What effect will a rescinded medical diagnosis potentially have on my OTS application?

2019-02-20T15:54:46-05:00

Hello,

I am a college senior and I have been thinking seriously about pursuing OTS post-graduation. As of now, I should be a fairly competitive candidate. However, I have stumbled across a potential roadblock. During my freshman year of college, I got an internship working in an infectious disease lab. Given the line of work, I was working with dangerous materials on a continual basis. This has the ability to make one a little neurotic. Given this, I started to be much more conscious about washing my hands. And even started doing so before every meal. The results were great in that I no longer got sick. However, when I went home for winter break, my family thought that I was acting out of line. I tried to explain how my internship had increased my knowledge of infectious disease, and I was simply becoming more aware. They panicked, and being the alarmists they are, they issued an ultimatum: go and see a clinician or we are cutting you out. Of course, I chose to see the clinician. My parents framed it as if I had OCD.

For whatever reason, they did not contact my general practitioner. Instead, they found a random private clinic and I was off to see a family and marriage counselor. He was essentially like: "Okay, we don't know if you have OCD, so we will treat you as if you do until we can determine it." So I went to talk therapy with him for about 3 months. After which, it ended with him saying, "You don't have OCD". However, there was that three-month period in which it was assumed that I did, so as far as treatment goes, I have a history of OCD. This is an automatic DQ for the military. However, my aim was to try and appeal. I thought if I supplied a note that I went there and confirmed it was a misdiagnosis I would be in the clear. However, I can not find the practice of the counselor. Insofar as I can tell, he retired. Given this, I have no way of getting the records. I am not willing to lie at MEPS, but there is no way for me to verifiably explain that I didn't actually have OCD. This has left me in a fairly tough spot. The Air Force is in my dream, but my pathway seems difficult to get here given this circumstance. I would be very appreciative of any insights.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 20 at 2019 4:13 PM

2019-02-20T16:13:33-05:00

So you have no written diagnosis of OCD then. See a PCP and have them document it if need be.

Response by Lt Col Charlie Brown made Feb 20 at 2019 4:14 PM

2019-02-20T16:14:56-05:00

Try contacting the state licensing board for the specialty of the person you saw. They may be able to help you with connecting with the counselor/social worker/psychologist.

Response by Lt Col Charlie Brown made Feb 20 at 2019 4:16 PM

2019-02-20T16:16:37-05:00

Go see your GP and explain the problem and get a referral to someone who can evaluate and clear you if you are unable to contact the counselor.

Response by SrA Alvin Cook made Feb 20 at 2019 4:45 PM

2019-02-20T16:45:23-05:00

Find whatever medical records you can involving your "treatment". If the clinic and treating physician are legit, records exist even if he retired. The clinic would still have all your treatment records.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 20 at 2019 5:12 PM

2019-02-20T17:12:25-05:00

Not automatic disqualifying. May or may not require a waiver.
Google DoDI 6130.03 and read the mental health section.
Report it. Google your state record keeping requirements, and the licensing board. Records may exist somewhere electronically.
Your health insurance will have the codes he billed for, which may or may not be helpful.
Google him and contact him. You can find addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and professional license information on anyone for about $20.

Response by MAJ Byron Oyler made Feb 20 at 2019 8:40 PM

2019-02-20T20:40:26-05:00

Reading your comments, you seem a little obsessive here. You have gotten some advice and should run with it.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Feb 21 at 2019 1:43 AM

2019-02-21T01:43:55-05:00

I only say this to try to help...regardless of retirement, at least for something like a specified period for any state or territory, typically, all clinicians, withoutexceotion, are at least supposed to store clinical records, with, normally, either a document service, or, also often, an attorney, in case patients need them...generally, we've seen that run 7 yrs or so, though there can be variations...we've had to get records from npbanjrupt hospitals, or retired clinicians, with, as I'd said, variations on that theme...the advice to go to a state licensing board given here is quite good, generally, if a retired clinician is needed for legal stuff, they'll either voluntarily, or as a requirement, leave an address, phone, email, associate info, something...if someone took over the practice due to it being sold, the new owner might also have info...further, state and county professional associations and/or societies often gpkeep info on members, though you might have to hunt to see which if any they were members of, joining generally is done though vokuntary, not typically required at all, though you might ask executive directors or their staffs for help to see if the retired one is known at all...sometimes...what you explained, I totally comprehend, certainly, the context is comprehensible, by all means, albeit somewhat unusual, certainly, I'd never heard of a scenario of quite that type...I'd gone to USAF OTS after 3 yrs Army ROTC, however, that was when it was at Lacklamd, not Maxwell, plus, MEPS were termed AFEES at that point, I realize tat was back when dinos walked the Earth, of course...have you looked at other svcs at all? Have you made efforts to explain the circumstances to any recruiters, whether for OTS or any of the other OCS or direct commission indoc OIS type programs? What Bach do you have? Assocs? Masters or grad coursework? GPAs? Grades? Majors? What AFSCs, MOS types, and/or naval rates or other fields had you looked at? Did you have flight interests? Hobbies? Other interests? Reading you tend to favor? Sports, incl martial arts? Had you looked at warrant at all, whether Army WOCS, Navy cyber WO1, or anything else? Had you looked at any direct commission OIS type programs? Did you have clinical interests at all, in which case you might also look at USPHS Commissioned Corps? Have you looked at NOAA Commissioned Corps, whether their 5 yr flight program, or any surface stuff with them, they're pure science, for the most part? If you've done STEM coursework, try to list actual course titles, bio, chem, math, physics, engineering, comp sci (CS), IT? Other serious topics of interest, e.g., history, economics? Amy law interests, perhaps? Have you taken GRE genl and/or subject tests? GMAT? LSAT? MCAT? Have you thought about and/or had any exposure to ROTCs, and/or, in high school, JROTCs, Civil Air Patrol (CAP), Navy Sea Cadets, or any similar groups? AP credits from high school? USMC platoon leaders course (PLC), which is less well known? Look also at USPHS COSTEP, Jr and Sr, the USPHS analogue to ROTCs and USMC PLC...I've seen material on here that ROTCs can be used for grad school, I'm fairly sure COSTEP can be also, USMC PLC I know less about, however, I wouldn't be surprised if grad school were allowed for it at all...how far have you gone toward a masters and/or PhD or anything else grad level? Have you tried for grad, research, and/or teaching assistantships (GA/RA/TA spots) at all? Fellowships, incl Rhodes scholar at all as well? I list all those things both to try to educate you as to other possibilities, in addn to encourage you to try to elaborate, so far as possible...the more you send in herez typically, as I've observed with such career/educ questions, the more can be suggested, by any of us...admittedly, as I'd said, the scenario you described is certainly somewhat unusual, I wouldn't hazard a guess as to recruiter reaction, howeverz after I'd been in Army ROTC 3 yrs, I couldn't get my former Army ROTC faculty to recommend !e, I'd sprained an ankle, my 2 mi run time went up, I wasn't allowed to go to Army ROTC summer camp, I got my honorable when released, I had to appeal, however, when initially denied USAF OTS, there was an engineering shortage, I was allowed to go, I had to go through the Lackland program twice, I was recycled once, I passed the mile and half run in 12 mins max by literally one second, I kid thee not...now, I totally bllixed up my assignment, I'd wanted bioengineering and the clinical side, found myself doing something I hadn't at all expected, though I'd been trained for it, I needed to quite literally have my head pounded into pavement to remind me why I was there, I got good at the work eventually, though I needed a long, long time to adjust...had I been enlisted first, as many others had been at USAF OTS, I think, in retrospect, I would've adjusted far more readily, and been far more thoroughly prepared, I'm not saying you need that, or should do that, I merely say that by way of explanation...that being said, you need to be flexible as to which svc will have you, I looked at all, many times, I nearly enlisted at least twice, once for USCG out of high school for electronic tech (ET), alsp, both out of high school, as well as after Army ROTC for the Navy 6 yr nuclear power enlisted program, I'd also thought to go in Navy enlisted with my Bach in elec engrg (BSEE), and try for Navy OCS, or the nuclear power ofcr program (NUPOC)...when I'd been USAF active after OTS, I did the aeromed exam for naval flight ofcr (NFO), I was passed, that's rear seat, basically nav/WSO, which you should also consider for all svcs, if you have flight interests, not solely pilot/aviator, I was just never able to go intersvc to Navy...you should also look heavily at USCG flight, as well as their direct commission programs, also, USCG has their own scholarships, how they'd function for grad school, I don't know, I'm !erely explaining once again...my point is, one can't focus on a single svc, I follow your ambition, I grasp it, I had it, I'm merely posing that you have time, and that the scenario you explained, while clearly somewhat involved, might well not be insurmountable, provided you exhibit such flexibility of outlook and ambition...the matter is which svcs want you, not so mic what you want...further, you need to very clearly understand, as I had to learn in often the very hardest ways conceivable, the operative part of "service" is "serve"... your personal ambitions are yours, NOT that of a svc...if you go in, you MUST, however hard, galling, and/or aggravating at times, learn to TOTALLY submerge YOUR ambitions to those of the svc you join...IF circumstances are such that you can realize what YOU want at all, one great, dandy, all to the good...if not, you MUST learn to let those ambitions go, and substitute whatever task you're given as your REAL ambition, even if only for a given period...in a svc, NOBODY cares what YOU want...IF you luck out, great, IF NOT, then OH WELL...if you get lemons, you learn to make lemonade...your sole function in a svc is your unit, and furthering THEIR goals, NOT YOURS...that's what you REALLY agree to when you join, enlisted, warrant, commissioned, makes ZERO difference, trust me, been there, dome that (BTDT), OK? I hope all that helps at least somewhat, if you'd care to yak more, I'm here, just remmner, as I said, the more you relate, the more we can all suggest, honest, no rush, whenever convenient, OK?

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Feb 21 at 2019 1:59 AM

2019-02-21T01:59:36-05:00

And the advice about your internist/GP is also sound, definitely go and speak with hem as well, and see if they could write anything that could help, or see if the could refer you out to someone they know and/or have worked with and trust, about involving your family further, only you can decide that, obviously, I can only tell you that, though you're obviously, I take it, of age to decide such things for yourself, our family is, always, inextricably, part and parcel of your svc life, that's a given, however you opt to handle it...that being said, you also need to realize, as I've tried to make apparent, svc life rarely goes precisely the way you intend, quite frequently, it seemingly takes on a life all its own, so, it'd help also, so far as you care to relate, even if only generally, the types of work you've done till now, externships, internships, level, bosses you've had, their personalities and/or characteristics, how successful you were, how you got along with others, etc., another thing you need to realize, in any work, any, the bloom tends to wear off the rose real fast, school ends, novelty ends, so, the main upshot to life tends to be, I'm afraid, what type of work can you generally near with, and, if nothing else, at least tolerate, with, hopefully, moderately interesting tasks throughout a work day, I only say that not to be cynical, only to be pragmatic, and realistic, that's all I'm trying to get across, OK? When I managed to escape engineering for doctoral allied health, though I'm total perm disabled now, we shut !y license sevl yrs ago, I found out that treating patients, of which I did a good deal in a very, very long time in residency, during which I became ill, was a long, rough, grueling, repetitive slog, occasionally interesting, however, generally also a quite tedious grind...so, I tell you that to make you aware of reality, ivemjad every kind of boss that walks, talks, and flies, active duty, civil servant, attending clinicians, residency directors, even my own Dad when I was a kid...satisfying a boos, and learning the right way to do it, while maintaining one's sanity, is a quite key facet to human existence, which is why I took the time to explain all of the foregoing to you, OK? As I said, I hope that all helps, I'd be most eager for your further thoughts, as I'd said, whenever you might have time, OK?