epilepsy and the military

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carnyspook

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I have been doing some research on the net and I found out that you would have to be seizure free for five years and not be on medicine during that time to qualify to join the military. That apparently was not the case in nineteen seventy three. I was only seizure free for less than one year and was on my medicine up until six months before I enlisted. I am asking this question because when I went into the military, I got into trouble being rebelous, easily aggitated and not being able to concentrate very well. I am wondering if the military did not observe my rights when they allowed me to enlist. I ended up going to military prison and after my release civilian prison two more times after that. I feel that I would of faired alot better if I would of been around family and friends to help me with the transition from the medicine and seizures to non seizures. I now have the seizures again after forty years. I don't think I was ever over the epilepsy. I bore the marks that it left on my mind all these years and have had developmental disabilities my whole life. It is too much to explain now but could anybody give me a heads up on why they would let me in the service with this disorder?
 
You may need a lawyer or researcher to find out what the regulations for enlisting were in 1973. Either the rules were less stringent then, or they were deliberately ignored, or you slipped in through an oversight.
 
Another question to ask is, did you tell the military about your epilepsy when you enlisted? If you did not disclose it to the recruiter, and were not on meds when you enlisted, and did not have any seizures while you were active duty, then I believe the military is in no way responsible for your condition. And even if you did have a seizure while on active duty, depending on the circumstances, you are not going to get a lot from them. Possibly a medical retirement, but more likely a severance pay/medical discharge. There is the also the possibility of an administrative discharge also. So as for why they let you enlist, maybe it was because they needed people, or maybe the rules we different, or maybe you didn't tell them about the epilepsy, or maybe you had a waiver for it... Who knows.
 
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