Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Elijah Newton | MILLINGTON, Tenn (Jan 18, 2021) Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Alejandro Calzada reviews...... read more read more
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NRC Transforms Medical Waivers Process
Story by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Elijah Newton, Navy Recruiting Command Public Affairs
Applicants walk into recruiting stations every day seeking life-changing opportunities. Some go through weeks of training and paperwork to eventually go to a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS), only to be told by an examiner that they are medically disqualified. Though disheartening, medical disqualification is not always the end of their road to enlistment, and that’s where medical waivers come in.
A waiver of medical standards can be given to candidates who may not meet established physical qualifications but are projected to be able to serve without posing a danger to themselves or the Navy’s mission. The case-by-case nature of this process brings many complications, and as Navy Recruiting Command (NRC) evolves to face modern challenges, so must this aspect of its personnel acquisition.
“One of the main things we’ve done was make the turnaround for waivers go from around 23 days to an hour or less depending on the case,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Tristan Reeb, acting division leading chief petty officer and a medical waivers processor for Navy Recruiting Command. “The field can put a request in, and they’ll get a response in an hour or less”.
Reeb gave praise to their department head Cmdr. Jason A. Gordon, senior medical waiver review authority, for the efficiency and speed of the new process.
“I credit Cmdr. Gordon,” said Reeb. “We know his marching orders, and we ask ourselves what Cmdr. Gordon would do because, in the end, the waivers are going to him.”
Gordon believes his workers deserve credit for their work ethic and dedication to their jobs. Their efforts ensure that medical waiver recipients get the information they need as quickly as possible.
“I am fortunate to have good people with good work ethic who are willing to put in the hours that are required to get the job done even in a partially autonomous telework environment,” said Gordon.
Cmdr. Gordon and the medical waiver processors have gained recognition from their chain of command for their efficiency. In 2019, Vice Adm. John B. Nowell Jr. presented a coin to Gordon as a token of gratitude for his division’s efforts.
“It’s impressive that they’ve been able to improve their customer service,” said Mr. Doug Bernard, the Assistant Operations Officer at Commander, Navy Recruiting Command. “Getting waiver approval is now a same day turnaround, where it used to be days or even weeks for a waiver to be approved.”
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, three Navy Recruiting Regions, 26 NTAGs and 64 Talent Acquisition Onboarding Centers (TAOCs) that serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations around the world. Their mission is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America's Navy.
| Date Taken: | 04.13.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.13.2021 15:24 |
| Story ID: | 393733 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 1,630 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, NRC Transforms Medical Waivers Process, by PO2 Elijah Newton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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