I lied at MEPS. Will they go back and look through my medical records?

I was also detected with a murmur at about that age. The pediatrician assured my parents that it was minor, saying I "could live to be 100 with it". It was so slight that some MDs could hear it and others could not. I THINK I mentioned it for my physical, but chances are if I did, it went unheard. I recall a military exam where I did mention it to the Doctor, but he said he could not hear it.
At any rate, I got through boot camp (and a total of 29 years Reserve service, as well as over 75 years of civilian life without any trouble from it). In recent years, that murmur got louder. AND --- a few months ago it went from "noticeable" to "something has to be done".
I am now 3 weeks off the operating table. Open heart surgery -- double bypass and aortic valve replacement.
Please be assured that if you don't "outgrow it", there's both animal and artificial valves to replace a heart valve that isn't working right.

You should have asked your legal office instead of an internet chat.

My first duty station as a chaplain was at Fort Jackson, a Basic Training unit. Every cycle I had Soldiers come to tell me about lying at MEPS. Some of the lies were minor and probably would have no impact on their training, some potentially life threatening. I always encouraged Soldiers to come clean and allow the medical branch decide if it prevented further service or not. The stress and strain Soldiers are put through in Basic challenges even healthy men and women with no previous injury or illness. Be honest and tell the cardiologist you have a history of a heart murmur and trust his or her expertise, it could save your life!

If the MEPS examiner didn't find it, why are you going to a cardiologist for further evaluation?

I speak from personal experience. I dated a guy while I was at MOS school who had a heart murmur. I didn’t know about it (we had just started dating). But I do remember getting my orders when I graduated. Went to Iwakuni, JP. Hadn’t heard from the guy since I had left. After being there for about 6 months, I get a random call from him. Turns out he was in the brig because he had passed out one day at PT and come to find out he had lied at MEPS about it. They sent him to the brig and gave him a dishonorable discharge because of it. Bottom line: tell the truth. The military will ALWAYS find out. Stuff like that, you can’t hide. Plus, you’re an adult now, there’s no such thing as a little white lie. You either tell the truth or you lie. Tell the truth. There’s nothing that can come back on you when ish hits the fan.

Medical records are protected by a law called HIPPA not even the military is allowed to breach and this is a public forum so be aware you may have fucked yourself. It’s not uncommon for people to lie at meps I’ve worked with medics with tourrets.

If you told a lie, then yes it could come back and hurt you. No jail, no arrests. They have (MEPS) Dr. Two options: Discharge you from the delayed entry program or requiring a medical weaver before enlisting. It was found prior to enlisting. The Dr. at the MEPS heard it (murmur). Nobody has ever been arrested or jailed for lying on the meps paper work. If anything has been found before you officially swear in to your branch of service. They can only discharge you from the delayed entry program. Dr. (MEPS) can medically flag your record for one - two years for lying or to babyish action. Rheumatic fever and murmur are waivable. Takes 6wks or less. Depends on fast you and the recruiter does the paperwork. If you are in the delayed entry program regardless which branch of service and fail to ship or report for active duty, at the MEPS you are discharged from that service DEP. Never prosecuted. In order to fall under the UCMJ you have to service one day or more on active duty. You are not officially on active duty until you step off that plane or bus at your basic thing center.

You are fine You are not responsible for knowing whether you have a murmur or not. An echocardiogram is the deciding diagnositic test

People lie all the time at the recruiter. As a medic and working in clinics ive heard a lot of "I used to smoke pot when I was a young teenager but my recruiter told me to lie".

What separates a liar from someone who was mislead on my opinion is never coming clean about it. You have the opportunity to come clean and say "hey, I had a huge lapse in judgement and I want to come clean about it and do this then right way". Most the time if you dont have some terd reviewing your file they may see that you came clean and decided to own your mistake and learn from it.

Now getting caught and then coming clean is a bit different as it shows you only are telling the truth now because you were caught and leads people to believe what else you may be hiding. Medical history is not like smoking pot 5,10,15yrs ago, it's on paper and proven.

My advice: own it and move on. If you have an understanding nco/officer reviewing that file that may see it as a learning moment for you.. best of luck, always tell the truth in the future.

...my two cents

When I was a kid I was diagnosed with simultanagnotia. Couldn't focus on more than one thing, but that was when I was 6. I enlisted back in the early 90s when Desert Storm had just happened and the military could pick-and-choose.
So I had to get my congressman involved and go through a waiver process where I went back to my childhood psychologist and get a medical evaluation which indicated there was no trace of the original diagnosis.
It worked, but basically because I was honest about the whole thing. They turned me down once but I didn't BS them so they allowed me to work through the waiver process.

21 years later I retired.

So people with preexisting conditions that they have grown out of CAN get through.

But I think it will come down to how badly they need people.