Army lifts ban on recruits with mental health history
Waivers considered for depression, drugs, more
WASHINGTON – People with a history of “self- mutilation,” bipolar disorder, depression, and drug and alcohol abuse can seekwaivers to join theArmy under an unannounced policy enacted in August, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY.
The decision to openArmy recruiting to those with mental health conditions comes as the service faces the challenging goal of recruiting 80,000 soldiers through September 2018. To meet last year’s goal of 69,000, the Army accepted more recruits who fared poorly on aptitude tests, increased the number ofwaivers granted for marijuana use and offered hundreds of millions in bonuses.
Expanding the waivers for mental health is possible in part because the Army now has access to more medical information about each potential recruit, Lt. Col. Randy Taylor, an Army spokesman, said in a statement. The Army issued the ban on waivers in 2009 amid an epidemic of suicides among troops.
“The decisionwas primarily due to the increased availability of medical records and other data which is now more readily available,” Taylor’s statement said. “These records allow Army officials to better document applicant medical histories.”
But accepting recruits with those mental health conditions in their past
carries risks, according to Elspeth Ritchie, a psychiatrist who retired from the Army as a colonel in 2010. People with a history of mental health problems are more likely to have those issues resurface than those who do not, she said.
While bipolar disorder can be kept under control with medication, selfmutilation may signal deeper mental
health issues, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders.
If self- mutilation occurs in a military setting, Ritchie said, it could be disruptive for a unit.
Accepting recruits with poor qualifications can cause problems. In 2006, for example, an Iraqi girl was raped and her family killed by U. S. soldiers, one of whom required waivers for minor criminal activity and poor educational background to join the Army.
Memos and documents obtained by USA TODAY outline the hurdles that a potential recruit must clear to join theArmy. Guidance for screening potential recruits with histories that include self- mutilation make clear that the applicant must provide “appropriate documentation” to obtain the waiver, according a September memo to commanders. Those requirements include a detailed statement from the applicant, medical records, evidence froman employer if the injury was job- related, photos submitted by the recruiter and a psychiatric evaluation and “clearance.”
Slides for military officials who screen recruits show examples of people whose arms, legs and torsos have been scarred by self- mutilation.
“For allwaivers,” onememostates, “the burden of proof is on the applicant to provide a clear and meritorious case for why a waiver should be considered.”
Taylor said many “meritorious cases” had been found of highly qualified applicants who had been disqualified because of events that had occurred when they were children.
“With the additional data ... Army officials can now consider applicants as awhole person, allowing a series of Army leaders and medical professionals to review the case fully to assess the applicant’s physical limitations or medical conditions and their possible impact upon the applicant’s ability to complete training and finish an Army career,” Taylor said.
Under the right circumstances, a waiver for self- mutilation could be appropriate, Ritchie said.
The Army did not respond to a question of howmanywaivers, if any, have been issued since the policywas changed.
Data reported by USA TODAY in October show how the Army met its recruiting goals by accepting more marginally qualified recruits.
In fiscal year 2017, the active- duty Army recruited nearly 69,000 soldiers, and only 1.9% belonged to what is known as Category Four. That refers to troops who score in the lowest category onmilitary aptitude tests. In 2016, 0.6% of Army recruits came from Category Four. In addition, waivers for marijuana use, illegal while in uniform, jumped from 191 in 2016 to 506 in 2017.