My "day" at MEPS (warning: a rant)

[MasterChief_Cortana]

So I was scheduled to go to MEPS today (03/07) for medical for OCS. My recruiter set up a hotel room for me (I live almost 2 hours away). I don't have a car, so my friend was driving me. I made sure to clarify whether my friend staying in the room was ok, and he said it was ok. When I got to the hotel, I even checked with the MEPS desk there, and even they assured me that it was ok because he was my driver and I relied on him.
Fast forward to the morning, I'm checking in at MEPS, get to the medical briefing (about an hour into it) and suddenly I am pulled aside by a nurse who says the MEPS can't continue with my processing, because apparently, officers were not eligible for hotel rooms and guest weres not allowed to stay there. I phoned my recruiter and he was telling me the exact opposite of this. My recruiter scrambled to get it cleared up so I could proceed today, but MEPS was pretty strict about it. They rescheduled me to the 16th, 5 days after my packet to the board is supposed to be submitted. If my recruiter can't work something out this week, I'm having to wait until August for the next board. I feel like I am being punished for someone else's mistake (given that MEPS did admit to making the mistake and giving me the wrong information).
I know that I'm probably going to have to suck it up because this is ultimately what I want to do, so I can't give up on it, but it still feels very wrong and unfair.
Plus, I figured I'd post in case anyone else has/had this issue.

 

[Mos]

I'm not sure I follow the logic of the situation. What does having already slept in a hotel room on the govt's dime have to do with being processed at meps?

 

[snake020]

So I was scheduled to go to MEPS today (03/07) for medical for OCS. My recruiter set up a hotel room for me (I live almost 2 hours away). I don't have a car, so my friend was driving me. I made sure to clarify whether my friend staying in the room was ok, and he said it was ok. When I got to the hotel, I even checked with the MEPS desk there, and even they assured me that it was ok because he was my driver and I relied on him.
Fast forward to the morning, I'm checking in at MEPS, get to the medical briefing (about an hour into it) and suddenly I am pulled aside by a nurse who says the MEPS can't continue with my processing, because apparently, officers were not eligible for hotel rooms and guest weres not allowed to stay there. I phoned my recruiter and he was telling me the exact opposite of this. My recruiter scrambled to get it cleared up so I could proceed today, but MEPS was pretty strict about it. They rescheduled me to the 16th, 5 days my packet to the board is supposed to be submitted. If my recruiter can't work something out this week, I'm having to wait until August for the next board. I feel like I am being punished for someone else's mistake (given that MEPS did admit to making the mistake and giving me the wrong information).
I know that I'm probably going to have to suck it up because this is ultimately what I want to do, so I can't give up on it, but it still feels very wrong and unfair.
Plus, I figured I'd post in case anyone else has/had this issue.

Sounds like typical MEPS shenanigans. For context, I had to go through MEPS as a LCDR in the IRR returning to SELRES, and the hotel room was covered. Their refusing to continue your medical processing based on the hotel room shows the idiocy that continues to run rampant there. I ended up going to the MEPSCOM IG to get them to get them to stop sitting on processing my medical paperwork which took them 9 months and three visits.

If they continue obstructing your path, consider escalating. These are the worst of the worst in bureaucracy.

 

[taxi1]

Fast forward to the morning, I'm checking in at MEPS, get to the medical briefing (about an hour into it) and suddenly I am pulled aside by a nurse who says the MEPS can't continue with my processing, because apparently, officers were not eligible for hotel rooms and guest weres not allowed to stay there.

Unleash administrative hell on them.

Jeebus H Kee-rist what problem are they solving here? Besides which, how did they find out?

 

[ea6bflyr]

I’m a “show me in writing” type of guy. If it’s really a problem, pay for the room yourself…problem solved.

 

[TheClyde]

Odd. I definitely had a hotel room as an officer candidate. Also as noted, it makes no sense why they wouldn't process you if the deed was already done. Care to share which MEPS?

 

[Dboom85]

So I was scheduled to go to MEPS today (03/07) for medical for OCS. My recruiter set up a hotel room for me (I live almost 2 hours away). I don't have a car, so my friend was driving me. I made sure to clarify whether my friend staying in the room was ok, and he said it was ok. When I got to the hotel, I even checked with the MEPS desk there, and even they assured me that it was ok because he was my driver and I relied on him.
Fast forward to the morning, I'm checking in at MEPS, get to the medical briefing (about an hour into it) and suddenly I am pulled aside by a nurse who says the MEPS can't continue with my processing, because apparently, officers were not eligible for hotel rooms and guest weres not allowed to stay there. I phoned my recruiter and he was telling me the exact opposite of this. My recruiter scrambled to get it cleared up so I could proceed today, but MEPS was pretty strict about it. They rescheduled me to the 16th, 5 days after my packet to the board is supposed to be submitted. If my recruiter can't work something out this week, I'm having to wait until August for the next board. I feel like I am being punished for someone else's mistake (given that MEPS did admit to making the mistake and giving me the wrong information).
I know that I'm probably going to have to suck it up because this is ultimately what I want to do, so I can't give up on it, but it still feels very wrong and unfair.
Plus, I figured I'd post in case anyone else has/had this issue.

Welcome to working for the Government. Btw if you’re looking to submit to the may pilot board they’re not taking any more applications and any vetted and submitted after feb25th will be rolled to august or further

 

[exNavyOffRec]

So I was scheduled to go to MEPS today (03/07) for medical for OCS. My recruiter set up a hotel room for me (I live almost 2 hours away). I don't have a car, so my friend was driving me. I made sure to clarify whether my friend staying in the room was ok, and he said it was ok. When I got to the hotel, I even checked with the MEPS desk there, and even they assured me that it was ok because he was my driver and I relied on him.
Fast forward to the morning, I'm checking in at MEPS, get to the medical briefing (about an hour into it) and suddenly I am pulled aside by a nurse who says the MEPS can't continue with my processing, because apparently, officers were not eligible for hotel rooms and guest weres not allowed to stay there. I phoned my recruiter and he was telling me the exact opposite of this. My recruiter scrambled to get it cleared up so I could proceed today, but MEPS was pretty strict about it. They rescheduled me to the 16th, 5 days after my packet to the board is supposed to be submitted. If my recruiter can't work something out this week, I'm having to wait until August for the next board. I feel like I am being punished for someone else's mistake (given that MEPS did admit to making the mistake and giving me the wrong information).
I know that I'm probably going to have to suck it up because this is ultimately what I want to do, so I can't give up on it, but it still feels very wrong and unfair.
Plus, I figured I'd post in case anyone else has/had this issue.

I have never heard of an issue with an Officer Candidate using a hotel room, ever.

The issue of having another sleep in the room with you that was not processing for the military, yes. A few times we had candidates (mainly enlisted) that did this and they were not allowed to process. This is something your recruiter should know, it was one of the first things I was told about when I went recruiting the first time.

Here is some info that you probably don't want to hear, if you were processing today odds are you were not going to make the deadline of March 11th anyway. It would have taken everything working just perfect to make it happen. Once your physical is done MEPS will often have the physical ready 2-3 working days after you complete the physical which means the USN liaison would have been able to get it and send it to your recruiter Thursday am, then the NRD turns around and sends it to N3M to get PQ letter, that on average takes 2 working days, then it needs to get signed and checked by the NRD processors and uploaded that is 1 day, that all adds up to next Tuesday.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

I feel like there’s some details missing… important details.

MEPS processes both enlisted and officer applicants. Similarly, MEPS should allow both applicants to have a hotel the night before… it is not until the morning of when and where enlisted and officer applicants split up. Until then… they are all the same. It doesn’t make sense that an 18 year old who lives 45 mins out to get a hotel while a 20-something (or older) officer applicant who could be several hours out… not be given a hotel.

Additionally, you recruiter should have given you a basic run down (ie: a brief) of the meps process including the night before / hotel. At the hotel, they should have given you a brief as well of things to do/not to do at the hotel prior.

There could have been some miscommunication or misunderstanding… on either your end and/or recruiter. I would make sure you and your recruiter are in sync with the way ahead.

 

[wink]

Almost 40 years ago when I was recruiting our MEPS was pretty AFU as well. Fifteen years after my active duty recruiting orders I came back to the same NRD for special projects as a reservist. Same thing. It is in their DNA. Only thing worse is DODMERB.

 

[sevenhelmet]

Ugghhhh... >20 years later, DODMERB still raises my hackles a little bit. I went through that process. Still don't understand DODMERB/MEPS, or why people go through one vs. the other.

I don't know why MEPS would GAF about your hotel room. Sounds overly intrusive and stupid to me.

 

[flgator92]

I was an interesting case and, luckily, was never processed through a MEPS or DODMERB. Thank God ... it's stories like these that made me never want to go ...