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Pentagon: COVID-19 Hospital Stay Disqualifies Recruits

Carla Babb

   WASHINGTON - A new Pentagonrecruitmentpolicy considers hospitalization
   forCOVID-19 an automatic disqualification for acceptancewithout a
   medical waiver from the recruit's military service branch.

   Individuals who were hospitalized with COVID-19 "are medically
   disqualified for accession, subject to further review of
   hospitalization/comorbidity records, and waiver by a Service Medical
   Waiver Authority," the new policy reads.

   Military Entrance Processing Command(MEPCOM), which screens military
   applicants,'¯said in a statementgiven to VOA on Thursdaythat patients
   who were hospitalized"may be contagious for a longer period than
   others"and "are likely to require evaluation for residual physical
   performance limitations (e.g., pulmonary and end-organ function) before
   medical qualification."'¯

   Long-term health effects for this group "are unknown," the command
   said, which is why a waiver review is required.

   The guidancealso states that recruits who were diagnosed with COVID-19
   but not hospitalized are medically qualified to process into basic
   training following 28 days of home isolation.

   "Non-hospitalized cases will not bepermanentlydisqualified,"MEPCOM
   said.

   A DOD memoleaked tothe pressMondaysaidthatanyhistory of COVID-19would
   be permanently disqualifying for recruits.

   Adefenseofficial told VOAthememo was"interim guidance"that
   wasupdatedWednesday.

   Michael O'Hanlon, a senior defense fellow at the Brookings Institution,
   told VOAthetone ofnewPentagondirective wasregrettable.

   "Why not say, in gentler terms,'Until we can be confident that we
   understand the trajectory of this disease and recovery process,
   including the possibility of relapse or recurrence, we cannot yet take
   COVID-19 positive individuals into the force'?" O'Hanlon said.

   It's unclear whetherthe changewillaffectrecruiting numbers.James Long,
   a scholarand regular contributor tothe Modern War Institute at West
   Point, said any effects atthis stagewould beinsignificant, while
   cautioning about accepting recruits with potential health problems.

   "Even a minor health problem in the force can have massive costs and
   consequences for metrics like readiness and operational performance,"
   Long said."I think the DOD's medical leaders are wise to focus on this
   issue early."

   All four service branches hit their recruiting goals in 2019,bringing
   tens of thousands of new service members into the U.S. military.

   But an [1]AP report last monthsaid thearmed
   serviceswerestrugglingfornew recruits as families and communitiesfollow
   stay-at-home guidance because ofCOVID-19. Onlinerecruiterswere"often
   finding people too consumed with their own financial and health care
   worries to consider a military commitment right now."

References

   1. file://localhost/tmp/lynxXXXX-Balia/realcleardefense.com/articles/2020/04/06/military_recruiting_struggles_amid_covid-19_crisis_115175.html

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