Medical Appeal?

[NightRunner]

Does anyone know of any possible way to have inaccurate remarks stricken from my prior-service medical records?

Everything was going fine with my USMC application until I discovered information in my Air Force medical records which is not only derogatory, but downright false. Since foul information in medical records does not go away, EVER, I was wondering if there is anything at all I can do about this? It's important because with those statements in my records, my recruiter tells me that I'm ineligible to be a Marine. (For reference purposes: the reentry code on my DD214 is a "1"; my discharge from the Air Force was honorable; reason: completed term of service.)

I'd rather not get into the nitty-gritty details here, but the consequences of these errors are hindering me from being processed through MEPS. My recruiter tells me that there is nothing he can do and indirectly suggested that I try another recruiter and keep all of this a secret. I am afraid if I were to do that and MEPS does a med-pull on my old records, that I may be accused of fraud. Plus, those remarks really got under my skin--I'd much rather have them corrected or erased entirely.

I thought about taking my copy of my med records to a local doctor, have him/her review it and then provide me with a letter or something else that I can show to MEPS. But when I presented this idea to my recruiter, he told me that his boss says it's a non-option and there is no way around this.

Any thoughts? Here I am a civilian, and the ceaseless ability of military doctors to screw things up is STILL causing me grief.


So, short of risking a fraudulent enlistment, what can I do? OR... Would it still be considered fraudulent if the information in my med-records which I would hide is ITSELF fraudulent??? I wish I had known about this before I separated...I might have had more ground to stand on.

[Warsong]

I was faced with a somewhat similar situation.

For a year, I tried to join the Marines but I couldn't because of a note in my medical records from the Air Force about flat feet. The recruiters and I tried everything, from MEPS waivers to haggling with the VA about the records (it actually took a good part of that year for the VA to actually get my medical records to me).

I went from inactive reserve to the Air Force active reserve, and then went the Blue-to-Green program into the Army. How did I get around the medical records?

I had a civilian doctor perform an x-ray of my feet, then with those in hand and a note from the doctor saying my feet would NOT prevent me from military service (it helped I was in the active reserve) I took them to the recruiter and a month later I was in the Army's Warrior Transition Course.

[NightRunner]

I wish this was as simple as foot or knee problems. There is a reason I'm so angry about this:

At one base overseas, I was having trouble adjusting to the new job and making friends. A lot had been going on in my life (I had recently lost a grandmother who I was very close to, I had just PCS'ed so I had no friends yet, and my 3-year sweetheart had just told me about her new boyfriend "dear John" style.)

Since I lacked the common support-system of friends and family to cope, I used the Air Force's established system--I went to see the friendly people at the Life Skills (mental health) clinic on base. There, they suggested I sign up for a "stress management" class and to talk to a counselor about ways to be more social. To me it sounded like a good way to do some self-improvement and distract me from all the crap going on, so I volunteered.

Unknown to me was the fact that the social-worker who I was seeing for the class and private counseling was engaged to my squadron's primary care provider--an M.D. at the medical clinic. Without telling me, she decided to "pull some strings," so, at my next medical appointment when I went in for shin-splints, I found myself being prescribed anti-depressant meds that I didn't need or want. I immediately objected but was countered with the threats that usually come along with "refusal to accept treatment" in the military.

Now, I find out that my medical records erroneously imply that I suffer from major depression disorder and was taking antidepressant medication prescribed for "suicidal threats" ??? (I found that this "diagnosis" was NOT made by doctor--rather a social worker at a "life-skills" clinic!) Another note in my records is written by a Navy psychiatrist who I've NEVER seen (or even heard of) who recommended (probably based on the social worker's words) that my security clearance be suspended! Absurd!

So, 4 years back, I made a VOLUNTARY trip to Life-Skills just to TALK to someone about my troubles. NOW, the Marines are hesitant to take me because of a paper-trail in my medical records that makes me out to be some suicidal, depressed loony!

The only thing I can do is go find a local psychiatrist to give me a full psychological evaluation and write a letter clearing me of any past "discrepancies" in my records. I'm in the process of doing this right now, but I'm still pissed-off that I have to do it in the first place. And what's more upsetting is that it might not even matter if MEPS doesn't want to listen. I'm only interested in being a Marine. If I can't be a Marine, I don't want to return to the military.

Just a word of advice for anyone reading this:
NEVER NEVER NEVER trust ANYONE who makes the claim that "just going in to talk to someone at Life-Skills will not impact your career in any way." They make this statement at least twice at every mandatory annual suicide-awareness briefing. They are lying! They will fill your records with their notes and comments and opinions. They make mountains out of ant-hills. They are eager to find sickness where there is none, and their only answer is medicate the symptoms.