Washington, D.C. – There are many physical conditions that will or possibly could disqualify you from serving in our armed services, and the Department of Defense just added a new one to that list.
You can be denied for heart disease, epilepsy, Asperger’s, STD’s, vision problems, ADD and ADHD, scoliosis and scores of others. Some of the ailments that are an automatic “no-go” include: bi-polar disorder, Crohn’s Disease, and now COVID-19.
That is correct. If you have ever tested positive for COVID-19, you will be denied the ability to join any branch of the U.S. military.
As Newsweek reports, a memo has been circulating, written by the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command (MEPCOM). The Pentagon confirmed the information in the memo, calling it “interim guidance”.
“During the medical history interview or examination, a history of COVID-19, confirmed by either a laboratory test or a clinician diagnosis, is permanently disqualifying,” the memo reads.
“During the screening process, a reported history of confirmed COVID-19 will be annotated ‘Considered disqualifying’“ pic.twitter.com/ZKx91AUbXo
— Free (@Nathaniel_Free) May 4, 2020
Seeming to contradict itself, the memo also says that an applicant presenting with signs of COVID will have their processing paused for 14 days. After 14 days they may pick up where they left off.
But they must be tested for the virus. If they test positive, they are then required to pause again for 28 days from the date of diagnosis. They can then once again start their application process. But to no avail.
Their DD Form 2807 will be marked “Processing Not Justified”, while their DD Form 2808, item 76 will have a “X” under the word Disqualified.
An applicant can request a medical waiver, but there is no guidance in the memorandum on whether or not any such waivers may be approved.
Since the Newsweek article was published on Wednesday, the DOD has updated this policy.
According to Business Insider, the directive takes it a step further, saying that disqualification requires hospitalization for COVID-19.
“A defense official told Insider Thursday that the memo, while real, was ‘interim guidance’ that was updated Wednesday.
The official, citing the new guidance, explained that ‘individuals diagnosed or confirmed with COVID-19 but not hospitalized are medically qualified to process for accession 28 days following home isolation,’ but those ‘individuals diagnosed or confirmed with COVID-19 and hospitalized are medically disqualified for accession, subject to further review of hospitalization/comorbidity records, and waiver by a Service Medical Waiver Authority.’
The new policy does not apply to individuals who are already members of the military and have contracted the coronavirus, such as the hundreds of sailors aboard the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt who fell ill, sidelining the carrier in Guam.”
To be fair, this policy will impact only a small fraction of applicants. Current numbers show that hospitalizations in the US for people in the ages of 1-44 account for less than 16% of the total cases. While we cannot break the numbers down into individual age demographics, the group that consists of current high school students only comprise 1.6% of all hospital stays.
In 2019, the US Army alone had a recruitment goal of 68,000 recruits, which it met.
But this year, the Army, as well as the other branches may be seeing a drop in numbers. Is there validity in turning away people who have survived this pandemic, even though they were hospitalized?
The Military Times was the first to run this story, and spoke with Jessica Maxwell, a Pentagon spokesperson. The Times reported:
“Maxwell declined to explain why a coronavirus diagnosis would be permanently disqualifying, compared to other viral, non-chronic illnesses that do not preclude military service.
However, given the limited research on COVID-19, there are likely a few factors that military medical professionals are trying to hash out when it comes to recruiting survivors:
Whether respiratory damage from the virus is long-lasting or permanent, and whether that can be assessed; the likelihood of recurring flare-ups, even if someone has had two consecutive negative tests; and the possibility that one bout of COVID-19 might not provide full immunity for the future, and could potentially leave someone at a higher risk to contract it again, perhaps with worse complications.
The move comes as the services prepare for a surge of post-graduation recruits during the summer and fall high season.
In recent weeks, new trainees have been 100-percent tested for COVID-19 before starting training. So far, clusters have been discovered at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, the Army and Marine Corps’ biggest initial entry training installations.“
We spoke to a recruiter for the purpose of this story. They spoke on the condition of anonymity, as they are not authorized to speak on behalf of the branch they serve in.
“As the current directive now stands, we are now denying patriotic Americans from following their dreams of being a soldier, a sailor and airmen or a Marine, because they were infected by COVID-19, a virus with a recovery rate in the high-90 percent range.
We have people being medically cleared that have forms of autism, such as Asperger’s Syndrome, but we are disqualifying people for catching, battling and beating a flu-like virus? It doesn’t make sense to me.”
US Army veteran Christopher Chaos took to YouTube to discuss the topic of COVID-19 as a disqualifying event.
He raised some valid questions. Does hospitalization mean a visit, and overnight stay or something more detailed?
What if it becomes as commonplace as the chicken pox and the vast majority wind up getting it? Then what? Only time will tell. We will continue to monitor this story and will bring you any updates that become available.
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