Question about erroneous entry

[texshel]

Okay all, my daughter has had one dream and one dream only for as long as I can remember...to be a Marine. She had a weight problem and she has quite literally worked her butt off for the last 2 1/2 years to make it to where she was within the weight standards. She has fought tooth and nail to be a Marine and was finally able to leave for boot camp on 05/05. Now, that being said, this was after 3 trips to MEPS, each time some thing or another was screwed up. Once something was left off of her paperwork, once they gave her shipping spot away, etc, etc. So, she gets to boot camp and in her first letter she lets me know that things are going well and she's already made squad leader. I got that letter the middle of last week. A couple days ago I get another letter telling me her ear had been really red and she was sent to medical and they in turn sent her to an ear/nose/throat specialist. Yesterday, I got a call from her telling me that she was being discharged and it would be listed as erroneous entry becauase supposedly she has something wrong with her hearing and never should have qualified for enlistment. First off, she didn't just squeak by at MEPS once and manage to get something over on them. She went 3 times and completed the medical exams and also completed the medical when she arrived at Parris Island. At no time did a hearing issue come up. I spoke with a Captain who advised that once she gets home, she can see a doctor and if it's something they can fix, she can always re-enlist later.

1. How could she get past 4 different medical exams and they not find an issue with her hearing until she's 4 weeks into boot camp?
2. It's my understanding that the Marine Corps is not currently allowing anyone with prior service to re-enlist. Is this going to mess up her chances at future enlistment?
3. She stated that they would not tell her what type of medical tests they ran or what the results are, only that she was being discharged...is that right?
4. Is there a way to challenge this discharge?...when I spoke to the Captain she stated that my daughter has been a great recruit, has had no problems with any of they physical demands, etc

Any advice is appreciated.

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[Zulu 36]

Geesh, I don't know what to say. What a kick in the butt.

Erroneous entry is usually the code used when the military is taking the fault for accepting her, otherwise it could be fraudulent entry (if she had lied about something). But, they are also saying the condition is pre-existing and should have been caught at MEPS. MEPS isn't perfect, God (and everyone else) knows.

Technically, your daughter is not considered "prior service" as she didn't serve enough time for that designation. To the best of my knowledge her only option is to do as the Captain suggests: come home, fix whatever is wrong (or get proof it isn't a problem) and try again. Her record in boot camp will be a plus factor for her as she is otherwise a good candidate.

As long as the ear issue is repairable, the battle isn't over. She needs to stick to her guns. Good luck to her.

[doc h fmf]

Being a former corpsman I try to give the best strait forward answer as I can. The DR, should have told your daughter what was wrong,she did ask didnt she?
Have see your DR when she gets home and ask what specifically is wrong. BECAUSE ONE BIG PROBLEM YOU CAN HAVE WITH YOUR EAR IS BALANCE, YOUR BALANCE CAN BE THROWN OFF . sO i GAVE YOU WHAT I know and I wish her goodluck you can pm me if there is anything else i can try to help you with


Stephen Doc Hansen HM3 FMF

[Tennessee Top]

There must be a medical record involved (every recruit/Marine has one). That record must contain any treatments/diagnosis, etc. I would think she has a right to obtain a copy of that record (may require a freedom of information act request I don't know). I'm sure it would be a buearacratic nightmare getting someone to locate and make a copy of her record (no idea how long they maintain records at the depot hospital/clinic but the sooner she could make the request the better). When I retired, I made a complete copy of my medical record which proved to be crucial later on for a disability claim (that was approved because I had the proof). Obviously, her record would assist, and form a basis, for any future treatments/actions.I am really sorry this happened to your daughter and I understand your desire to affix some blame for it. Situations like this are not uncommon. Every recruit cycle has instances of recruits coming down with symptoms they never had before. Most of those are related to asthma/airway reactive disease which can be activated by physical exertion and irritants in the air or a combination of both combined with other factors. In your daughters case, they are claiming she had an undiagnosed pre-existing condition that was in some way exacerbated while at bootcamp.I sincerely hope you can get to the bottom of this and most important, your daughter is given another opportunity to earn the title. Please let us know how all this works out.

[texshel]

Well, so far, I don't have a whole lot of new information. She was able to talk to the doctor and from what I understand, everything looks normal on physical exam so they have no explanation for why she failed the hearing test. However, in a recent letter to her recruiter, she stated that they were treating her for an ear infection at the time they completed the hearing tests, etc. Which makes no sense at all because you will not have an accurate hearing test if it's administered when you have an ear infection. She is being given an erroneous entry discharge and cannot attempt to re-enlist for at least 6 months. So right now it seems our only course of action is to wait until she gets home to get her to a specialist to see what is going on and if there's actually a problem. I guess the most frustrating thing for me at this point is how she made it through meps and medical at basic and the fact that she will have to completely restart the whole process. I will say however that she certainly has not lost her passion for the Corps and is adamant that come hell or high water, she will be a United States Marine. I appreciate all of your responses and will keep you all posted if I get any new information. I was told almost 2 weeks ago that she should be home within 2 weeks, but no news yet on when she'll be heading back to Texas. And by the way, thank you all for your service to this great nation.

[Tennessee Top]

Since she is still there, she still has the chance of getting a copy of her medical record (will be much harder to do from TX). I know recruits have no power but she must try her best. That record of what was done may be crucial to the specialist she is going to see. Better to give them all the tools they need.

The situation does not sound hopeless. The setback is unfortunate but appears only temporary.

Good luck to your daughter and, yes, please keep us updated on her condition and progress. I, and I'm sure many others here, are pulling for her.

[Rocky C]

Since she has spoken to her Recruiter recently from Parris Island, perhaps she can ask him for some help on the medical records before she comes home.

Best of luck...

[texshel]

Daughter's home. They did send medical records with her. We've started some appointments with specialists. Has anyone heard of Ask a Doc through MEPs? I was advised by former recruiter that there was a site I could email to ask about waivers etc?

[Tennessee Top]

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear they gave her a copy of the medical record and hope it proves helpful in the future.

Never heard of such a site but it sure would be useful. If you do find the link please come back and post it here as we get wannabes and poolees asking us questions about medical conditions/waivers all the time. Of course, none of us can help them. If the site exists, seems the people at MEPS would know about it or a search engine should show some results.

Please keep us updated about your daughter's situation and let her know she is welcome to post here as well; she is still a part of the family.