Something changed that most people won't hear about until they're months into the process.
Most of you reading this aren't affected. But some of you are. And you deserve to know now, not six months from now after you've built your whole plan around it.
GROUND TRUTH
The military now checks for certain serious medical conditions at the very first pre-screen, before you ever set foot in MEPS. If none apply to you, nothing changes. If one does, find out now.
01 / 03
What changed?
Two things, about ten months apart.
In July 2025, the Secretary of Defense signed a memo with two lists. One list has 13 conditions that can never get a medical waiver, in any branch. The other has 13 conditions where only the Secretary of a military department (think Secretary of the Army or Navy) can approve a waiver. MEPS started screening for both lists at the pre-screen in August 2025.
Then on May 4, 2026, MEPS added a third group called "Conditions Unlikely to be Waived," or CUW. It flags 28 more conditions at the pre-screen. Heart valve replacement and narcolepsy are two examples MEPS gave. If one of these turns up, processing usually stops and you don't go to MEPS for a physical. Rare exceptions need the branch's waiver authority to sign off.
The CUW step didn't change the medical standards. What changed is when you find out. Day one, not month six.
02 / 03
Does this affect me?
Probably not. These are serious, mostly lifelong conditions. They have nothing to do with your fitness, your grit or how bad you want it.
No waiver possible (13): cystic fibrosis, current need for oxygen, current congestive heart failure, ALS, multiple sclerosis, current epilepsy, current treatment for schizophrenia, homicidal behavior in the past 12 months, a suicide attempt in the past 12 months, paraphilic disorders, a solid organ transplant, Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) and osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease).
Secretary-level waiver only (13): corneal transplant, missing an eye or no working vision in an eye, pacemaker or implanted defibrillator, past heart attack, current ostomy, chronic liver failure, kidney disease that needed dialysis, missing a hand (fingers aside), missing a foot, scleroderma, neurodegenerative disorders, a current brain or spinal shunt, and psychotic disorders not caused by a drug or medication.
MEPS has not posted the full CUW list of 28. Your recruiter can check your history against it.
If something on these lists is heavy on your heart right now, you're not alone. Call or text 988 any time.
Source: SecDef memo, July 2025, DVIDS release.
03 / 03
What should I do now?
Get a real answer early, so you can make a real decision.
DO THIS
Pull together your medical records. Diagnoses, surgeries, meds, all of it.
Tell your recruiter everything at the first meeting.
Ask straight up: "Does anything in my history get flagged at the pre-screen?"
If your condition was treated, resolved or managed over time, don't assume the worst. The waiver process still exists for most conditions. Honest, early disclosure is always the right move.
WATCH OUT
Don't hide a condition and hope it slips by. Records have a way of turning up, and lying on enlistment forms can be charged as fraudulent enlistment.
Source: 10 U.S.C. 904a, fraudulent enlistment.
FROM THE ARSENAL
A clear answer early makes it easier to plan each step that follows. Mission: Enlist (coming soon) walks you through every phase, from your first questions to ship day, so you always know your next move. Get on the waitlist →
Appreciate you.
Coach Stebbins 🇺🇸👊
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