MEPS Scheduling Problems

[Stoker]

Sorry if this is the wrong forum for this, or if it's been covered elsewhere (I did search), but I've been having loads of trouble simply getting my MEPS physical completed and was wondering if anyone had any advice.

I went to MEPS initially in mid-November, and during my talk with the doc he said that since they were missing documents for my Lasik (they'd been sent, but not received, apparently), I'd need to return for a workup with a MEPS eye doc. I wasn't really looking forward to more time off work, long drives, and time spent at MEPS, but no big deal. Since then, however, my recruiter's requests for me to return to MEPS have been cancelled something like five times, due to them missing various documents. A couple of time it was for Lasik docs (that have been sent, and re-sent, at this point, by my recruiter), two other times it has been cancelled because MEPS required documentation on my jaw surgery (I've never had jaw surgery, nor any issues that would require it, but trying to convince them of that is more difficult).

Now it's almost four months since my initial visit. I've been sponsored by a Reserve squadron, but I can't get the ball rolling with the FC1 until MEPS is complete, and with the April deadline for the board fast approaching I'm getting nervous. Anyone have any advice on the best way to clear things up? My recruiter is sympathetic, but I don't think he's doing much more than re-submitting my scheduling request to MEPS every time it's cancelled.

[viper154]

Ask for a number and call. You would be surprised what a phone call can do if you get ahold of the right person. I would also try talking to someone at your hiring unit besides your recruiter. I am not smart on the Reserve hiring process but there is probably a guy in charge of new hires, I would present them with the emails, times, dates, paperwork sent and all that good stuff. Your unit decided to sponsor you so someone from leadership should be willing to make a angry phone call if things aren't getting done.

Bottom line, start hasting the shit out of someone to get things done, on a daily basis. AF lesson #1, no one cares more about you/your career/flying than you. 

[FalconAg]

Was in a very similar boat last year. Off the street Guard hire and my local MEPS wouldn't see me without paperwork for a surgery I never had...

Finally got routed up from my recruiter to my squadron commander who worked with NGB to get me a waiver to bypass MEPS and go straight to Wright Pat after several months of MEPS dropping the ball. 

Agree with Viper154's suggestion. Get a hold of someone in the command chain at the squadron who sponsored you and bring them up to speed on the situation.

[Stoker]

15 hours ago, FalconAg said:

Was in a very similar boat last year. Off the street Guard hire and my local MEPS wouldn't see me without paperwork for a surgery I never had...

Finally got routed up from my recruiter to my squadron commander who worked with NGB to get me a waiver to bypass MEPS and go straight to Wright Pat after several months of MEPS dropping the ball. 

Agree with Viper154's suggestion. Get a hold of someone in the command chain at the squadron who sponsored you and bring them up to speed on the situation.

It's good to know I'm not the only one. Was starting to wonder if I had actually had the surgery after all...

I've let the hiring contact at my sponsoring unit know. Will continue to harry my recruiter in the meantime.

[Stoker]

Finally completed the MEPS process today, five months after my first visit. When I was handed my chart, I noticed 30+ pages of medical documentation for some other dude just stuffed in there... no similarities on SSN, name, DOB, or anything else that would, in theory, lead to the confusion. Someone taking five seconds to compare the names would have saved me months of worry. Now I've got all of two weeks to get everything sorted out before the application deadline for the Reserve board.

This might be better answered in the other thread, but in the interests of not double posting: Recruiter is now saying that, since I "failed" the Depth Perception test at MEPS the first time, I'll need to have it redone at a Reserve base before I can go to Wright-Pat. Anyone have experience getting a Depth Perception test done at a random Reserve base? Can't get it done at my sponsoring unit's base as I'm 1,000 miles away. I know I have DP, had it tested with a civilian doc, just failed at MEPS due to the examiner telling me to select the circle that was darker (rather than the circle that was darker or lighter), so I ended up guessing between two equally dark circles while ignoring the (correct) lighter one.

[matmacwc]

Copy DP

[Duck]

I thought pilots were the dirtiest minds in the AF... then I flew a bunch of nurses to Hickam... I got some stories...


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[tk1313]

I picked the circle that popped out of the screen. Why are they instructing you to pick the darker/lighter circle?

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[Stoker]

Har har on the acronym. Guess I should have thrown a "so to speak" in there somewhere. What can I say, I'm new.

TK, the corpsman who gave me the exam explained it as picking whichever circle looked darker. It was very hurried. I got checked out by a civilian doc afterwards (as I was in fear that I didn't have any depth perception and would be DQed), got the test explained correctly, saw the circles clear as day and passed. But I guess now I and my recruiter need to figure out how to officially move forward, as I'm guessing my word saying "Oh yeah, the doc said it was fine," isn't enough.

I had thought from the Depth Perception thread that a failure on the circles test at MEPS wasn't enough to be disqualifying, and I'd just get sent to Wright-Pat for the FC1 where they'd sort it out, but from what I'm hearing from my recruiter that is not the case.

[tk1313]

Read this, they even quote the instruction. Best advice was from Bayou_Eagle_Driver

[Bobsan]