularly ones that relate to eyesight and weight. However, like depression and Crohns disease are likely to disqualify you from service, especially if they have affected your education or employment in the past.

It is important to note that many conditions are not always permanently disqualifying and should not dissuade potential applicants. Recruiters and military doctors will determine if they will affect your duties.

Here are eight surprising medical conditions that might prevent you from serving in the U.S. Armed Forces:

1. Food Allergies

If you have a history of food allergies, you might be disqualified from joining the military. This is because service members can serve in locations that do not have a wide variety of food options or that do not have easily accessible medical care in the case of reactions. Recruits who are merely sensitive to certain foods will not be disqualified.

2. Celiac Disease

5. Braces or dental ailments

6. Motion sickness

7. Acne

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You Cant Have Flat Feet

Though this is one of the most widely argued-about conditions that can bar you from the military, the answer is yes it is real. While someone who has flat feet can serve in the military, it depends on the severity. If someone has symptomatic flat feet, which indicates that the condition causes the person chronic physical pain, then he or she cannot serve.

Spine And Sacroiliac Joints

The following conditions may disqualify you for military service:

a. Arthritis.

b. Complaint of a disease or injury of the spine or sacroiliac joints with or without objective signs that has prevented the individual from successfully following a physically active vocation in civilian life or that is associated with pain referred to the lower extremities, muscular spasm, postural deformities or limitation of motion.

c. Deviation or curvature of spine from normal alignment, structure or function if —

It prevents the individual from following a physically active vocation in civilian life.

It interferes with wearing a uniform or military equipment.

It is symptomatic and associated with positive physical finding and demonstrable by X-ray.

There is lumbar scoliosis greater than 20 degrees, thoracic scoliosis greater than 30 degrees, and kyphosis or lordosis greater than 55 degrees when measured by the Cobb method.

d. Fusion, congenital, involving more than two vertebrae. Any surgical fusion is disqualifying.

e. Healed fractures or dislocations of the vertebrae. A compression fracture, involving less than 25% of a single vertebra is not disqualifying if the injury occurred more than one year before examination and the applicant is asymptomatic. A history of fractures of the transverse or spinous processes is not disqualifying if the applicant is asymptomatic.

f. Juvenile epiphysitis with any degree of residual change indicated by X-ray or kyphosis.

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Are There Physical Fitness Requirements To Join

Yes, there are physical fitness requirements to join the Army. The Armys Physical Fitness Test is used to assess the physical endurance of a recruit. APFT is a 3-part fitness event: 2 minutes of push-ups, 2 minutes of sit-ups, and a timed 2-mile run. Recruits must pass the APFT to graduate boot camp.

The APFT physical fitness requirements vary by age and gender. Reference the table below to find your minimum fitness requirements.

The Army will continue to use the APFT until further notice.

If you have any questions regarding the APFT or your physical fitness requirements, talk to your recruiter.

Military Cost Of Asthma

Approximately 40% of young asthmatic recruits who wheeze subsequently became wheeze free in their late twenties. Even so, succeeding wheezing and asthma attacks may reappear even after an asthma-free interval of up to 7 years or more.

An investigation, comprising the years 19951998, recorded 3,699 EPTS discharges because of asthma. From 1998 through 2002, approximately 17% of EPTS discharges among U.S. Army active duty enlistees was for asthma. A 2006 study, revealed that many Navy recruits were discharged early because of asthma.

Exercise-induced bronchospasm , common among military recruits, has been linked to numerous cases of undetected asthma., Disappointingly, lung function testing for airways obstruction is rarely positive during extended remissions, between attacks, or among persons with exercise-induced bronchospasm. Likely, extreme physical performance and innumerable environmental stimuli are problematic for the soldier with exercise-induced bronchospasm.

Nontraumatic military-related death because of asthma is rare with only 1 reported case detected among relatively healthy young military recruits not exercising. However, many nontraumatic deaths are associated with exercise, especially unrecognized pre-existing cardiac disease. Heat stress is a factor in roughly one-third of exercise-related death of recruits. There were 3 cases of asthma chronicled as exercise-related deaths.

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You Need To Take Care Of Your Teeth

Your dental health is very important when joining the military; you cant have too many cavities. According to the International Classification of Disease code, any dental issue that interferes with a normal diet, or includes complex dental implant systems with complications will disqualify you from service. Having braces can also temporarily disqualify you, also.

My Asvab Scores Are Too Low Does This Mean I Can No Longer Join

Not necessarily. The Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery helps the Army determine who is or isnt qualified to become an enlisted Soldier. However, we understand extenuating circumstances can impact ones ability to test or test well. The Army does offer ASVAB waivers for potential recruits. The easiest way to learn about your eligibility, the waiver process, and your next steps is to talk with your recruiter.

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I Have Adhd Can I Join The Army

Yes. Previously ADD or ADHD was automatically disqualifying, but today it is only disqualifying if the applicant has been treated with ADD/ADHD medicine within the previous year or if they display obvious signs of the condition. If you are concerned about ADHD medical prescriptions, talk to your recruiter about potential options.

Can You Join The Military With Asthma

This is a great question, and somewhat common. Many people experience asthma in their youth, and eventually grow out of it. The military makes concessions for applicants who had asthma in their youth, and will often grant waivers if the asthmatic conditions ceased or no longer required medication after a certain age.

But the military is less forgiving when the applicant still has asthma or requires any asthma medications. Why? To put it in simple terms: asthma can place the individual and others in harms way if the individual is deployed to certain environments or is exposed to certain chemicals or conditions.

Military members frequently work around austere environments, in hot, dry, and dusty conditions; around various solvents, chemicals, and exhaust; in hot and humid conditions; and in other environments that can cause an asthma episode to flare up. Having an asthma attack at the wrong time can place the individual, and in some cases, the entire unit in danger.

Think, for a moment, about someone having an asthma attack when they are the only qualified individual for a certain job. Not only does that unit lose the qualified person, but someone else is pulled from their job to assist the other person. This can become magnified if the unit is out in the field, in the line of fire, if there are no medical facilities nearby, etc. I think you get the point.

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Medical Records And Exams

When enlisting in any branch of the military, there is a point where you must undergo a medical examination, as well as a review of medical records by experts in the field.

As part of your initial request, you must declare any medical deficiencies and disclose related documentation showing the extent of the disorder.

Previously, asthma was an automatic disqualifying factor upon joining the military.

This means that it was not a factor that could be waived, which means that no matter what, you cannot enter.

With competition for benefits and wages in the civilian job market and ever-changing politics, branches like the Air Force and Navy decided to find ways to allow more people in and essentially increase their numbers.

So Can You Join The Military With Asthma

In almost all cases, if you currently have asthma, you will not be able to join the Military, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard. If you have or were diagnosed with asthma after age 13, you may still be able to enlist with an exemption. Before officially enlisting in any of the military branches, you will undergo whats known as a pulmonary function test, or PFT. This test will determine the extent of your asthma and whether it is a disqualifying condition.

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