Posted on Oct 19, 2018
SSG Supply Sergeant (S4)
47.6K
13
6
1
1
0
Is any type of temporary medical profile that can be done that will cover a soldier who has been on medication and gain temporary weight?
Posted in these groups: P542 APFTHeight and weight logo Height and Weight
Avatar feed
Responses: 2
1SG Team Chief
4
4
0
Your doctor can write you an exemption. This is what RallyPoint is for . For us to help and enlighten eachother. Thanks for your question and continue to want to learn and be taught .
(4)
Comment
(0)
SFC Kelly Fuerhoff
SFC Kelly Fuerhoff
6 y
Actually no the doctor cannot:

2–17. Health care personnel
Health care personnel will—
a. Assist commanders and supervisors in ensuring that individuals who exceed body fat standards receive nutrition and weight reduction counseling from a registered dietitian, if available. If a registered dietitian is not available, nutrition and weight reduction counseling may be provided by a health care provider, to include nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or medical doctor.
b. Identify those individuals who have a pathological condition requiring medical treatment.
c. Evaluate Soldiers who exceed body fat standards in accordance with this regulation.
d. Advise Soldiers that while various medical conditions, environmental conditions, functional limitations (temporary or permanent physical profiles), and/or medications may contribute to weight gain, they are still required to meet the body fat standard established in this regulation. The DCS, G–1 is the exception to policy approval authority (see
para 3–17) for special considerations.

Only the DCS, G-1 can write an exception to policy. If someone is on a temporary or permanent profile they have to meet height/weight standards. The only exception to this is pregnancy profile. Anyone else on profile can still be weighed and taped, if necessary and if they fail, even on profile, can be flagged.
(3)
Reply
(0)
Avatar small
SFC Schools Manager
3
3
0
The AR states what it does, but there are always exceptions to any rule. Your Doctor can make you medically exempt from Height and weight standards. While mostly done for thyroid conditions, I have seen it done for weight causing anti-depressants. The effective date should be the day you started the medication. Go back to the prescribing doctor and ask for the exemption.
(3)
Comment
(0)
SFC Kelly Fuerhoff
SFC Kelly Fuerhoff
6 y
3–17. Exception to policy authority
a. The DCS, G–1 is the approval authority for all exceptions to this regulation. All requests for an exception to this policy will include an endorsement from a medical professional and be processed through the Soldier’s chain of command, with recommendations as to disposition from the company, battalion, and brigade-level commanders, reviewed by the servicing staff judge advocate, and submitted directly to Deputy Chief of Staff, G–1 (DAPE–HR), 300 Army Pentagon, Washington, DC 20310–0300 for final determination.
b. The use of certain medications to treat an underlying medical or psychological disorder or the inability to perform all aerobic events may contribute to weight gain but are not considered sufficient justification for noncompliance with this regulation. Medical professionals should advise Soldiers taking medications that may contribute to weight gain, or Soldiers with temporary or permanent physical profiles, that they are still required to meet the body fat standard established in the regulation; the Soldier may be referred to an appropriate specialist for nutrition and exercise counseling as indicated.
c. Chronic medical conditions will not be used to exempt Soldiers from meeting the standards established in this regulation.
d. There are no exemptions to the provisions of this regulation based solely on race, ethnicity, or gender.

I don't know what happened in your cases but it doesn't sound like it's that easy to get an exemption. Even for chronic issues.
(2)
Reply
(0)
SFC Schools Manager
SFC (Join to see)
6 y
SFC Kelly Fuerhoff It is not out of the realm of possibilities and happens often.
(0)
Reply
(0)
MSG Thomas Currie
MSG Thomas Currie
2 y
SFC (Join to see) - The overwhelming majority of military medical personnel never read any regulations. Many are completely convinced that they can write anything on a sick slip or medical record as if it were gospel. Some will tell a patient one thing and write something completely different. These two categories overlap and are not mutually exclusive.

Meanwhile many people in the chain of command don't read regulations either, some fall for that same assumption about the unlimited authority of anyone in the medical corps.

The regulation is clear that medical personnel CANNOT "exempt" anyone from height/weight standards, but if the doctor thinks he can and the commander accepts thinks he can, then it might work until someone actually bothers learning the truth.
(0)
Reply
(0)
Avatar small

Join nearly 2 million former and current members of the US military, just like you.

close