Posted on Jan 22, 2016
My son joining the Marines. Passed ASAB, but said he could not hear some tones in one ear. DQ'ed. Sent in waiver denied. What can we do?
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At this point in the cycle the military can afford to be selective in who they take in, so they will enforce standards more closely. A few years ago, that hearing test might have given a marginal and passed on. With a BUMED waiver denied, your son's dream of being a Marine - or being in any of the armed forces is probably dead. That is life, unfair as it may be - time to move on. You indicated he has a back up plan of being a police officer, that is a good calling and worthy of respect.
He isn't less of a person for not serving on active duty, as a police officer he will be supporting and defending his community, a worthy endeavor for any person.
You mentioned getting your Senator involved - are you seeking some special favor? Your son was disqualified for good and valid reasons - I couldn't fly because my vision wasn't good enough, I dealt with it. Is your son's dream so important that you'd force a special favor for someone who is physically disqualified and potentially put others at risk? That is the height of egocentric behavior - not the willingness to be a team player needed in the military.
I sympathize with your son's broken dream, but move on and let him use his talents where it will benefit.
He isn't less of a person for not serving on active duty, as a police officer he will be supporting and defending his community, a worthy endeavor for any person.
You mentioned getting your Senator involved - are you seeking some special favor? Your son was disqualified for good and valid reasons - I couldn't fly because my vision wasn't good enough, I dealt with it. Is your son's dream so important that you'd force a special favor for someone who is physically disqualified and potentially put others at risk? That is the height of egocentric behavior - not the willingness to be a team player needed in the military.
I sympathize with your son's broken dream, but move on and let him use his talents where it will benefit.
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A1C (Join to see)
Thanks Gunny. We are looking at the Police Academy. We where not looking for a favor, but the opportunity to meet with another doctor and see if there was a way to use a hearing aid or something. While I was in there where guys with glasses and when they did not have them on they could not see well at all. No disrespect to them, but if they where in a bad situation and lost their glasses they would not have been of much use. Thanks.
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Looking at the source:
HEARING
The cause for rejection for appointment, enlistment, and induction is a hearing threshold level greater than that described in paragraph c below.
a. Audiometers, calibrated to standards of the International Standards Organization (ISO 1964) or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI 1996), will be used to test the hearing of all applicants.
b. All audiometric tracings or audiometric readings recorded on reports of medical examination or other medical records will be clearly identified.
c. Acceptable audiometric hearing levels (both ears) are:
(1) Pure tone at 500, 1000, and 2000 cycles per second of not more than 30 decibels (dB) on the average (each ear), with no individual level greater than 35dB at these frequencies.
(2) Pure tone level not more than 45 dB at 3000 cycles per second each ear, and 55 dB at 4000 cycles per second each ear.
So if I read your post right, your son went over 35db in one ear on one of the first 3 tones. I'd suggest if a retest shows the same thing, get a referral to an ENT Doc to find out why the selective gap. Hearing can be damaged by a virus, sometimes permanently. Other things can cause it. If the ENT can resolve it, then passing the test at the intake location is advised. They get a lot of gundecked stuff from outside providers and the system (aka taxpayer) isn't happy about having to hand away VA points later because of it.
HEARING
The cause for rejection for appointment, enlistment, and induction is a hearing threshold level greater than that described in paragraph c below.
a. Audiometers, calibrated to standards of the International Standards Organization (ISO 1964) or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI 1996), will be used to test the hearing of all applicants.
b. All audiometric tracings or audiometric readings recorded on reports of medical examination or other medical records will be clearly identified.
c. Acceptable audiometric hearing levels (both ears) are:
(1) Pure tone at 500, 1000, and 2000 cycles per second of not more than 30 decibels (dB) on the average (each ear), with no individual level greater than 35dB at these frequencies.
(2) Pure tone level not more than 45 dB at 3000 cycles per second each ear, and 55 dB at 4000 cycles per second each ear.
So if I read your post right, your son went over 35db in one ear on one of the first 3 tones. I'd suggest if a retest shows the same thing, get a referral to an ENT Doc to find out why the selective gap. Hearing can be damaged by a virus, sometimes permanently. Other things can cause it. If the ENT can resolve it, then passing the test at the intake location is advised. They get a lot of gundecked stuff from outside providers and the system (aka taxpayer) isn't happy about having to hand away VA points later because of it.
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A1C (Join to see)
Thank you Sir. This kind of what I was looking for. I just want to understand what they are looking for and how to try and resolve it. There where not very clear when I asked.
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Capt Jeff S.
I have a friend from the Marines who worked in Air Frames (aka Metal Shop; he was an Air Winger) and he was virtually deaf in one ear. He always turned his head to the side when you were talking so that he could have his good ear facing you. If you were on the wrong side, he wouldn't even know you were talking to him.
Am pretty sure that he did not get that way as a result of something that happened to him as a Marine, so somehow he must have been let in with that pre-existing condition. Am not sure how he got past the physical with his hearing, but we served at a time where it was very unpopular to join the military [right after Vietnam] and they may have lowered the standards to allow people like him to join that otherwise would not qualify.
Am pretty sure that he did not get that way as a result of something that happened to him as a Marine, so somehow he must have been let in with that pre-existing condition. Am not sure how he got past the physical with his hearing, but we served at a time where it was very unpopular to join the military [right after Vietnam] and they may have lowered the standards to allow people like him to join that otherwise would not qualify.
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Find out exactly what his score was. Refer him to an audiologist and ENT physician. See if it can be improved and what is the cause then check the standards in the other branches.
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