Scholarship Postponement

[Srtitan89]

Ok this is purely hypothetical, for obvious reasons.

Say you had a pilonidal cyst excised about November 06'. It started healing up nicely for the first few months, but then about February 07' it opened back up and started giving you problems. Say it didn't heal and you had to have another surgery on a smaller area to correct something that didn't heal properly. Also, say, that because of this surgery, I am unable to arrive to Indoc week physically able to run / do sit-ups (pilonidal cysts are on the tailbone area)... Would I be able to postpone my scholarship till say my sophomore year and pick it up then? Assuming I am completely fit by then and can do the running / situps etc no problem, that is.

I've been accepted to my school of choice, and have a full rotc scholarship to that school. I already got my waiver from DODMERB for my first surgery, but complications arose after that may lead to another surgery soon.

I REALLY want to go Navy, and It would crush me if I'm not able to do ROTC during college. I'd rather not do OCS, and the free ride isn't bad either.

Would they hold my scholarship for me till my sophomore year, or my freshman second semester, or would I have to reapply my sophomore year for another scholarship?

 

[navy09]

I know you probably don't want to, but you really need to be up front about this and let your unit know what's going on. I don't know about "holding" your scholarship for a year, but I know people have taken LOAs for much less severe reasons. On LOA, you don't get any benefits, but you also don't have to do anything with the unit. They might even let you stay involved with the unit (and on scholarship) in a NPQ/ Light Duty status (I have no idea what the symptoms/ prognosis of your condition are, or if this would be a possibility). Talk to your unit!

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

You might be able to be on light duty while you heal up. Contact your unit and see what ya'll can come up with.

 

[raptor10]

From the Midshipman Regulations Ch II Section 205 Physical examinations

Report of Illness or Injury. Each student enrolled in the NROTC must report all significant or incapacitating injuries or illnesses to the Professor of Naval Science. Incapacitating injury or illness is normally that which precludes attendance at classes. In case of doubt, a report should be made. Failure of a student to comply with this subparagraph may result in disciplinary action. Please note that use of certain medications, most notably any medication for asthma, may be permanently disqualifying.

From the Midshipman Regulations Ch II Section 212

212. LEAVE OF ABSENCE (LOA)

1. Placement in LOA Status by the Professor of Naval Science. The PNS has the authority to place a midshipman on LOA in the following cases (any type of negative LOA (loss of scholarship benefits) shall be assigned only after a PRB is held.
   1. Academic deficiency. This occurs only in certain circumstances, usually as a last resort, after other administrative actions have been exhausted.
   2. Inaptitude for service including failure to adhere to Navy/Marine Corps physical readiness/physical fitness standards or weight control standards.
   3. Physical, immediately upon notification of an injury, illness, etc.
   4. Pregnancy.
   5. Expiration of benefits.
   6. Less than full-time student (less than 12 hours).
   7. Failure to complete the calculus or physics requirements in the required time.
   8. Failure of calculus or physics.
   9. Failure to pass 3/C swim test prior to sophomore year.
   10. Overseas study without benefits. (If questions arise concerning this situation see section 5.8 in CNET P1533/3 NROTC Administrative Manual (NAM).
   11. Internship or research project.
   12. Voluntary - Students may fill out a Request for Leave of Absence From NROTC Program (CNET form 1050/1), available in the Administration Office, in order to:
       • to resolve personal hardship or other personal situation,
       • to obtain a graduate degree. (Requests for graduate study LOA shall be made by letter via the PNS to the Chief of Naval Education and Training. Marine option midshipmen are not allowed to request or attend graduate study as part of the NROTC Program. The Navy option midshipman should indicate in his/her letter the reason for and the length of the requested LOA and should enclose proof of acceptance to graduate school and a copy of the latest academic transcript. If the acceptance letter has not been received, the PNS may state that the student will most likely be accepted. The field of study must be a logical progression of the undergraduate study and the field of study must be of interest to the Navy. The graduate study must be accomplished under the direct supervision of a PNS, but not necessarily at Ohio State. The course of study may not require more than eighteen months to complete. Students to be commissioned between 1 October to 31 March must submit their request early enough to reach CNET by 15 July. Those to be commissioned between 1 April and 30 September must submit their request early enough to reach CNET by 15 January. CNET can approve 40 LOAs for graduate study each fiscal year.)
2. Interim LOA. To reduce to a minimum the cases in which a midshipman obligates, and/or the Navy pays tuition costs, when it is apparent that the midshipman's performance is below average and the likelihood of improvement questionable, the PNS may independently assign "interim LOA" status to a midshipman in advance of an actual board action. The midshipman shall be notified of the interim LOA and that he/she will be required to pay tuition for the upcoming quarter. As soon as possible upon return to the unit, a Performance Review Board shall be held. If a LOA is approved by the PRB and the PNS concurs, then the LOA will become permanent for the quarter. If LOA is not deemed warranted, the interim LOA will be removed and all benefits restored and back-paid.
3. Participation in the NROTC Program While in a LOA Status. Midshipmen on LOA may continue to take naval science courses and participate in other NROTC activities. Midshipmen on an inaptitude LOA must participate. During the time a student is in a physical LOA status, to receive retroactive benefits in the program, the student must participate in the NROTC Program with the exception of physical activitites.
4. Termination of LOA. The Professor of Naval Science will notify the midshipman by letter when the midshipman is removed from LOA. Note: If midshipmen are on LOA due to academics, aptitude, less than fulltime students, non-completion of calculus or physics in appropriate time, they forfeit their benefits. Only in cases of physical or pregnancy LOAs are benefits retroactive.

 

[sbpilot]

As a midshipman, are you allowed to just leave for a vacation, or drive home for a weekend? Or is there paperwork you need to do. How does it work?

 

[Flash]

Say you had a pilonidal cyst excised about November 06'. It started healing up nicely for the first few months, but then about February 07' it opened back up and started giving you problems. Say it didn't heal and you had to have another surgery on a smaller area to correct something that didn't heal properly. Also, say, that because of this surgery, I am unable to arrive to Indoc week physically able to run / do sit-ups (pilonidal cysts are on the tailbone area)... Would I be able to postpone my scholarship till say my sophomore year and pick it up then? Assuming I am completely fit by then and can do the running / situps etc no problem, that is.

Would they hold my scholarship for me till my sophomore year, or my freshman second semester, or would I have to reapply my sophomore year for another scholarship?

Be up front to the unit about it and they will tell you what you need to do. Pionidal Cysts are not a disqualifying condition, I had one in college when I was in ROTC (not scholarship or contract at the time though) and I got cleared to go to continue in ROTC and healed up okay. I had to provide all of the documentation abotu the surgery and how I healed, so keep everything. Just be careful though, they can reoccur........

 

[raptor10]

As a midshipman, are you allowed to just leave for a vacation, or drive home for a weekend? Or is there paperwork you need to do. How does it work?

As long as you are not missing a unit activity they don't bother you. Your contact info is on file and you always carry the SDO's number in case anything goes wrong, however the OC's attached to the unit (MECEPers and STA-21 guys) play by different rules.

 

[othromas]

SrTitan, I second telling the command. You don't want to keep this under wraps. How long will something like that take to heal? I'm asking because if it's a relatively short thing you might be able to keep the scholarship, but not do O&I with the unit--you'll kind of be the odd guy out once you get to school, but it's not that big a deal in the long run, and you'll just do it again over either the winter break or the next summer or something.

 

[Srtitan89]

It wouldn't take more than 2-4 months tops

 

[navy09]

So...wouldn't you be cool by August?

 

[Srtitan89]

Assuming I got the surgery right now, yes...But my family is in a sort of financial situation right now. I'm not worried about having to pay for a semester or year on my own; it would be worth it as long as I can still do NROTC in the end.

I just wanted to make sure my scholarship wouldn't get revoked if I'm not ready by August

 

[CommodoreMid]

You won't get it revoked necessarily. My freshman year I had been awarded a scholarship but I was still waiting on a waiver from DODMERB. They let me start ROTC but weren't paying my scholarship. The day I got my waiver in December the Navy retroactively paid my first semester tuition.

 

[othromas]

What CommodoreMid said. Seriously, you got the scholarship, you're still interested in NROTC, and if you show that you're doing what you can to keep the head honchos in the loop and to resolve the situation, you should be okay.