How do you file a claim against a recruiter?

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Permalink Reply by Susan J on July 11, 2008 at 12:51am

IF MEPS signed for and excepted a MEDICAL WAIVER...it is on them, not the girl in ship 17. They may have excepted the waiver on HER SURGEONS recommendation...in that case, the Navy did their job, HER doctor/surgeon is the one I would be concerned with. How much pressure was he under from her or her family to give her a release and FIT FOR DUTY. If SHE failed to STAY fit for duty...being she had a waiver and a doctor who said she was FIT, she is the one who will pay the price. It really is sad that I see MANY MANY kids who are SO desperate to get to boot camp, they will do and say just about anything to go. I have personally talked to kids who have BEGGED their doctors to sign them off. Many as it has been a family doctor for life, SIGN IT!
I have another DEPer on my other site who went ahead and had lasik eye surgery AFTER going to MEPS...now she is supposed to ship out to boot in two weeks...she is NOW scrambling to try and get a medical waiver. She didnt think the navy would care....but after reminding her of the contract she singed, and after she re-read it, she is doing the right thing.

On another point...dont leave this site just because your daughter came home! Your past experience is valuable to other parents that may end up in the same situation your in! You can help with the "BEEN THERE, DONE THAT" so please dont leave!

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Permalink Reply by Ruth on July 11, 2008 at 6:33am

Ok...my comment isn't about recruiters per se...As most of you know my son is being separated because he was diagnosed with ADHD at GL...when I talked to him on Sunday I was surprised to hear him say that a lot of the guys in his compartment are being separated because they have ADHD...I find this rather interesting...of course, I don't know if they were forthright about their ADHD or if they had waivers or not...but it seems to me that there is a lot of talk about these young people going to GL with waivers from MEPS & they are still being separated...where is the problem? Is it with MEPS giving the waivers? Or is the problem with GL? Or do MEPS & GL have different standards...I have read the DoD Directives regarding ADHD & this is what is says...

"MEPS changed their acceptance standards for ADD/ADHD, effective on 4 June 2004. Under the new standards, a history of ADD/ADHD is disqualifying if the applicant has been on medication within the past 12 months, and/or if the applicant shows any significant impulsivity or inattention traits. Applicants who have been off medication for longer than 12 months and do not show any significant impulsivity or inattention during MEPS processing may now be accepted for enlistment."

So then my question becomes, why are so many young people being separated once they arrive at GL? My son, made it through 8 months of DEP & 2 visits at MEPS & there was never any indication that he ADHD...I'm just quite confused & concerned that these young people who either went to GL with ADHD or were diagnosed there are just being targeted by people with authority...

Sorry for the rambling but these are my thoughts and concerns...and there doesn't seem to be any answers to my questions...

Thanks for listening…Ruth

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Permalink Reply by Rose R on July 11, 2008 at 10:09am

My son told me waivers given by recruiters are not waivers but applications for waivers, to be decided on at boot camp. Makes no sense in terms of the money spent to get the recruit to boot camp, or keep them there while they do their incompetent round of paper work. It seems to me that the determination of impulsivity or inattention can be very arbitrary. Who isn't inattentive when they are sick , overtired, stressed out the way these recruits are going thru boot camp?

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Permalink Reply by Kenis on July 13, 2008 at 10:38pm

As far as my daughter goes....it was "not" a case of her being desperate to get to bootcamp or begging her dr. to sign off on anything. All he did was perform the current test they asked for (echo) and have the report written. Then the "MEPS" dr's approved her waiver. Her dr. is a well respected cardiologist in the Seattle area who has been practicing at Children's here in Seattle since June 1st 1955 and has been my daughters daughter since an infant. So I think he would know better to succumb to any pressure and put my daughters life at risk if he thought she wasn't capable of performing. All my daughter did was go through the process of joining the Navy by doing everything legit and honestly that they asked of her, to only get there and have the rug pulled out from under her. If they had turned her down in the very beginning knowing that that was what was going to happen in the end and the waiver wouldn't mean anything once she got to GL she would of been disappointed, but would of moved on and decided what the next step in her life to take would be. Alot of heartache, time and money could of been saved in the long run.

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Permalink Reply by Rose R on July 11, 2008 at 10:29am

I have an address posted on Ship 17 moms for reporting recruiters. Consider doing so. It may not make a difference in these 2 girls outcomes, but eventually it will catch up with him.

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Permalink Reply by Mary on July 11, 2008 at 11:22am

I find this interesting. My son got his waiver at MEPS. In fact a MEPS doctor gave him the waiver as far as I knew. He didn't go to his own doctor for it.

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Permalink Reply by Rose R on July 11, 2008 at 11:25am

Be prepared. My son had a waiver for his educational issues, and it wasn't worth the paper it was written on. It is a application for a waiver, and they make the decision in Great Lakes.

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Permalink Reply by Mary on July 11, 2008 at 11:27am

Well so far so good. We haven't heard anything. I am hoping it all goes ok. He has a month left of boot camp.

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Permalink Reply by Rose R on July 11, 2008 at 11:30am

I hope all continues to go well for him, Mary. If not, know there is plenty of info and support available here.

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Permalink Reply by Nancy (aka nwig) on July 12, 2008 at 1:37pm

Sorry, but by what you've said, your son NEVER had a "waiver". My son went in on a hard-fought-for medical waiver, so I understand the process a bit.

True medical waivers come from the Naval headquarters in Tennessee, and are process via the Navy MEPS personnel. If your son's recruiter gave him some kind of paper and "said" it was a "waiver", then he was out-right lying to your son. If he still has that paper, you should hold on to it and file a complaint with the Inspector General of the Navy. But the only involvement that recruiters have in the waiver process it to generate the paperwork that gets sent to MEPS so that it can be sent to BUMED so that the Navy recruiting command can approve the waiver request. Then the approval comes back via MEPS and the person can enlist.

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Permalink Reply by Rose R on July 12, 2008 at 1:41pm

The recruiters lied to my son and myself many times, this would be one of many. Judging by the number of recruits who had" waivers" going in, that were sent to Ship 17 and discharged, I beg to differ.It was not my sons experience alone. There have been many moms here who had the same experience. If you read about Ship 17, recruiters and Waivers thru the site, you will get an idea of how many. And this is the tip of the iceberg.

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Permalink Reply by Susan J on July 12, 2008 at 12:52am

I wonder if by giving them a "waiver" for ADHD before they get to boot camp, it gives the personel at GL the idea to LOOK for any indications it has returned. It would seem if someone was truely over ADHD, and fit for duty, no amount of stress would bring it back, making them anxoius, nervous, forgetful and not be able to function. As if the person shows these signs under stress, what is to happen if on a ship, and they come under enemy fire? They fall apart putting the rest of their shipmate in mortal danger?

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