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Getting into the military with epilepsy.
Tue, 03/25/2008 - 17:45Comments
Re: Getting into the military with epilepsy.
Submitted by arizonabay on Sat, 2008-05-03 - 23:48
Hello,
No, your son cannot join any branch of the service if he has epilepsy. Generally, an applicant must be seizure free for a period of 5 years without the use of medication in order to be allow to enlist.
Exceptions are made and waivers are issued. But only in cases where an applicant had a single seizure incident within 5 years but has not been diagnosed as an epileptic nor has had any other history of seizures. The Army and the Marines are the only ones that I've heard of issuing these waivers.
But a person diagnosed with epilepsy and is currently on medication under the instruction of a physician most definitely will not get one of these waivers regardless of the branch. A person with epilepsy is considered non-deployable and is therefore not wanted.
Also, just FYI: Good or bad high school grades do not matter when joining any branch of the military as long as one has a diploma. How much aptitude a candidate has for each branches MOSs, ratings, AFSCs, etc is dependent on his or her ASVAB score.
Hello,
No, your son cannot join any branch of the service if he has epilepsy. Generally, an applicant must be seizure free for a period of 5 years without the use of medication in order to be allow to enlist.
Exceptions are made and waivers are issued. But only in cases where an applicant had a single seizure incident within 5 years but has not been diagnosed as an epileptic nor has had any other history of seizures. The Army and the Marines are the only ones that I've heard of issuing these waivers.
But a person diagnosed with epilepsy and is currently on medication under the instruction of a physician most definitely will not get one of these waivers regardless of the branch. A person with epilepsy is considered non-deployable and is therefore not wanted.
Also, just FYI: Good or bad high school grades do not matter when joining any branch of the military as long as one has a diploma. How much aptitude a candidate has for each branches MOSs, ratings, AFSCs, etc is dependent on his or her ASVAB score.
Re: Getting into the military with epilepsy.
Submitted by whitetigrus on Tue, 2008-05-13 - 07:42
Thank you so much or your reply, it's the best one that I've received! Don't get me wrong, I fully support our troops whom fight for our freedom but I didn't think that my son could enlist. I didn't think think that the rules would have changed over something as important as getting your meds on a daily basis! Thank you again!
Happier Mom
Common sense is not so common!
Thank you so much or your reply, it's the best one that I've received! Don't get me wrong, I fully support our troops whom fight for our freedom but I didn't think that my son could enlist. I didn't think think that the rules would have changed over something as important as getting your meds on a daily basis! Thank you again!
Happier Mom
Common sense is not so common!
Re: Getting into the military with epilepsy.
Submitted by bleedingheart on Thu, 2008-03-27 - 01:13
In Victoria, Canada we have a police officer who has epilepsy and he is still employed because the seizures are controlled. I wouldn't be surprised if they do the same for the military. Of course, it can be a stressful occupation which might provoke seizures, depending on where the superiors post their recruits once they're in. But it doesn't hurt to try. It's a free country.