MEPS Issues

[sprangenson]

I have searched the forum for this topic, my apologies if it was already addressed in another thread. I was accepted to OCS with pilot designation for the Feb 16th class date. I am concerned about the flight physical because I failed the depth perception test at MEPS. I took one at a civilian eye doctor and was able to get a waiver. I was told I would have a flight physical the 3rd week at OCS. If I fail this I am wondering what my options are. I know I could re-designate to NFO or something else, but I am not 100% sure at this point if that is what I will do. My question is if I choose that I do not want to re-designate to another field and choose to leave OCS, am I still committed to an enlistment term? I am not prior service, but know I have to enlist before I go.

 

[schwarti]

Read over your contract before you sign. My contract (which is for SWO) says that if I DOR or am NPQ'd, I will be released from Naval service. I think that unless you're prior enlisted or BDCP, you don't have any obligation until you're commissioned. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[sprangenson]

Thanks for the response, I am awaiting my contract and I plan on working over every detail. Hopefully my contract will have the same stipulations as yours did. My recruiter never gives me a straight answer about this, I think its because she just doesn't know and it drives me crazy. I have come across people who say you are committed to a 2 year enlistment term if you wash out of OCS or choose to leave, but I doubt they are credible sources. Anyway, thanks for the advice, anyone else have any knowledge or possibly first hand experience with this issue?

 

[tiger84]

Thanks for the response, I am awaiting my contract and I plan on working over every detail. Hopefully my contract will have the same stipulations as yours did. My recruiter never gives me a straight answer about this, I think its because she just doesn't know and it drives me crazy. I have come across people who say you are committed to a 2 year enlistment term if you wash out of OCS or choose to leave, but I doubt they are credible sources. Anyway, thanks for the advice, anyone else have any knowledge or possibly first hand experience with this issue?

Unless things have changed recently you should just be separated if you DOR. That is unless you owe the Navy for something like BDCP. My class had a shitload of DORs who were straight off the street and they wound up in student pool for a few weeks/months until being sent home.

 

[Tom]

I assume you are off the street in regards to OCS (not a prior or program person).

If you fail the flight physical in the first week you sometimes get "retested" on some items.

OC 1: A guy passes out giving blood during his physical. Passing out NPQ's you. He the chose to not redesignate (pick a new job), got sent to student pool and was eventually separated (6-7 weeks).

OC 2: A guy failed to meet eye standards for pilot. He was retested twice and failed all times. His dream was to be a pilot so he left to get PRK and was going to try to come back. Went to student pool and eventually separated (3 weeks).

OC 3: A guy failed to meet eye standards for pilot. He was retested and failed. His dream was to be a naval officer so he redesignated as a NFO. There was no break in training and he commissioned.

If you do not pass the flight physical for your designator, you can choose to leave with no penalty. If you DOR you can leave with no penalty.

When I say penalty, I do not mean to degrade the enlisted ranks. My thought process is that there will be no further obligation. In a medical case the option is truly yours to stay or leave. Keep in mind that even if you want to redesignate sometimes the community will not take you and you are out of luck.

The contractual obligation to enlist is for people who get money from the Navy. I was BDCP and got paid for 1.5 years prior to OCS. If I DOR'ed or got attrited (kicked out) I would be required to enlist as a striker for 2 years. If I got NPQ'ed I could try to redesignate or leave. The same goes for NUPOC (nuke bobble head guys) and CEC (civil engineers). If you are a prior then you fall back to your prior contract.

Now that those possibilities were explained, let's move onto depth perception. I failed the depth perception test at MEPS, went to a civilian doctor, passed their test and got in. I later took the same test once in OCS and once while checking in to API. I passed both times. What happened? I don't really know. The circles just didn't stand out the first time, but did the other times.

Here is what I did when I traveled to OCS. I got two copies of the letter my civilian doctor wrote to the Navy stating I had unremarkable depth perception (normal). One letter came with me when I checked in and one stayed in my car. If I failed the depth perception test for my flight physical I had a plan. I would present the letter to the doctor (assuming they lost the first one in my medical record) to explain the issue. Depth perception is something you generally have or do not have. It will not suddenly go away. Make sure to be professional and respectful to the doctor in this process. From here you would attempt to find a solution.

This plan was told to me by a former flight surgeon. At the end of the explanation he told me a great piece of advice, "Do not worry about going to medical. If everything goes right, it goes right. If it does not, then it does not. Try you best at everything and what happens happens."

Good luck with OCS and make sure you drink a shit ton of water the days before and the day of the physical. It takes a while to properly hydrate your so plan ahead.

 

[blur]

There's a flight physical at OCS? I thought the next one after MEPS would be in Pensacola right before API?

 

[puck_11]

Don't worry about it, Tom failed it at Meps and passed in his physical. It was something I was very stressed about because I passed at MEPS only after several guesses, "nope, try again." Once I got down there, it wasn't that big of a deal, relax, move your head around slightly once you're looking at it. One will tend to pop out. Get a magic eye book and get good at it, thats what I did.

 

[BACONATOR]

I guessed on 50% of it at MEPS and passed it in pcola just fine at OCS. My answer? Hydration and sleep. Your first day at OCS you will be chuggin water until you piss water. Second is, although you don't get much sleep, the first night isn't too bad and I got a WHOLE LOT more sleep than I did before MEPS. Both color vision and depth went fine for me (I struggled with Depth and failed the PIP plates at MEPS).

 

[shotcalla10]

I was pro rec'd for SNA and SNFO and then failed the color vision test at MEPS but went to a Civvy doctor and passed and then got a letter explaining that even though I have a mild deficiency, it won't affect me in all duties as a naval aviation officer... turned that in with the MEPS and got NPQed still for SNA but got picked up for SNFO. My recruiter told me to start mentioning a switch to SNA when I pass the flight physical... is that something I can do since I was NPQed only due to the color vision issue?

 

[Ken_gone_flying]

I was pro rec'd for SNA and SNFO and then failed the color vision test at MEPS but went to a Civvy doctor and passed and then got a letter explaining that even though I have a mild deficiency, it won't affect me in all duties as a naval aviation officer... turned that in with the MEPS and got NPQed still for SNA but got picked up for SNFO. My recruiter told me to start mentioning a switch to SNA when I pass the flight physical... is that something I can do since I was NPQed only due to the color vision issue?

Dude, if you pass the color vision portion during your flight physical, I'm not sure how they would still say your NPQed. Good luck on that physical bro.

 

[BACONATOR]

I was pro rec'd for SNA and SNFO and then failed the color vision test at MEPS but went to a Civvy doctor and passed and then got a letter explaining that even though I have a mild deficiency, it won't affect me in all duties as a naval aviation officer... turned that in with the MEPS and got NPQed still for SNA but got picked up for SNFO. My recruiter told me to start mentioning a switch to SNA when I pass the flight physical... is that something I can do since I was NPQed only due to the color vision issue?

Did you fail the PIP test and retest on the FALANT? If so, then probably nothing much you can do but retest later and hope for the best. If you failed PIP, but weren't retested on FALANT and shown the door for SNA, you got screwed. I failed the plates, but could pass the FALANT. I then passed the plates later on, but never would have gotten past MEPS without the FALANT.

 

[robav8r]

My answer? Hydration and sleep.

Can't stress this enough - whatever you decide, hydrate like crazy and get as much sleep as you can the night before your eye exam . . . . . trust me !!!

 

[shotcalla10]

Did you fail the PIP test and retest on the FALANT? If so, then probably nothing much you can do but retest later and hope for the best. If you failed PIP, but weren't retested on FALANT and shown the door for SNA, you got screwed. I failed the plates, but could pass the FALANT. I then passed the plates later on, but never would have gotten past MEPS without the FALANT.

I failed the PIP test and then failed the FALANT because the guy got me all nervous and he didn't even carry out the test correctly (which I learned after i did more research on the way it should be conducted) and then I decided to goto Berkeley School of Optometry and took the FALANT again along with the Farnsworth D-15 arrangement test and PIP. I failed the PIP but passed both FALANT and D-15. The doctor wrote a whole page explaning my diagnosis saying that i have a very mild deficiency but that it will have no effect in my duties as a Naval Aviation Officer. But for some reason I was NPQed for final select SNA and got SNFO (which confused me too because from my understanding, their requirements are the same). Either the SNA board didn't see the doctor's letter (which Feddoc thought may be a possibility) or I was a victim of "the needs of the Navy." But yea, I know I can pass the FALANT test when I do the flight physical so I was wondering since I was NPQed just for the color vision issue, if a switch to SNA may be allowed when I pass the flight physical. if not, that's totally fine but I'm thinking it'd be worth the effort. what do you think?

 

[Ken_gone_flying]

Can't stress this enough - whatever you decide, hydrate like crazy and get as much sleep as you can the night before your eye exam . . . . . trust me !!!

I'm not arguing this, just curious. By getting a lot of sleep and being hydrated going into the test, what does that help exactly? I can understand how it may allow you to see images more sharply, but that doesn't help the color vision or depth perception tests any, does it? If your going to fail either of those, your going to fail them whether your hydrated and rested or not, right?

 

[BACONATOR]

I'm not arguing this, just curious. By getting a lot of sleep and being hydrated going into the test, what does that help exactly? I can understand how it may allow you to see images more sharply, but that doesn't help the color vision or depth perception tests any, does it? If your going to fail either of those, your going to fail them whether your hydrated and rested or not, right?

I can't speak to the reasons (certainly not about why it helps color), but it DOES. If you are dehydrated, so are your eyes, and I'm positive your visual acuity suffers. Depth perception can be lost by many things, including fatigue, dehydration, alcohol, and I'm sure many others...