DECEMBER 24, 2024 – The Air Force Accessions Center announced the expansion of medical waiver considerations for multiple medical conditions, which opens up the opportunity for military service to an additional 600 applicants annually, Nov. 1.
The Department of the Air Force holds strict medical accession standards but can grant waivers in specific cases. The new policy expands previous guidance in several areas, including asthma, hearing loss and food allergies.
“We are constantly evaluating how we can bring in the best talent while ensuring our members can serve effectively and safely,” said Brig. Gen. Christopher Amrhein, AFAC commander. “By expanding waiver criteria for manageable health conditions, we can access a wider pool of qualified applicants without compromising mission readiness.”
The new waiver policy will allow for the recruitment of individuals with clinically diagnosed asthma, provided they do not require daily preventive medication, and their rescue inhaler use is kept to a minimum. This marks a significant change from the previous standard, which disqualified all individuals with a positive asthma diagnosis and did not consider the severity of the diagnosis, according to Col. David Gregory, director of the Accession Medial Waiver division at AFAC.
Additionally, applicants with hearing loss in one ear that has been diagnosed as moderate hearing impairment can now be considered for waiver, provided the opposite ear meets the standards of mild hearing impairment.
Finally, individuals with a documented history of food allergies, provided there has been no anaphylaxis or serious systemic reaction, will now qualify for a waiver.
All three of the expanded waiver considerations will come with limitations to the career fields that applicants will be eligible to ensure members will not be put into career fields that will put them at increased risk to worsen their medical condition and be given an assignment limitation code in accordance with medical retention waiver practices per Air Force Personnel Center.
The decision to expand waiver criteria for these specific medical conditions was made after careful consideration of the potential medical, operational and financial impacts, and in close coordination with medical and operational experts across the DAF, Gregory said.
“Any adjustment to medical waiver practices comes with some level of cost for the DAF,” Gregory said. “After analyzing the available data on these conditions, the cost was felt to be acceptable to accommodate more applicants who are otherwise qualified to join the Air and Space Forces in specific career fields.”
The DAF is developing a process to monitor the long-term effects of these changes, including the medical and operational outcomes, to ensure they continue to meet the service’s needs.
For more information about waiver changes or how to apply to join the Air Force, visit www.airforce.com.
Air Force Accessions Center