Hey guys, I’m currently in the process of potentially getting med boarded for my heart. I’ve had two open heart surgeries before my military career. Upon enlisting into the military I told them I’ve had two open heart surgeries and they waived me in. But they didn’t dig deep into my civilian records. I have multiple disqualifying heart factors that shouldn’t have allowed me entry into the military. Now I’m having complications with my heart again, that is resulting in me passing out when my heart rate gets above 60 BPM. Granted my resting heart rate sits at a 35...Also I’ve been going through immense amount of chest pains with this. So I’m curious on how this is going to play out. I was told by my case manager that my PCM is most likely going to file for a MEB. But also she said they could not Med board me. I’m worried if they keep me not only is it going to effect my PT but it’s going to affect my work as well. Should I be worrying? What should I expect?
You were presumed to be fit at the time of entry to service. If you had a congenital heart condition and it was disclosed, you should be perfectly fine.
For the VA purposes, the condition will have had to have been aggravated beyond it's normal progression, which will take a medical opinion from your C&P examiner.
There are many children who are born with congenital heart conditions that have them repaired and continue to lead perfectly normal lives.
Here are the listing of the disqualifying conditions for entry into service (heart conditions) from AR 40-501 Chapter 2-18.
a. Current or history of all valvular heart diseases, congenital (746) or acquired (394), including those improved by surgery, do not meet the standard. Mitral valve prolapse or bicuspid aortic valve is not disqualifying unless there is asso- ciated tachyarrhythmia, mitral regurgitation, aortic stenosis, insufficiency, or cardiomegaly.
b. Current or history coronary heart disease (410) does not meet the standard.
c. Current or history of symptomatic arrhythmia or electrocardiographic evidence of arrhythmia.
(1) Current or history of supraventricular tachycardia (427.0), or any arrhythmia originating from the atrium or sino-
atrial node, such as atrial flutter, and atrial fibrillation, unless there has been no recurrence during the preceding 2 years while off all medications, does not meet the standard. Premature atrial or ventricular contractions sufficiently symptomatic to require treatment, or result in physical or psychological impairment, do not meet the standard.
(2) Current or history of ventricular arrhythmias (427.1), including ventricular fibrillation, tachycardia, or multifocal premature ventricular contractions, does not meet the standard. Occasional asymptomatic unifocal premature ventricular contractions are not disqualifying.
(3) Currentorhistoryofventricularconductiondisorders,including,butnotlimitedtodisorderswithleftbundlebranch block (426.2), Mobitz type II second degree atrioventricular (AV) block (426.12), and third degree AV block (426.0), and Lown-Ganong-Levine-Syndrome (426.81) associated with an arrhythmia do not meet the standard. Current or history of Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (426.7), unless it has been successfully ablated for a period of 2 years without recur- rence of arrhythmia and now with a normal electrocardiogram, does not meet the standard.
(4) Current or history of conduction disturbances such as first degree AV block (426.11), left anterior hemiblock (426.2), right bundle branch block (426.4), or Mobitz type I second degree AV block (426.13) do not meet the standard when symptomatic or associated with underlying cardiovascular disease.
d. Current cardiomegaly, hypertrophy, or dilatation of the heart (429.3) do not meet the standard.
e. Current or history of cardiomyopathy (425), including myocarditis (422), or congestive heart failure (428), does not meet the standard.
f. Currentorhistoryofpericarditis(420)(acutenonrheumatic),unlesstheindividualisfreeofallsymptomsfor2years, and has no evidence of cardiac restriction or persistent pericardial effusion, does not meet the standard.
g. Current persistent tachycardia (785.1) (resting pulse rate of 100 beats per minute or greater) does not meet the stand- ard.
h. Current or history of congenital anomalies of heart and great vessels (746), except for corrected patent ductus arteri- osus, do not meet the standard.