I got out in Dec.03 with a RE-3 JFV, and ive been waiting since oct.07 for my med rec./waiver to come thru. Anyone with the same problem and how long was it for you? Thanks.
there is another thread about this. i just started the waiver process a week and half ago. it seems to be very different for everyone. what is your waiver for? mine is for my knees. the reason i ask? well, my recruiter had me go to my doc. and get checked up first. that way, when they send my file, it will have a letter from a MD stating that my knees are fine. i should find out this week when i get to go into meps and do check up with them...
mine is for 'other designated physical or mental conditions'. My mom died suddenly from lung cancer and at the time i had a 15 y/o sister at home and i was having a hard time dealing with it.
I had an RE-4 when I wanted to go back in. It took me 8 years to get back into the reserves and another 2 to get back active. One thing I did lear, and it may be different now, is that recruiters don't get credit for prior service. They will go through all of the motions with the paperwork and what not, but when it comes to follow up, they are not so motivated. Make sure you inquire to your recruiter a couple of times a week. I finally found someone who was dedicted to my cause and once they were on it, it only took a month. This was back when the military only opened windows for prior service once in a great while and if anyone knows what RE-4 is, it basically is never to join again.
Originally posted by 14151017: I had an RE-4 when I wanted to go back in. It took me 8 years to get back into the reserves and another 2 to get back active. One thing I did lear, and it may be different now, is that recruiters don't get credit for prior service. They will go through all of the motions with the paperwork and what not, but when it comes to follow up, they are not so motivated. Make sure you inquire to your recruiter a couple of times a week. I finally found someone who was dedicted to my cause and once they were on it, it only took a month. This was back when the military only opened windows for prior service once in a great while and if anyone knows what RE-4 is, it basically is never to join again.
damn, yes i know what a re-4 is. you are the first i have heard of to get back in. congrats on that.
something weird is going on at my recruiters office. they have been out since last thursday. no one there at all and the place is locked up. they just moved to this new location about three weeks ago. they seemed pretty gung ho to help out. the sgt 1st class that runs the place started to call people about five minutes after sitting down with him. that was last month. he turned me over the a staff sgt that has been really good about getting back to me.
i dropped off my letter from my personal doc. stating that my knees were fine. he then called me that afternoon. said it was one of the better letters he had seen. he really thought that they would get me in last week to meps. said that they wanted to get my paperwork in as soon as they could to get me processed.
to this point they have been very good about letting me know what was going on. now they have been closed the last two business days. seems weird to me that they would do that. when you call you just get their answering machine. seems like if they had some functions for the recruiting station they would leave someone at the office.
Lol! Nothing weird going on at your recruiter's office, MLK Day = a 4 day holiday for recruiters. My husband's recruiter had scheduled an appointment for his interview to get HIS waivers pushed on through and my poor husband was completely freaked out when he couldn't find anybody. He called EVERYWHERE and found out that the guys got a 4 day at all of the stations down here.
Recruiters DO get "credit" for prior service. They are under just as much pressure/incentive to get you guys in as anyone else. It's just more time consuming. We've been working on this whole freakin' process since September. Tomorrow, provided they don't reschedule the appointment AGAIN, DH meets with a Cpt., then has a telephonic inteview with the Major of the Baltimore recruiting Bttln. Hopefully he'll give his approval, then it goes past the Lt. Col. and off to USAREC. Theoretically, this could be done by the end of the week. Turn around for RE, moral, etc. waivers is appx. 48 hrs. once your packet is impeccable and approved.
By the way, getting knees approved should be easy (we went through that too) but waiting on MEPS is another story. Takes them FOREVER to get the ball rolling. One missed signature and you take another bus ride. Good luck to you all and hopefully DH will see some of you soon...
I can speak from experience. The waiver process for me was 7 months going to the NGB in Washington DC. I am currently in the National Guard so if anyone has questions about RE code waivers please contact me at mark.sternagle@us.army.mil
Originally posted by My3GuysinVA: Lol! Nothing weird going on at your recruiter's office, MLK Day = a 4 day holiday for recruiters. My husband's recruiter had scheduled an appointment for his interview to get HIS waivers pushed on through and my poor husband was completely freaked out when he couldn't find anybody. He called EVERYWHERE and found out that the guys got a 4 day at all of the stations down here.
Recruiters DO get "credit" for prior service. They are under just as much pressure/incentive to get you guys in as anyone else. It's just more time consuming. We've been working on this whole freakin' process since September. Tomorrow, provided they don't reschedule the appointment AGAIN, DH meets with a Cpt., then has a telephonic inteview with the Major of the Baltimore recruiting Bttln. Hopefully he'll give his approval, then it goes past the Lt. Col. and off to USAREC. Theoretically, this could be done by the end of the week. Turn around for RE, moral, etc. waivers is appx. 48 hrs. once your packet is impeccable and approved.
By the way, getting knees approved should be easy (we went through that too) but waiting on MEPS is another story. Takes them FOREVER to get the ball rolling. One missed signature and you take another bus ride. Good luck to you all and hopefully DH will see some of you soon...
Only 30 days left to try to get in...
lol is right. i had the same reaction the last few days. i can't believe i didn't think of them getting a 4 day weekend. if they hadn't been off on friday, i would have thought about MLK day.
best of luck to your husband. i am really looking forward to getting this done. glad to hear that about getting knees approved. i excited that i am getting another chance.
Originally posted by mhs1111: I can speak from experience. The waiver process for me was 7 months going to the NGB in Washington DC. I am currently in the National Guard so if anyone has questions about RE code waivers please contact me at mark.sternagle@us.army.mil
I will shoot you an email after work tonight. I am debating between active and guard at this time.
It all depends on what sort of waiver you need and how your recruiter is to help push it through.
I needed an RE3 LBK waiver and it only took me a couple days for it to get approved. Keep talking to your recruiter to keep you posted on whats going on,but dont harrass him/her because you also need to understand at the same time that your not the only person they are working with.
My waiver is been in the process since Oct. I check in at the Recruiters twice a week. I have a good feeling it should be this month. There is alot of good people working on this waiver, and they have all been pushing for me.
I am very grateful for all their hard work. I don't know if they get credit for prior, but I would like to do something to show my gratitude when its all done.
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse."
I was a RE-3P for 3 separate medical injuries (shattered tibia, shattered ankle, wasted knees) and i got into the national guard in just over a month. It depends on the recruiter, and it depends on the backup at NGB. all depends...
Took about 4 months for me to go from Flash to Bang...(initial contact and starting the paperwork to getting the waiver approved and swearing in) with an RE3.
I guess I didn't know how different it was between going into the Guard or Active/Reserve. I know that the Guard falls under the state and Active/Reserve falls under the Feds. I just didn't know that one could have such different regs. I am still in the process of getting my weight down. I need to lose a few more pounds so I can pass the tape. Other than that, my RE-3P should be easy to get past.
If you can't get past MEPS because of something and then later get into the Guard. My question would be this. Once you are in the Guard, are you not eligible later to go active, after some time passes? If so, what happens with the original MEPS decision?
My name is Timothy Ellison, I am a former 11B. I am not fully understanding this whole waiver process so I will give you a little background and hopefully you can help. I was placed on TDRL in June 1999 with Gullian-Barre Syndrome. I was finally released in June 2004 from Active Duty with an honorable discharge. My DD 214 lists RE Code 3. In the past three years, I have fully recovered from my illness. Last July my wife and I agreed that I should take a go at the Army again. I called around to different recruiters and I finally found one that gave me some good news and was willing to help me. I gave him all of my medical records and it took a while but he got the green light for a physical. I went last Friday to the Jacksonville MEPS and went through the full physical process. I discussed each and every page in my med record during the interview part with the Doctor. I received all 1's on my PULHES ratings and he said I was in. I thought I would be able to process that day but I was unable to because my recruiter didn't schedule it on that day. He said he would get me in this week on Tuesday and don't worry about it. I got a call on Monday before he was suppose to take me to MEPS, saying that everything was on hold until they sent my record off to have my RE Code changed. I thought I just required a med waiver. Now I am waiting on a waiver he said and could take up to three weeks or longer. I thought I already got the waiver and that is why i could take the physical last week. This whole thing is confusing and I just want some straight answers. I don't understand the whole waiver process and no one around here seems to know, or they just don't want to give me a straight answer. I also don't know why I don't have to take the ASVAB again, my recruiter says know but everyone else I talk to says that I have to. I would like to anyway to see if I qualify for a better MOS.
My RE-3 waiver only took a few days but it was for parenthood and now my kids are almost growm. My medical waiver took a few weeks because I had to get a physical and then I had to see the physical therapist to make sure I have full range of motion after that the doctor gave me a form (can't remember which one) that stated that I was fit for duty. After that it took a week to actually get the waiver. I actually had to call my recruiters 1SG to get him actually moving on my stuff. I had to take ASVAB again.
Mine only took a week and a half for cholestorol, and had an RE3 that only took 48 hours to process. I am going to MEPS on the 17th to pick my MOS, 15P, then I swear in and ship. It really does depend on the recruiter that you get as to how interested they are about getting you back in. Mine has been absolutly great, with great communication as well! The whole process has taken about a month for me.
Now I am being told that my waiver for my original discharge is good to go. I had a bad time with a bunch of Kidney stones late last year. Now they asked for all the info on that. Took my recruiter all that stuff and he sent it up on Friday. I think, I hope, this time is the one. I hope to be at MEPS within the next two weeks and get through this part.
littlegto67, my recruiter pulled up my asvab scores, from back in '91 and said that they would use those, since i finished boot. that will be interesting to see.
Interesting on the ASVAB thing. They told me that everyone has to take it again. I was a little worried because I've been out of high school for 20 odd years and have been a housewife for 12. I thought my brain was fried but I actually did better than back in 90...lol.
