Posted on Sep 24, 2020
Can a soldier with narcolepsy stay on active duty?
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Recently, someone I know got diagnosed with narcolepsy. He's been in the Army for a while now though and is worried about the outcome of his results with the diagnosis
Posted in these groups: 
Medical9A300: Awaiting Discharge/Separation/Retirement for Reasons Beyond Their Control
Medical9A300: Awaiting Discharge/Separation/Retirement for Reasons Beyond Their Control
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 8
The SM is probably going to face a Med Board. There is a chance the Med Board will release them from the Service. It is also possible they will be retained. 50/50 really. If retained, they will more than likely have a profile that excludes them from operating any military vehicle nor TC any military vehicle....and this is at the minimum.
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LTC (Join to see)
my sister-in-law has narcolepsy and they won't even allow her to have a DL. I can't imagine anyone with narcolepsy being allowed to stay in the military. There is no cure but there are medications that can help control/minimize, but not eliminate, the symptoms.
Narcolepsy is on the list for automatic disqualifiers.
Narcolepsy is on the list for automatic disqualifiers.
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AR 40-501, 3-32 states that narcolepsy is cause for referral to MEB. Currently, approximately 2% of Soldiers going through MEB are retained on active duty.
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You never know what the MRB will do. They’ll get a chance to plead their case but it all depends on the board.
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LTC (Join to see)
Narcolepsy is on the list of automatic disqualifiers. Unfortunately, this soldier's career is almost assuredly over.
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SFC (Join to see)
LTC (Join to see) - If the board does their due diligence, there may be underlying causes. Yes, if it's true narcolepsy, with no underlying cause, it's is a DQ but there are other things that can cause the symptoms of narcolepsy. Post-Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Insomnia Disorder, Delayed Sleep Phase Type and the Soldier should raise these questions. Some of those are also a DQ, some are not and can be treated.
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When I was at the Academy, I had a classmate who had narcolepsy. They booted him. Not sure if the regs are the same for active duty, but be prepared. Can he/she get another opinion?
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LTC (Join to see)
2nd opinion is the only hope. Narcolepsy is an automatic DQ. Unless he can refute the diagnosis, he's done.
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Another update. The doctor is noted that he had pre-existing symptoms which isn't true. Now he's even more stressed because he doesn't know whats gonna happen
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Update*
I guess there's people who still stay in active duty but its up to their command teams whether or not they stay in
I guess there's people who still stay in active duty but its up to their command teams whether or not they stay in
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Narcolepsy is an automatic disqualifier. Unless they can successfully dispute/refute the diagnosis, they are done.
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LTC (Join to see)
SPC (Join to see) - it depends. If they are rated less than 30% disabled for it then it's a medical separation. 30% of better is medical retirement.
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SPC (Join to see)
He did that MSLT test, and completely flunked it. There's a think 5 naps, and 4 of the 5 he went straight into REM Sleep
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LTC (Join to see)
SPC (Join to see) - yep. it's all going to depend on the Med Board and how much disability they rate him. One would think if he did that bad on the MSLT test that he'd get at least 30%.
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Like any medical condition it depends on the severity. This individual needs to work with their medical provider. They will most likely be put on LIMDU for this and will be assigned a case worker and a unit LIMDU coordinator. They will need to work with their folks to sort this out. Nobody here can answer that question clearly because we don't have all of the details.
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LTC (Join to see)
Narcolepsy is an automatic disqualifier. If you're diagnosed with it, you're done unless you can successfully dispute the diagnosis.
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