Commentary: Duty limiting conditions may affect your career

  • Published
  • By Col. John A. Ellis
  • 445th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, commander
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Air Force Reserve Command recently enacted a medical "rule" for reservists which could adversely affect you career. The new rule states that if any Airman has a duty limiting condition (including fitness testing limitations) for any specific diagnosis, for a cumulative total of 365 days in his Air Force career (including active duty), that individual must apply for a waiver from AFRC Surgeon General in order to stay in the Air Force Reserve.

The intent of this rule is to assure AFRC has an accurate count of how many reservists are not 100 percent "good to go," and for what reasons.

This new rule went into effect at the same time that the Preventative Health Assessment and Individual Medical Readiness, or PIMR, (AFRC's medical readiness tracking system) came in active use. PIMR enables AFRC to track every reservist's medical readiness "real time." "Green" in PIMR means you are "good to go." "Yellow" means you have medical readiness requirements near expiration. "Red" means you are not medically world-wide qualified.

If you have a specific duty limiting condition for a total of 365 days, the AMDS is required to place you on a "non-participating" (P-4) profile. It is then your responsibility to bring in all relevant medical information from your treating physicians to the AMDS.

The AMDS will submit that information to AFRC, along with other necessary paperwork, and request a waiver for you to stay in the Air Force Reserve. The faster you submit all your relevant medical information to the AMDS, the faster you can get back to duty.

Bottom line: Always keep the AMDS notified of any change in your medical condition. Bring all relevant paperwork into the AMDS from your treating physicians, even if you are seen at the 88th Medical Center, as soon as you can.

Questions? Contact an AMDS physician in Bldg. 4012 every unit training assembly Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.