Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signed off on a new list of medical conditions that can be waived for acceptance for military service, or disqualify people from service.
The Pentagon published the new list, which details conditions that could be acceptable to allow someone to be in the military, and a separate list of conditions that prevent either recruits or existing service members from being in the armed services.
Hegseth’s announcement follows an earlier move by the Pentagon to ban transgender military personnel. He also referenced that issue in the new memo. “The Department’s policy on gender dysphoria remains unchanged: applicants for Military Service having a current diagnosis or history of or exhibiting symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria would require an accession waiver.”
The new list of conditions that could be allowed with a waiver includes:”History of chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis, Absence of a foot, and The presence of an implantable pacemaker or defibrillator.”
Some conditions not allowable by waiver include: “History of cystic fibrosis, Current chronic supplemental oxygen use, and Current treatment for schizophrenia.”
Hegseth said medical conditions that can affect the readiness of a warfighter must always be considered by the military. “Severe underlying medical conditions introduce significant risks on the battlefield and threaten not only mission priorities, but also the health and safety of the affected individual and their fellow Service members.”
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