Thread by @FreeToDisagree1

Why is #militaryrecruiting failing? A thread:

I am a military recruiter. Looking back at historical data contracts in my assigned area went down 30% from FY20 to FY21, which was COVID. A lot of our access to high schools and events was severely diminished with the pandemic. /1

In FY22, high schools opened back up, and we thought there was light at the end of the tunnel, then the perfect storm happened. A toxic anti-military political movement happened among conservatives which portrayed us as “woke” political pawns pointing to things like CRT at /2

USMA, COVID vaccine mandate, transgender exemptions to serve, etc. Suddenly conservative rural markets which typically yield more contracts per capita than urban markets started drying up. Also, the DOD fielded MHS Genesis which is a medical information system that links /3

electronic health records across the DOD, VA, and civilian systems. This is a win for veterans gathering medical evidence for service connection disability claims but an absolute death nail for recruiting because MEPS medical officers also use this system during the screening /4

process. Now every applicant hoping to join the military is having their records combed through by MEPCOM doctors who make a snap decision based on that information to allow an applicant to process, or disqualify them based on their history. This can not be amplified enough: /5

MHS Genesis is butchering the recruiting effort. Evidence of sports injuries (like concussions), kidney stones and more prevalent use of behavioral health medication for anxiety, adjustment disorder, and ADHD/ADD are all disqualifiers for serving. In fact, ANY use of /6

behavioral health medication in the past 3 years is a DQ. Doesn’t matter the length or reason. Students who went on anxiety meds during the pandemic? DQ’d. Teenager whose parents pushed ADHD meds? DQ’d. Young adult who was diagnosed with adjustment disorder during parent’s /7

divorce? DQ’d!!! Even if the medication only lasted one or two cycles, it simply doesn’t matter because the black and white DODI guidance the MEPS doctors are using lists it as a disqualification.

Where are we at now? In FY22 there is over a 50% drop in contracts from FY21 /8

which had a 30% drop from FY20. Applicants are going OUT OF POCKET to schedule civilian doctor examinations to bolster their chance at a medical waiver. Yes, they are having to pay their own money to provide supporting medical evidence to their component to secure a waiver. /9

I’ll ask all veterans this question: did you lie about medical history to enlist? I did. I took ADHD medication for one year in high school, I was prescribed an inhaler I never used, and dislocated my knee as an athlete twice. I would not have been able to enlist in 2006 /10

If these standards were in place then. Full stop. This isn’t new. Hell, even Captain America Steve Rogers lied repeatedly trying to enlist. It was part of the process and we knew it.

Unfortunately, that is no longer true. If the military wants enlistments again they need to /11

show maximum grace on medical waivers, create a better DOD contracted physician consult system and offer vouchers to applicants seeking civilian doctor appointments are trying to simply floor at MEPS, lastly they need to write new medical accession guidance to keep the /12

doctors at MEPS from disqualifying individuals unnecessarily. There are some who shouldn’t and can’t be allowed to enlist, we know that, but unless we want to see even LESS contracts in FY23 this MUST be done. /END

@HASCRepublicans @HASCDemocrats @SASCDems @SASCGOP @TheWTFNation