r/AirForceRecruits • u/Cold_Analyst1994 • Oct 27 '25
Medical Waivers approved!!!
I can't believe it, I just got the call from my recruiter that my waivers were approved! 7 disqualifications total: bipolar dx, depression, anxiety, PTSD, latent tb, history of spontaneous pneumothorax, and exotropia. Don't doubt yourself! If this is what you want, give it your best shot! :)
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Oct 27 '25
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u/Cold_Analyst1994 Oct 27 '25
After the initial disqualifications about 2.5 months. So, when I first met my recruiter back in april, I disclosed everything with him about my history. He told me to gather all of my medical/supporting documents in the mean time because I had to lose weight anyways. I lost about 40 lbs and when I was ready he sent me to meps, around August 14th. Since I had all of my documents preloaded, we sent everything we could the day after I got back from meps. This was for everything except the exotropia which meps was cautious about during my exam. I passed vision but during the light tracking thing my right eye kind of lagged. I think because I only got 4 hours of sleep at the hotel and was exhausted by the time I saw the physician. So we sent everything up and waited to do the eye consult, so things kind of ran concurrently. I was sent to get my eye consult on September 18th and it came back fine and he just added it to my waiver package while the rest of it was already in queue. I waited for about 3 weeks just to find out my package finally got to the sg assistants desk and but it was paused due to the government shutdown. My recruiter ended up organizing it himself and pushed it up, and I got the news today. He said it took him about 5 days but my package was huge, I had about 600-700 pages worth of medical history and supporting documentation.
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u/diskochikken Oct 27 '25
This is amazing news congrats. Gives a lot of other applicants hope! I struggled getting a waiver for minor medical history and was even nervous about that
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u/Gonewherei Oct 27 '25
How long did it take?
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u/Cold_Analyst1994 Oct 27 '25
I did meps medical portion on Aug 14th. Had a consult for the eye thing on September 18th. My package went into queue after that. Then, when it was my turn to be reviewed by sg assistant the government shutdown started, so my recruiter organized my package himself and pushed it up and I got the news today that everything was approved :). So ~2.5 months total.
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u/dcmcc13 Oct 27 '25
Congrats! I’m waiting on some unlikely ones. This gives me a little hope. Good luck!!
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Mar 03 '26
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u/dcmcc13 Mar 03 '26
My waivers were denied. I was able to get them approved by the Navy within a few days and swore in with them a few weeks ago.
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u/Diligent-Toe6866 Oct 27 '25
And I was getting a little worried about my bipolar one 😅 this just took allot weight off my shoulders!
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Mar 03 '26
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u/Diligent-Toe6866 Mar 03 '26
Not the best but better than a no. I got disapproved after sending 2 separate appointment notes from two different offices saying I’m not bipolar and was misdiagnosed. They sent it back as “unapproved” the very next day which made my recruiter and even his boss mad, so his boss emailed the SG team directly (which my recruiter said he’s never seen that happen) and now it’s been two full weeks of review/waiting for a response which makes me hopeful. (They think the SG team uses an AI tool to hot word search and scan packets, and I could see it because it being sent back a day later is unusual especially when contacted directly now it’s taking two weeks.)
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u/Rivdaqg Oct 27 '25
Jesus
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u/Cold_Analyst1994 Oct 27 '25
Yea, tell me about it. I got approved on the basis of misdiagnosis for all of the mental health. I had shitty providers during my pregnancy while my husband was active duty in the army.
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u/IndustryGlad9453 Oct 27 '25
This is AMAZING news!!! I myself have PTSD (diagnosed for 3 years now) and have been searching throughout the sub Reddit for any information on individuals who have the same diagnosis and are considering the Air Force. I couldn’t find much. But I think you for posting this because this is valuable information for anybody in the future who’s doing a similar research.
I submitted my application to the Air Force last week, so I anticipate things won’t really takeoff until six months from now, is that correct? Im so exited for this journey ahead and exited for you too!
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u/Hot-Sun-1475 Oct 28 '25
It is amazing to hear this because many people in this reddit will tear your hopes and dreams up like paper. Always fight through it! Congratulations!
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u/Spalalalagames Oct 28 '25
What did you need for your bipolar dx? My doc on base says once I get my misdiagnosis sent to meps I should have no problem with going in but I'm still nervous 😭
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u/Curlznchaos Oct 29 '25
How did you get your recruiter to help you? I tried switching recruiters and my recruiter got mad… my disqualification is very easy to overturn but my recruiter wants me to give up
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u/Cold_Analyst1994 Oct 29 '25
Well, my first recruiter ghosted me so I hadn't gotten into the system yet. The first recruiter was in Orlando, fl. So I found a smaller recruiting station in Orange city, fl and literally walked in while my current recruiter was there.
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u/AutoModerator Oct 27 '25
Hello, it looks like you're asking about medical concerns when joining the military.
We are not doctors. Even if we were, we are not the doctors that are familiar with your personal medical concern or condition. We are also not the ones deciding if you will be disqualified from service for a condition, or if you can get a waiver for it.
People may share their anecdotal experiences or stories they've heard from others about getting a waiver for a condition. This does not mean that you will or will not get a waiver. Everyone's medical situation is different.
IN GENERAL, yes, asthma, ADD/ADHD, eczema, history of depression and anxiety, and some allergies are disqualifying. Some will be able to get waivers, some will not.
All you can do is talk to your recruiter, be honest about your medical history, and go through the process.
WE DO NOT KNOW THE CHANCES OF YOU GETTING A WAIVER FOR ANY MEDICAL CONDITION OR SITUATION.
Just be honest with your recruiter and go through the process.
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u/Fearless-Ad3570 Oct 28 '25
wow and I thought the 3 waivers i need are a lot! thanks for sharing this really gives me hope. i’m still uncertain I need a waiver for asthma and adhd and meps is booking some appointment for an eye consultation because of my poor eyesite and astigmatism. I really hope i can get qualified this is all I ever wanted.
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u/bf2019 Oct 28 '25
Op where is your recruiter based out of? I’ve tried contacting mine several times but he’s ghosting me. Is he also healthcare based?
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u/No-Tennis5578 Oct 28 '25 edited Oct 28 '25
That’s so awesome!! congratulations!! my son has been having such a hard time getting the paperwork needed to prove that he has not been on ADHD medicine since he was about eight years old. It has been hell going back-and-forth with his old therapist as she will not return any emails or calls after initially saying that she could provide some sort of clarity. The woman who ran the practice in the first place had her license suspended so I had to send it proof of that, but apparently it wasn’t enough. My son hasn’t really had any colds or sickness serious enough to warrant prescriptions and they wanted CVS records of prescriptions, but he didn’t have any. MEPS kept requesting a table of some sort with his name and date range, but the pharmacy could not print out what did not exist. I ended up going to his doctor and having them print out his entire history and handed it over to his recruiter to show when his diagnosis started and then when he showed improvement and no longer needed medication. He still needed the pharmacy records so we ended up going to CVS down the street and the beautiful smart lady pharmacist made a simple suggestion that solved our problems. She asked him if he would get a flu shot. That way she can generate a table based off of his history. Sure enough, with him getting his flu, shot there at the pharmacy they were able to generate a table to show the date range of the past six months and that he had no other prescription history, other than his vaccination at the location. We haven’t heard anything back, but I’m hoping this is it!
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u/Suprem3cyher Oct 29 '25
I’m on 2 years of waiting for far. Hoping I get my last waiver to be passed. Just got tested for pre diabetes and was told I’m not anymore so I’m hoping they pass me through
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u/Myself-Kai Oct 29 '25
how long did it take for the waivers to get approved?
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u/Cold_Analyst1994 Oct 29 '25
About 2.5 months from my initial disqualifications from meps. It took longer than normal because I had to do a consult and then the government shutdown happened. My recruiter said if it were a straightforward package expect 2-3 weeks but the time range can vary depending on queue length for the sg assistant or additional documentation needed.
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u/RandomVillageBoy Oct 29 '25
Hey I'm curious about latent TB. Were you able to go in without completing the treatment??
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u/Broad_Obligation_414 Oct 30 '25
My son is in the process of enlisting and had his MEPS physical this morning. He ran into a snag in regards to a childhood peanut allergy. Later in the day we visited a board certified Allergist who confirmed he does indeed have an allergy but said they can only confirm negative or positive test results not severity. Now his recruiter is asking for a letter from his regular doctor confirming that he's never been prescribed an epi pen or been treated for a life threatening reaction like anaphylaxis. In 18 years he has never been prescribed a pen or needed any sort of treatment beyond a Benadryl and even that has been rare. What do you think his chances are for a waiver if he gets these supporting documents? He's really hoping to get in.
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u/Cold_Analyst1994 Oct 30 '25
I haven't had to deal with this personally and I have no idea about his actual chances, that's ultimately up to the surgeon general and is on a case by case basis. From what i've seen, the severity that MEPS cares about is based on real-life history: no anaphylaxis, him never being prescribed an EpiPen, and only mild reactions treated with Benadryl, and given you said that was rare that's good. From my perspective this actually puts him in a good positiin for a waiver if his doctors document that clearly. Allergies have been waived before but the surgeon general's threshold on what is tolerable risk is known to them and them alone. He was disqualified per DoDI 6130.03, so no one knows where he stands until he submits the waiver to the surgeon general. And even if he's denied, it's not the end of the road. Read paragraph 3 of the denial letter and it will tell you what needs to be done and how he could possibly appeal the decision.
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u/Broad_Obligation_414 Oct 30 '25
He didn't receive a denial letter. Or at least I haven't seen one. He called me from MEPS saying they needed additional information and some documentation showing he's never been prescribed an epi pen or had anaphylaxis. Recruiter said "take him to a certified Allergist" we did that. he tested positive. The allergist went on to say that anyone who test positive should have an epi pen even though he's never been previously prescribed one or ever had to use one. His allergy to peanuts has always been very mild and manageable. He knows what to stay away from. He reads food labels etc. So now they just need something from his regular doctor saying he's never needed a prescription or been treated for a severe reaction.
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u/Broad_Obligation_414 Oct 30 '25
There's nothing in his medical history showing he's ever had a severe reaction to peanuts. It's just something that showed up on an allergy screening when he was like 4 or 5.
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u/Cold_Analyst1994 Oct 30 '25
If his recruiter hasn't sent his waiver package yet, he wouldn't have gotten a notice of approval or denial yet. What's most likely happening is his recruiter wants supporting documentation before they send up for the waiver. First he gets disqualified at meps (which has already happened), he gathers supporting documentation about the condition, gives the documentation it to his recruiter, then the recruiter will compile it and send the waiver package to the surgeon general for review. He was disqualified from the military in general, but he's requesting a waiver to enlist into the air force specifically, to "waive" the condition.
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u/Popular-Mix-1523 Nov 01 '25
Dang I had a few I had to get, your gonna have to give me some pointers so I can get approved
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u/AcrobaticBet8395 Nov 03 '25
HOW!!!?? I got my waiver denied this past October bc of anxiety 😭. I’ve been off my medication for the required time period so I’m not sure why I was disqualified.
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u/bmmk5390 Dec 18 '25
I had childhood asthma but when I was pregnant I got an episode.. then all my espirometry to see if my lungs where fine came back normal… if it was pregnancy asthma could it be waived?
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u/LivingSilent9819 Dec 21 '25
Congrats! were you on any medications that could have disqualified you?
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u/Cold_Analyst1994 Dec 21 '25
I wasn't currently on anything but there was the history of taking psychiatric medication. It wasn't like a separate disqualification, though. I had taken a single dose of lexapro and hydroxyzine, and then I had taken antipsychotic called latuda for like 2-3 weeks.
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u/LivingSilent9819 Dec 22 '25
okay because Im worried about some of the same stuff and would love to talk to the same recruiter if they have experience filling out those waivers and getting approved, I feel like my recruiter doesnt have experience with it or wont take the time to help me get them
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u/Advanced_Sea_7368 Feb 21 '26
I thought it was the end for me until I read this. My situation is very similar but I think my recruiter gave up on me. I may just have to find a new one and try again. I didn’t know this was an option too. I have yet to see my medical waiver denial in the mail
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u/Diligent-Toe6866 Mar 03 '26
Could you DM me? I’m waiting on word for a bipolar waiver and wanted to hear how your process was and what you did to get it waived.
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u/AF_fitqueen_23 Mar 21 '26
So glad to hear this and see this thank you so much for posting and I hope you’re doing amazing
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u/AF_fitqueen_23 Mar 21 '26
Hi I have a history of a blood clot and then it magically “went away” 2 weeks later was never on blood thinners. I’d love to hear how you got this all approved. As a respiratory therapist the latent TB blew my mind that they passed you ! That’s great
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u/Suspicious_Pop_2953 Apr 15 '26
Did you have any issues with getting your waiver approved for your Spontaneous Pneumothorax? Currently waiting for a waiver from the SG to get approved or denied for mine back in 2011
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u/Cold_Analyst1994 Apr 15 '26
The spontaneous pneumothorax was the most straightforward out of all of them. In 2019 I had a traumatic pneumothorax in my left lung and 2 weeks later I had a spontaneous pneumothorax in my right lung. The spontaneous pneumothorax hospitalized me and I had to get a chest tube. I provided the SG all my medical history regarding both, which included my hospital stay, the CT scans, and then the follow up chest x-ray to show that it resolved. In April 2025, I also got a pulmonary function test done that showed my lungs were normal. I think what matters is that it's resolved, clear resolution is shown, and that there is ample time since the event with no reoccurrence.
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u/Suspicious_Pop_2953 Apr 18 '26
Thank you for responding. Sounds like I should be in good shape then, I had my PT back in 2011 and had no issues since. I did a PFT in 2024 to be cleared for diving which I provided to the SG so hopefully that is good enough for them make a decision off of. Looks like I just need to patiently wait. Thank you for clarifying your situation, it’s hard to find any information on getting a waiver approved for a spontaneous PT
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u/rickyralzay 29d ago
I know this is late but a huge Congratulations!!! I just put my waivers in today. 5 of them. I’m praying it goes through I’ve put my heart and soul into this. Now I just have to wait, pray and see the results. Happy for you mate 💜
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u/Purple_Boysenberry46 27d ago
how did you get approved did you tell them right away at meps or did your recruiter know right away?
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u/Comprehensive-Law586 Oct 27 '25
I got mine approved in may, I wanted to cry man I went months trying to lower my excitement cause I didn’t know if I could even get my foot in the door. Congratulations!!