Questions regarding ACASP program

lr4425

My fiance has been talking to the recruiter about going in under the acasp program in the army.  He is red/green deficient, however, he can see the vivid red/vivid green. The recruiter said that they could waiver the color vision since he already has his paramedic civilian skills. Does anyone know if this is true or not? I am a little leary about how they would be able to waiver something so important...

Any answer would be appreciated!

Thanks, Lyndsay

leannalyn

I don't think the recruiter would lie about something like that. Before he can join, he will have to fill out a bunch of paperwork that includes his medical history, and he will have to have a physical which will include an eye exam. If his red/green color deficiency is a disqualifying condition, his case will be passed on to a board to decide if they can make an exception. The exception would be based on the specific condition, job he is going after, etc. There are a million "disqualifying" conditions, but they also make a lot of exceptions. For example, I broke my leg when I was 11 and had to have surgery, this technically disqualified me from commissioning, but it went before the board and they issued an exception. It did delay my commission by a couple of months, though. The recruiters probably have a good idea of what conditions get excused and what don't because they do this all the time, so the information they gave your fiance is probably accurate, but you can never know for sure until all of the paperwork goes through.

lr4425

I had heard that the job that he is going after has a requirement for color vision stuff, he's already a paramedic here but I figure that to be a medic in the army there are more requirements because of the type of work you will have to do, and color coded things and infrared that is used...

leannalyn

I understand that you're concerned for him. But, if he has told the recruiter that he has a color vision deficiency, and they have said that they think it is okay to go ahead and apply, then I would trust that information. I don't know the requirements for all the different jobs, but if his problems with color vision are an absolute disqualifying factor for his being a medic, the recruiters would know of that and would not go through the rigorous process of having him apply. The Army will not put him in the field as a medic if they are not confident that he is fit to do the job. The recruiters word is also not the last say, there are a lot of safety nets in place to catch problems. Like I mentioned before, he will fill out paperwork stating that he has problems with his color vision and they will test his vision before he is allowed to enlist. If after this, the Army decides it is a problem that would compromise his ability to do his job, then they won't accept him. Again, if the Army isn't confident that he can do his job for whatever reason, they won't risk his life and the other soldiers lives by putting him in the field. If you really don't believe the recruiter you've been working with, you could easily call another recruiting station and explain it over the phone to ensure you're getting the same answer across the board.

mysticl

I don't lknow about this situation but I do know of a situation where a recruiter told someone to lie about their medical history.  The girl already had PTSD and was on psychotropic drugs.  She was told to lie on the health forms and at her physical.  She got in, went to boot camp, and big shock washed out. 

I'm not saying all recruiters lie but unethical people manage to make it into all areas of employment so if something seems off to you it doesn't hurt to do some double checking. 

leannalyn

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_questions-regarding-acasp-program?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:72659d47-dd58-4a5c-bf20-e56c67823302Post:fa308d74-cffe-4c77-a09a-aa14acff6082">Re: Questions regarding ACASP program</a>:
[QUOTE]I don't lknow about this situation but I do know of a situation where a recruiter told someone to lie about their medical history.  The girl already had PTSD and was on psychotropic drugs.  She was told to lie on the health forms and at her physical.  She got in, went to boot camp, and big shock washed out.  I'm not saying all recruiters lie but unethical people manage to make it into all areas of employment so if something seems off to you it doesn't hurt to do some double checking. 
Posted by mysticl[/QUOTE]

I have heard of this happening before, but I think it is really rotten, and hopefully it is uncommon. Even if her fiance lied about his color vision in the paperwork, which I hope he wouldn't, and for some reason the person at MEPS has a stroke and messes up the exam and doesn't catch it, all soldiers are required to have a full physical exam before deploying, so it would get caught then. Things like PTSD aren't as easy to catch in the beginning because they are less black and white.

calindi

Recruiters often have a quota, and get rewards for meeting those.  BF's recruiter nearly danced with glee when he told him that he wanted to be a JAG in the Marine Corps - there's not very many of them.

That said, as long as he doesn't lie on any paperwork, he should feel free to go ahead and apply.  If it would impact his ability to perform the job, one of the safety nets along the application process will catch it.

kyrgyzstan

Make sure you get all of the recruiter's promises in writing. If he signs up, goes to MEPS, and is DQd for the job he wants, he could end up going in with a general contract and get a job he hates.

Always get everything in writing.