Is it possible to reenlistment into a different branch after an Army medical retirement with an RE Code 4 and Honorable Discharge?

SGT(P) Abner Lozano — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 14:43:02 -0500

Hypothetically speaking, if I wanted to join a different branch after a Medical Retirement, but my DD 214 shows RE Code 4, how hard would it be to get a waiver approved? I heard waivers are a possibility, I’ve also heard they are not. Recruiters, specifically Navy, please help. Thank you.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 7 at 2021 2:58 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 14:58:07 -0500

Medical retirement is still retirement. You are never allowed to return to active duty. RE4 is the code given to retirees. No matter what any recruiter tells you, retirees cannot return to active duty service. There are a lot of retirees who want to keep serving, but they are prohibited by law

I commend your desire to serve. Maybe it's time to serve in a different way. There are plenty of DOD Civilian jobs with good benefits that you can join and work your way up if you want to stay affiliated with the military. If you want to travel, plenty of them are overseas and will PCS you. If you want to serve by helping your fellow man, there are civil service jobs, teaching, law enforcement, firefighter and other first responder jobs that a lot of veterans gravitate towards after the military. If you're not looking for a career change but still want to make a difference, there are organizations like Team Rubicon who actively recruit veterans for volunteer service in disaster relief and other areas.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Feb 7 at 2021 5:19 PM

SGM Bill Frazer — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 17:19:10 -0500

Never going to happen unless WWIII. RE4 for USN says not recommended for re=enlistment

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 7 at 2021 8:39 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 20:39:14 -0500

There are waivers for a lot of things but not for a medical retirement. You could try having your RE4 uograded but that won’t change the retirement part. If you decline your retirement there’s no guarantee you could reenlist and no guarantee you’d get your retirement back after they denied you.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Feb 8 at 2021 4:21 PM

SSgt Christophe Murphy — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 16:21:39 -0500

If you are being medically retired you need to come to terms with the truth that this is most likely the end of military service. If you are truly being medically retired (instead of separation) that means you are looking at somewhere at 30% or more of disability. And that's just for the injury that got you retired. Combine that with the other disabilities you accrued during service and the number goes up. Now if you are on the TDRL and the injuries aren't seen as permanent there would be the potential of a waiver but that is a maybe on top of a maybe and most recruiters will steer clear because the likelihood of it leading to anything is slim to none. But I would recommend you just focus on the new chapter instead of trying to force a square peg into a round hole. I was medically retired in 2012 and tread much of the same territory.