Should it take five weeks for a med read?

2020-09-13T18:05:17-04:00

I am currently in the process of enlisting in the active duty Army. I am an eight year veteran of the military. I served in the Air Force Reserve from 2009-2013 and Army Reserve from 2013-2017. I have honorable discharges from both services. Prior to exiting the Army Reserve, I did have a permanent hearing waiver (111311). My hearing is actually not that bad. My left ear just doesn't meet entry level standards.

In 2018, I went for full hearing evaluation by a civilian ENT to include a CT scan of my temporal bones. In July, with the hopes of returning to the military, I received another full hearing evaluation by the same ENT. The documentation clears me to return to military duty. The documentation also states that I have had stable hearing for the past two years. The letter goes onto to state that there has been no negative changes to my hearing since the 2018 visit. The letter also states my speech discrimination went from 88% in my left ear to 100%. The ENT went onto to state many other pertinent positives about my left ear.

All documentation was submitted to MEPS for a med read approx. five weeks ago. Should it be taking this long to hear back from MEPS?

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 13 at 2020 6:29 PM

2020-09-13T18:29:22-04:00

Just because you have documentation from outside sources doesn’t necessarily mean it meets the requirements MEPS is looking for. MEPS is really cracking down on individuals with hearing issues lately. If your hearing is bad in 1 eat, and doesn’t meet entry requirements, it’s not magically going to get better. MEPS is also backlogged so you are going to have to wait

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 13 at 2020 6:35 PM

2020-09-13T18:35:51-04:00

Dude, MEPS is getting soooooo many waiver requests right now. They probably have so many waivers and supporting documents that if all other activities stopped, it would still take them probably 2 months (at the minimum) just to get thru what is already on their plate. Be patient, young padawan.

Response by SSG Brian G. made Sep 13 at 2020 7:38 PM

2020-09-13T19:38:18-04:00

It's great that you have two evaluations and the letters and documentation from a civilian hearing Doctor. However, that does not mean a thing and NO, his word does not mean that you are cleared to return to military duty. ONLY Meps can do that and ONLY Meps word matters in this. They will of course take what the Doctor did and annotates under advisement but if at the end of the day you cannot meet the military minimum in both ears then you are not fit for military duty.

Five weeks is not a long time when you figure volume.

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Sep 14 at 2020 6:15 AM

2020-09-14T06:15:56-04:00

MEPS physicians/clinicians are not inspired by external evaluations. You had a permanent assessment within the military, and now it is better. They will evaluate your former duties coupled with the determination and take into consideration the possibility of a conditional relapse. Once all has been evaluated you will be further assessed by the number of available recruits available without the need for a waiver. It is not as simple as read and stamp. There is a great deal that goes into assessing waivers. You will have to wait. You can always contact MEPS and ask for an update.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Sep 14 at 2020 10:30 AM

2020-09-14T10:30:03-04:00

We are dealing with unprecedented circumstances at the moment. Everything is taking longer than expected.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 14 at 2020 10:34 AM

2020-09-14T10:34:53-04:00

Yes. It takes a while. I would say it could take up to 3 months so hang tight and keep in touch with the recruiters