DOD Medical Examination Review Board

• DODMERB Case Managers' contact information is listed on the DMACS Applicant Portal: https://ready2serve.dmacs.health.mil. 
• The quickest and most effective way to reach your Case Manager is through the DODMERB helpdesk at dha.ncr.dod-merb.mbx.helpdesk@health.mil.

• After the accession program to which you have applied sends DODMERB your name and contact information, you will receive a registration invitation email to create a DMACS Applicant Portal account. Once you have successfully registered, you will be required to complete your medical history and pre-examination requirements. Thereafter, Civ Team will send you an email with instructions to schedule your medical examination. 
• Most medical examinations will be scheduled through CIV Team Inc, Philadelphia, PA, our DODMERB contractor. 
• CIV Team will attempt to contact you up to 4 times (initially 15, 30, and 45 days later). If you do not get a medical examination scheduled within that timeframe, you will need to start the process over. (Do not know that this is applicable anymore – should likely be removed).
• CIV Team utilizes the zip code you provide to assign you to the nearest examination facility, a government-contracted medical, optometric and, in a few cases, audiology facility.

• All medical history and pre-examination requirements are completed in DMACS (https://ready2serve.dmacs.health.mil). Your medical examination appointments are scheduled in DODMETS (https://www.dodmets.com) is our contractor's website used to schedule your medical examination and any additional medical appointments requested by and paid for by DODMERB.
• For DODMETS, please call CIV Team at 215-587-9600 and they’ll assist you with initial access, and with any problems you may have logging into your account.

• To create a DMACS account (DODMERB’s processing system), go to the DMACS website at https://ready2serve.dmacs.health.mil and click “Login” and follow the instructions. 
• If your registration invitation email has expired, please contact the DODMERB helpdesk at dha.ncr.dod-merb.mbx.helpdesk@health.mil to receive a new registration email. 
• If you are having difficulty accessing your DMACS account, please follow the account recovery options (Forgot Username? or Forgot Password?) and if you are not able to access your established account, please contact the DHA Global Support Center helpdesk at 1-800-600-9332 or https://gsc.health.mil.

You will need to contact both DoDMERB and DoDMETS. 

• DODMERB - Please email the DODMERB helpdesk (dha.ncr.dod-merb.mbx.helpdesk@health.mil) with any changes (email, school, phone number, etc.) and they will update your information on your DMACS profile or provide you with the necessary steps to complete the change. 
• DODMETS - Please contact Civ Team (info@civteam.com or 215-587-9600) so they can update your account information.  This is important for scheduling exams or any additional medical services that may be needed.

• Additional Medical Information are things like medical records that you can obtain or questionnaires or statements you can complete and upload in your DMACS Applicant Portal. 
• When copies of medical records are requested from you, we are specifically looking for the actual doctor's notes (clinical records) in addition to any associated records (such as results of lab work, operative reports, radiology interpretations, tests, etc.).  Please do not send downloaded patient portal records unless they contain the actual provider notes. 
• The best way to obtain medical records is to contact your provider’s office or clinic/hospital records department directly. This is the best way to ensure timely evaluation and processing of YOUR case. 
• If you are under 18 years of age, your parents may need to obtain these records. 
• If you are away at school, you may need to obtain a power of attorney to allow your parent/guardian to obtain your records on your behalf.

• Upload the requested documents directly to your DMACS Applicant Portal under the Additional Actions Required card on your homepage by clicking Additional Actions. If you are submitting documents and the request code does not permit uploading or submitting an unsolicited request, please upload your documents as a miscellaneous upload by clicking More and Miscellaneous Documents Upload from your DMACS homepage. This is the most efficient way to get your information processed as quickly as possible. 
• Please ensure all documents submitted in PDF format are 25MBs or smaller.  If larger, please compress or break up the document(s) into multiple files. 
• For United States Postal Service (USPS) or other mail carrier, use the address below:
      DODMERB
      8034 Edgerton Drive, Suite 132
      USAFA, CO 80840 

• Additional Medical Services are things like lab tests, x-rays, echocardiograms, or specialty medical appointments DODMERB requests and will pay for if you use the DODMERB contractor.  
• For AMS, you have 3 options: Please note that you will NOT be reimbursed for any transportation/lodging costs you may incur.

1) Use the DODMERB contractor – CIV Team. This is the preferred option since CIV Team is already aware of your AMS requirement and will assist you with locating the nearest subcontracted physician or facility in your area.

• Log onto their website: https://www.dodmets.com to see the physician assigned to complete your AMS.
• You can call CIV Team at 215-587-9600.
• You can contact them via the website or email them at info@civteam.com.
• The subcontractor will send the results of your medical service directly to CIV Team at no expense to you.

2) Use a private physician or test facility of your choice, at your own expense.

• The government WILL NOT pay for, nor reimburse you for, this option!
• You will need to make the appointment yourself.
• You will need to take all correspondence letters to your provider, so they know exactly what you are being evaluated for and what needs to be accomplished.
• You will need to obtain copies of the clinical records and upload the results to your DMACS Applicant Portal.
• Note: DODMERB does not provide referrals or orders for this scheduling option.

3) Use a Military Treatment Facility.

• In limited instances, applicants may utilize a military treatment facility (MTF) to complete the DODMERB medical examination, as well as AMS as may be requested by DODMERB.
• An example of such an instance would include an applicant residing overseas where the DODMERB medical contractor cannot provide the necessary medical services. In general, medical examinations conducted at MTFs delay processing and should be a last resort option.
• Although this option is at no cost to you, access to the MTF may be cumbersome and not every MTF will be capable of completing every possible AMS.
• Your DODMERB letter will be your authorization to obtain AMS and must be brought with you to the Military Installation for base/post access.
• You can find military facilities at: http://www.tricare.mil/mtf/
• Note: DODMERB does not provide referrals or orders for this scheduling option.

• If your medical examination was completed by our civilian contractor (CIV Team) they have up to 30 days from the day the medical examination was completed to send the results to DODMERB. This gives them time for their stringent quality control process to ensure your file has everything that is required.
• You should continue to monitor your DMACS Applicant Portal AND your email during this time. 
• Any additional questions should be directed to CIV Team at 215-587-9600.

• DODMERB applies standards using the Department of Defense Instruction 6130.03, Volume 1: “Medical Standards for Military Service: Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction.” 
• If you receive a message that you have one or more medical conditions that “do not meet military medical standards,” it means that DODMERB determined that one or more conditions documented in your medical examination or other medical information you provided to DODMERB falls outside of the standards outlined in DoDI 6130.03.

• Many medical accession standards are based on the “history of” a past condition, regardless of whether it has resolved or in in remission. You may not currently have the condition; however, in accordance with the medical standards listed in the DoDI, having the condition in the past (i.e., “history of”) is sufficient to identify the condition as “does not meet military medical standards.”
• For example, the DoDI lists the following as not meeting medical standards: “History of acute allergic reaction to fish, crustaceans, shellfish, peanuts, or tree nuts…” Even if you had an acute allergy reaction many years ago and can now eat the previously offending food, the fact that you previously had an allergic reaction is still outside of military medical standards.
• The only way for an applicant to continue in the accession process is for your commissioning program Waiver Authority to review the findings and grant a medical waiver of that specific military medical standard.
• The medical waiver process is described in a separate section: “What is a medical waiver and what is the process?”

• If you are found to have one or more conditions that do not meet military medical standards, the only way for you to continue in the accessioning process is if the commissioning program to which you have applied reviews your case and grants you a waiver of military medical accession standards, i.e., a medical waiver. 
• The medical waiver process is described in separate section: “What is a medical waiver and what is the process?”

• Once an applicant has been found to have one or more conditions that do not meet medical standards for the commissioning program to which he/she has applied, that commissioning program has the option to initiate a process by which their doctors and/or specialists conduct a case-by-case evaluation of that applicant's medical history and medical examination findings to determine if the applicant can be admitted despite the condition in question. 
• This is called a waiver of military medical accession standards, i.e., a medical waiver. 
• A medical waiver allows an applicant to enter military service commissioning programs even though they did not meet military medical accession standards.
• The commissioning program to which you are applying, not DODMERB, decides which cases they will review, and decides the cases for which they grant a medical waiver. 
• There is NOT a standard timeline for rendering any medical waiver decision. Once they have decided to review a specific applicant’s case, Waiver Authorities provide a comprehensive evaluation and issue as timely a decision as possible. DODMERB has no influence on determinations or processing times. 
• DODMERB and the Waiver Authorities work together, but we are separate and independent entities.  Emailing the DODMERB Helpdesk to ask, “Where is my waiver?” will generally not yield meaningful information as the DODMERB Case Managers do not have direct visibility of the medical waiver decision making process. 
• Your medical examination and any additional information DODMERB received is sent directly to the Waiver Authority of the commissioning program to which you have applied. 
• If a Waiver Authority needs more medical information, the request will come via DODMERB to your DMACS Applicant Portal and email. Please comply with all requests as soon as possible. 
• DODMERB will not speculate what decisions might be rendered by the Waiver Authorities. As stated above, Waiver Authorities are independent of DODMERB and make decisions based on their Service policies, commissioning program requirements, training, and experience.

• Please check with the admissions office about the status of any waiver.

• All Army ROTC cadets and Navy ROTC midshipmen are automatically considered for a waiver by their respective Waiver Authority. 
• Please contact your unit staff/cadre for any questions or concerns about your medical waiver process. They can reach out to the waiver authority and check on the status of your waiver. 
• You may also locate the contact information for the relevant Waiver Authority directly within your DMACS Applicant Portal. To find it, navigate to "My Sponsorship" section, click on the specific sponsorship you are inquiring about, and you should see a yellow banner displaying the Waiver Authority's contact information. 
• You won’t hear from DODMERB unless the Waiver Authority requests additional medical information/testing or if the Waiver Authority has rendered a waiver decision.  
• Please continue to monitor your DMACS Portal for either a request for additional information or to learn if the Waiver Authority has rendered a waiver decision.

• All recipients of a 4-year or 3-year guaranteed scholarship from the HQs AFROTC National board who have one or more conditions that do not meet medical standards are automatically considered for a medical waiver; you don’t need to apply. 
• For all other Air Force ROTC candidates, you will need to ask your ROTC unit to request a waiver on your behalf. Your detachment commander will determine if they request a medical waiver on your behalf.  
• You won’t hear from DODMERB unless the Waiver Authority needs additional medical information (records or examinations) to render their waiver decision. 
• Please continue to monitor the DODMERB website for either a request for additional information or to learn if the Waiver Authority has rendered a waiver decision.

• The Waiver Authorities are all separate and independent entities from DODMERB.  Their process to review a case for a final waiver decision can take from weeks to months. 
• The Waiver Authority might request additional medical records, statements, or testing, which you will upload into your DMACS Applicant Portal for inclusion in your record. 
• If you haven’t heard anything regarding your waiver after 30 days, please contact the DODMERB helpdesk to see if anything is still needed. 
• DODMERB is not involved in rendering waiver decisions. The commissioning program to which you applied will make the waiver decision.

• Applicants with one more medical condition that “do not meet military medical standards” for whom medical waiver is not pursued by the Waiver Authority, and applicants whose case is reviewed and denied by the appropriate Waiver Authority cannot continue the process with that commissioning program. 
• DODMERB is NOT involved in rendering waiver decisions but does facilitate transmitting additional medical information to the Waiver Authority. 
• DODMERB will accept any additional medical documentation you wish to submit for consideration at any time.  Additional medical documentation may include medical test results, physician notes/records, etc., that DODMERB does not already have AND that pertain to the conditions(s) that did not meet military medical standards or other medical history. Upload these documents to your DMACS Applicant Portal as a miscellaneous upload to be forwarded for the Waiver Authority to review.

Detachment HRA – the medical examination has expired – how do we start a new one?

• Medical examinations are good for 2 years from the date of the medical examination.
• You will only need to schedule a new exam for non-contracted applicants.
• When a medical examination has expired, or will expire within 60 days, you will need to add the applicant through the DMACS Agency portal as a new applicant/sponsorship to have a new exam authorized
• If you are planning on contracting prior to the expiration date of the physical, you will not need to schedule a new exam.