Dozens of medical conditions can disqualify you from joining the U.S. military, ranging from poorly controlled asthma to diabetes to significant hearing loss. The full list is governed by DoD Instruction 6130.03, Volume 1, most recently updated in February 2026, and it covers nearly every body system. Many disqualifications are not permanent, though. A medical waiver process exists for candidates who can demonstrate their condition is well managed or resolved.
Below is a breakdown of the most common categories, with the specific thresholds that trigger a disqualification at the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS).
Asthma and Respiratory Conditions
Asthma is one of the most frequently asked-about disqualifiers. The rule draws a clear line at age 13: if you were reliably diagnosed with asthma, reactive airway disease, exercise-induced bronchospasm, or asthmatic bronchitis and had symptoms after your 13th birthday, the condition is disqualifying. A childhood diagnosis that fully resolved before age 13, with no further symptoms or inhaler use, generally does not count against you.
Other respiratory disqualifiers include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a history of spontaneous pneumothorax (collapsed lung), and any condition that significantly limits your ability to perform sustained physical activity.
Mental Health and Behavioral History
A history of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or psychotic disorders can disqualify you, but the military has shifted toward more nuanced evaluations in recent years. The key factors are whether the condition required hospitalization, how recently you were on medication, and whether you’re currently stable.
For applicants, the concern centers on whether you needed ongoing psychiatric medication or therapy and whether symptoms could return under the physical and psychological stress of military life. Each branch evaluates this differently. The Air Force, for example, recently updated its policy so that active aviators who seek mental health treatment and are ready to return to full duty within 60 days can do so without a lengthy waiver process. Policies for new enlistees tend to be stricter, typically requiring a documented period of stability off medication before you’re eligible.
ADHD and Learning Disabilities
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disabilities like dyslexia are disqualifying if they interfered with your academic or work performance after age 14. The more concrete rule involves medication: if you used any medication to manage ADHD symptoms within the previous 24 months, that alone is disqualifying.
To be considered for enlistment, you generally need to show at least two years off all ADHD medication with evidence that you performed well academically or professionally during that time. Transcripts, employer evaluations, and standardized test scores all help build that case.
Diabetes and Endocrine Disorders
Type 1 diabetes is a permanent disqualifier with no waiver available across all branches. Because it requires insulin to manage, there is no path to military service with this diagnosis.
Type 2 diabetes is treated differently. If your Type 2 diabetes is in sustained remission, meaning your A1C is below 6.5%, and that remission was achieved through lifestyle changes alone (diet and exercise, not medication), you may be eligible for a waiver. If you require oral medication or insulin to maintain normal blood sugar, you will not qualify.
Thyroid conditions, both overactive and underactive, are disqualifying when uncontrolled. To be considered for a waiver, you need two sets of normal thyroid lab values drawn four to six weeks apart, showing your levels are stable. If you’re on thyroid hormone replacement, the same standard applies: two consecutive normal lab results while on medication.
Heart and Blood Pressure Conditions
Cardiovascular conditions are screened carefully at MEPS. High blood pressure is one of the more common reasons candidates get flagged. The current DoD standard disqualifies candidates whose readings consistently exceed the acceptable range during the examination. A single elevated reading may prompt a recheck, but persistent hypertension that requires medication is disqualifying.
Other cardiac disqualifiers include a history of heart surgery, significant valve disorders, arrhythmias that require treatment, and any structural heart defect that limits exercise capacity. Conditions like Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and a history of myocardial infarction (heart attack) are also on the list.
Spinal and Orthopedic Conditions
Scoliosis is disqualifying when the spinal curve exceeds 20 degrees as measured on X-ray. Curves at or below 20 degrees are generally acceptable. For people already serving, waivers can sometimes be granted for curves up to 30 degrees on a case-by-case basis, but applicants trying to enlist face the stricter 20-degree cutoff.
Excessive rounding of the upper back (thoracic kyphosis) becomes disqualifying above 40 degrees. A history of spinal fusion surgery, herniated discs that required surgery, or any chronic back condition that limits your range of motion or load-bearing ability will also disqualify you. The same applies to joint conditions: a history of major joint replacement, chronic instability requiring a brace, or recurrent dislocations are all grounds for rejection.
Vision Standards
Vision requirements vary significantly depending on the role you’re pursuing. General enlistment standards are more forgiving than those for pilots or flight officers. For student naval aviators, for instance, refractive error must fall between -1.50 and +3.00 diopters, a fairly narrow window. Student flight officers get a wider range of up to plus or minus 8.00 diopters.
LASIK and PRK (corrective eye surgery) are not automatically disqualifying, but they come with their own limits. If your pre-surgery prescription exceeded -8.00 diopters of nearsightedness or +3.00 to +6.00 diopters of farsightedness (depending on the role), the surgery itself becomes a disqualifier regardless of your current vision. You also need to be fully healed, with stable vision, before your examination.
Color blindness, significant depth perception problems, and chronic eye diseases like glaucoma or keratoconus are disqualifying for most military roles, though some non-combat positions may be more flexible.
Hearing Loss
Your hearing is tested at multiple frequencies during the MEPS physical. The standard requires that your pure tone average across 500, 1,000, and 2,000 Hz be 25 decibels or better, with no single value at those frequencies exceeding 30 decibels. At higher frequencies (3,000 and 4,000 Hz), the thresholds loosen slightly to 35 and 45 decibels respectively. If your hearing falls outside these limits in either ear, you’ll be disqualified. Hearing aids do not bring you into compliance; the test measures your unaided hearing.
Skin Conditions
Chronic skin conditions like eczema (atopic dermatitis) and psoriasis are disqualifying when they are widespread, recurrent, or require ongoing treatment. Mild cases that resolved in childhood may not be an issue, but active flare-ups or a history of prescription treatment into adulthood will raise flags. The concern is that military environments, including prolonged field conditions, chemical exposure from protective equipment, and limited access to dermatological care, tend to aggravate these conditions significantly.
Other Common Disqualifiers
Several other conditions regularly come up during screening:
- Seizure disorders: Any history of seizures after age 5, or use of anti-seizure medication, is disqualifying. Most branches require you to be seizure-free and off medication for several years before considering a waiver.
- Sleep apnea: Moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, especially if it requires a CPAP machine, is disqualifying.
- Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis: Both are disqualifying due to the unpredictable nature of flare-ups and the need for ongoing medication or potential surgery.
- HIV: Currently disqualifying for enlistment, though policies have been evolving.
- History of certain cancers: Depends heavily on the type, stage, and how long you’ve been in remission. Many cancers require a waiting period of several years post-treatment.
How the Medical Waiver Process Works
Getting disqualified at MEPS is not necessarily the end of the road. If your recruiter believes your case has merit, they can initiate a medical waiver request on your behalf. You cannot submit a waiver yourself.
The process starts with gathering documentation: medical records, physician statements, lab results, and anything else that shows your condition is resolved, stable, or unlikely to affect your ability to serve. This package goes to your branch’s medical waiver review authority, which evaluates whether granting the waiver is in the best interest of the service based on a holistic review of your potential.
Approval rates vary widely by condition and by branch. A waiver for mild childhood asthma that hasn’t caused symptoms in years has a much better chance than one for Type 1 diabetes, which has no waiver pathway at all. The process can take weeks to several months, and there’s no guarantee of approval. Your recruiter should be able to give you a realistic sense of whether a waiver is worth pursuing for your specific situation.