quote:

Originally posted by Gameness:
Why can't soldier get an appt?

If this is the case then soldier has no other choice but to go to sick call and ask the provider to help them schedule an appt or ask for a referral to a specialist if appropriate. In some areas where there is limited care, Tricare may allow a soldier to seek medical care off post. But you would have to call Tricare for clarification.

If the appts are all booked up then you have to be persistent in calling back when the new schedules open. As in my clinic, when we tell a patient that there are no appts available but to call back Tue at 0800 when the new schedule opens and they decide that Wed around lunch will be good enough. Then they get upset because all the appts are taken again.

Ok, so if soldiers are not allowed to make appointments (been told that myself) and they must go to sick call. If the soldier is not a medical guru, and doc says here is some Motrin, drive on, what then? Go to Web MD? The point is that not all soldiers are afforded expert medical care. Especially if it is not one of the more common ailments. So maybe, just maybe, the soldier we were talking about actually had a problem, not only with his own health but with the medical community he was stationed with.

quote:

Originally posted by TransAm95NCO:
Yeah lets talk about that "referring to seek medical care off post." You have to be really sick or be sick for about 3-5 days, thats what they told my wife "you have not been sick long enough and we do not have any appointments sorry"...what happens a DR called her and managed to see her, she had bronchitis (spelling)...not sick enough or long enough...whatever...ok im done venting...lol

TransAm:
It's not necessarily venting if you're at WeGotcha; unless something's changed there some time recently, you don't have a clinic worth the name there to go to anyway. Your wife should find a primary provider on the outside, as long as they accept Tricare Prime you're not paying anything anyway. When it's you, the soldier, you're kinda at their mercy, but not so with your family members. As long as the provider accepts Tricare Prime (and if you're not Prime, put down the GD crack pipe and get that way!!!), your family members call the doctor's office and set appointments like normal human beings. And it would take an EXTREME shortage of patients for the post to order family members into the post medical system..oh yeah, like I said, last time I checked Huachuca doesn't have one anyway........ so hope this helps, get the family to real docs and gamble less in remote southern AZ.....Top

i had a problem years ago af fort bragg and decided to go to the er on a tuesday night, waited for about 2hrs and was actually talked to and got what i needed to get fixed,,just dont go on a friday thru sunday

I have a question what if you have a Solider that you made take about 4 P.T Test this year. 2 before WLC (1 Failed), one while in WLC and one in July. Now all the others were passed, for the expection of that one. Is this grounds to make her or him take another one 4 months later? Because AR 350-1 doesn't state if school PT Test are considered as "record" or "not"

Can someone help I am new to the NCO Corps

SGT S&T,
Your soldier has done what was expected, ie passed most recent APFT.
Reg is fairly clear, your cdr can order an APFT at any time, consecutive days, once a month, etc. Where it gets sticky is that your cdr can be setting a pattern of unfair treatment unless an entire class of soldier is being tested (NCO's, leaders, a particular section/squad/platoon/company). More to the point, any test administered as part of NCOES/MTSA course of instruction is a Record APFT, period. Then we go to the regs which state that a record APFT should be administered at least twice a year with a minimum of 4 months in between. SO your children can be ordered to take APFT's daily for no good reason (conceivably), but if they fail a week after their last record APFT, they can't be flagged/adversed/etc, since they passed a record APFT within the specified period.
Don't know if this helps, but it's the rare commander who is dumb enough to risk his OER stats on such a regular basis, and even dumber who will get himself in the weeds over and over when he has more important krap (or should) to worry about.
Top

IntelTop,

Thanks that's a great ensight. I do understand that a commander can administer one at anytime he like's, but I'm just not the one for unfair treatment torwards soliders period....and this looks bad on my part as a NCO, it feels as if I can't protect my soliders when time is needed you know. But i will keep a good eye out for unfair treatment and take it to the next level if needed....

Thanks again
SGT S&T

Actually the commander can give a record a week after he just gave one. Its atleast two records a year with a minumum of 4 months in between if only 2 records are given in a year.

quote:

Originally posted by SGTsick&TriedoftheB.S:
I have a question what if you have a Solider that you made take about 4 P.T Test this year. 2 before WLC (1 Failed), one while in WLC and one in July. Now all the others were passed, for the expection of that one. Is this grounds to make her or him take another one 4 months later? Because AR 350-1 doesn't state if school PT Test are considered as "record" or "not"

Can someone help I am new to the NCO Corps

He should be do for one in January, if he passed the one in July, the one in WLC does not count since it was in the schoolhouse and it stays there and its only for schoolhouse purposes.

quote:

Originally posted by TransAm95NCO:

He should be do for one in January, if he passed the one in July, the one in WLC does not count since it was in the schoolhouse and it stays there and its only for schoolhouse purposes.[/QUOTE]

I'm gonna disagree partially w/TA95; the APFT at WLC is for record. period. Schoolhouse purposes my @$$. TRADOC is the proponent for NCOES - do you honestly think they or the Army will allow local standards of some sort to prevail in a career-progression-dependent school? If an NCOES APFT isn't the epitome of a record APFT, what in the world is?
While 350-1 indeed doesn't address the issue directly, let's think about the logic of having someone's career being affected with some finality on the basis of a 'diagnostic' version of anything.
Your soldier's passed two record APFT's this year, in the same 12-month period, however you want to slice it. TA95's right that your boss can still order more, but it has to be specified PRIOR to starting the APFT (which IS in 350-1).
TA95, if you're still at Huachuca, you've got an NCOA right there to refer to - check it out and see what the 1SG's and Commandant's office think about it.

I dont have to go anywhere, the PT test at a schoolhouse, while it is a record PT test, it is only for schoolhouse purposes only...so lets say you take one in June to go to WLC (record), and then you take one in July during WLC...the one from July does not count...you would be do for one in December, not January.

OK, again, I call backwards. Stated policy on NCOES and APFT's has been, for many years, that the home station must certify at the Bn CSM or higher level that soldier has passed a diagnostic APFT within 30 days prior to reporting to said school. Because for several years there, the APFT, being a record, was part of the criteria to graduate and continue career progression, and too many were failing after coming home days earlier from deployment and not being able to get ready physically.
Anyway, history lesson aside, if your command is insisting on counting 6 months from the most recent record, then soldier would be 'due' in January, since most recent was in July.
Kind of a moot point, since most units cover their bases by doing either a record every quarter or monthly, and whoever is close or might miss their 6-monther takes one anyway.
All comes back to our being expected to pass it any time, under any circumstances.
SGT S&T, we've kinda gone beyond what you were asking about, but as you can see, it's something a lot of people think a lot about.
Good luck with it.

Well I can see things have been hieghten the past few "POST" but i thank you all for your help on this one. I took that P.T anyway and scored pretty well on it. I was just so upset because they are trying to put me out on some B.S and they were just trying to add something to there agruement but failed. So it's just a matter of time before something else happens...but until that day it's all good.

But thanks everyone for your ensight and your help.

SGT S&T

Every soldier is different so it is and always been case by case. I know soldiers that give 110% every day during pt and have problems with their backs, knees, ankles. But i always have seen soldiers that used the profile excuse i can't do this or do that. Let's look at it this way if a soldier cannot run but can only walk and have a p2 profile can max their pushup and sit ups.

quote:

Originally posted by Intel Top:
Then we go to the regs which state that a record APFT should be administered at least twice a year with a minimum of 4 months in between.

Incorrect. Quotes should be complete, so as to not cause ambiguity, unclarity or confusion. Ref AR 350-1, chapter 1-24, Para. e, Subpara. 2:

quote:

(2) Commanders may administer the APFT as often as they wish; however, they must specify beforehand when the results are for record. The AA and Active Guard/Reserve (AGR) Soldiers and USAR Troop Program Units (TPUs) will take the APFT at least twice each calendar year. A minimum of 4 months will separate record tests if only 2 record tests are given. The intent is for the AA and the AGR Soldiers to take a record APFT every 6 months. Mission requirements often prevent the even spacing of record tests. Therefore, commanders are encouraged to test Soldiers for record as close to the record test window as possible.

The wording is concise. It can be more often. A commander could give a company record EVERY WEEK if he so chooses, and flag whoever fails one at any time...but then the flag should be removed when the soldier passes a subsequent APFT (reference AR 600-8-2).

The reason for the "4 months between" rule is because IF you are only taking 2 APFT's in a year, you won't be taking one in April, one in May, then not taking one again for another 11 months. As stated, the intent is to make sure you take one as close as possible to every 6 months AT A MINIMUM.

One of my peeves: when people misquote regulations.

My pet peeve: when someone who outranks me misquotes a regulation.

Actually I have consulted IG on this on and the commander and give you a diagnostic pt test any time he wants but can only give you a record every 4 months.