I've officially sent in my medical papers to the Air Force. How long will I have to wait to see if I can enlist?

2018-09-19T16:12:51-04:00

Back in April 2017, I sent in medical papers to my Air Force recruiter to see if I can enlist. My papers were about my one and only kidney that I was born with. But to this day, I still haven't heard back from him and I feel like he just blew me off.

Now I've just sent in my medical papers to a different recruiter and he said that he'll send them in to be reviewed and see if I can join the Air Force. My worry is that my doctor has made notes of occasional bouts of pain in my abdominal area from my kidney and he made mention of one incident when I had to be sent home early by my boss because of the pain that got in the way of work. I've also recently experienced some recent pain again and my doctor made note of that as well. I feel like I'm done for if the military sees these mentions of pain.

Aside from that, I also want to know how long I'll have to wait. I don't want to get blown off again like last time and I at least want to go to MEPS, take the ASVAB, and let them know that I want to work in security forces. I'm hoping that they'll be more lenient with only one kidney since security is different from being an airman. Do I have a legit shot at enlisting this time? Can I get a waiver?

Response by TSgt David Holman made Sep 19 at 2018 4:39 PM

2018-09-19T16:39:35-04:00

They are actually less likely to be lenient on you for a security position, since it is one of the more physically demanding AFSCs in the Air Force. That being said, a missing kidney shouldn't bar you from enlistment, however, it will disqualify you from a flying position (per the AFI, you would not meet the requirements of a Flying Class I/II/or III physical).

Response by SFC J Fullerton made Sep 19 at 2018 4:49 PM

2018-09-19T16:49:26-04:00

Unfortunately, the absence of a kidney is a permanent medical disqualification. It is not waiverable. The Army regulation that covers this is AR 40-501, para 2-15 f. (1), but it is a condition that is disqualifying for all branches. There are certain medical fitness standards that are universal for enlistment into the military, and others specific to branch or MOS (job). For example, color blindness is not a disqualification for enlistment, but a disqualifier for certain jobs. Keep in contact with the recruiter, they owe you the courtesy of looking you in the eye and explaining the disqualification to you and not just ignore you.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 19 at 2018 4:51 PM

2018-09-19T16:51:58-04:00

Give it about month. And I said something severe, MEPS is decently quick

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 19 at 2018 5:48 PM

2018-09-19T17:48:45-04:00

You have three posts on the same topic - your one kidney. As the responses indicated from your previous posts, you will not be able to enlist. Since you have ignored the excellent responses from the first two posts, and want to continue arguing your case, you must be a troll.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 20 at 2018 9:35 AM

2018-09-20T09:35:55-04:00

Pretty sure you need 2 kidneys to enlist. Why not try for regular law enforcement? You should be able to be a civilian police officer with only 1 kidney.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 20 at 2018 9:51 AM

2018-09-20T09:51:53-04:00

The answers are not going to change from your first post. It doesn't matter how many recruiters you send paperwork to. It's not going to get you in. No service is going to take anyone with one kidney. No one.

Do you realize what security forces does? They will not be "lenient" on you because you have one kidney.

I don't know how to get this through to you. You cannot serve in the military with one kidney. It's not happening. I'm sorry - but you need to look at another way to serve. Civil service. Government employee. You could be a Dept of Army or Dept of AF civilian. That's about the closest you'll get to the military.

My daughter has had kidney issues since she was born and we didn't know til eight weeks old. She had to have a kidney transplant last year - she only has one kidney now. I know she's not ever getting in the military and I'm fine with that. She can do anything else.

If you're having a lot of abdominal pain that's not a good thing.

Response by SGT Tony Clifford made Sep 20 at 2018 11:05 AM

2018-09-20T11:05:18-04:00

I'm sorry, but as you have been told, you're medically disqualified from military service. A soldier, sailor, airman or marine, with one kidney, is an unacceptable liability. I respect your desire to serve, but you're not capable of doing that. You may be able to serve your country through other forms of federal service. There are several federal agencies that with whom you can apply. Depending on your education level, you can apply to the FBI, ATFE, Secret Service, ICE, Marshal Service, Parks, Forestry, DEA, and Homeland Security. These all provide significantly to the national security. You can also apply to any number of federal agencies for regulatory jobs. Please look at usajobs.gov. This is a resource for civilian employment with the federal government.