Whereas, The United States Department of Defense has established medical qualifications for prospective recruits to ensure that those who are appointed, enlisted, or inducted into military service are fit for duty. These standards are designed to exclude those whose conditions would cause them to lose excessive time from duty for treatment or hospitalization, as well as screen out applicants who would not be capable of performing their duties without aggravating existing conditions. Under Department of Defense Instruction 6130.03, Section 6.23, one disqualifying condition is a “[h]istory of acute allergic reaction to fish, crustaceans, shellfish, peanuts, or tree nuts including the presence of a food-specific immunoglobulin E antibody if accompanied by a correlating clinical history.” However, this Instruction also allows medical waivers to be granted on a case-by-case basis; and
Whereas, The United States Armed Forces should expand the use of medical waivers to allow more individuals with food allergies to serve our country. Our military is capable of accommodating dietary restrictions, as demonstrated by the availability of Kosher and Halal rations and policies allowing commanding officers to approve diet-related religious accommodations. Furthermore, not all careers in the Armed Forces place servicemembers in the position of relying on rations or other food provided by the military, meaning these individuals may need less accommodation; and
Whereas, The United States Air Force is already taking these factors into account and expanding access to medical waivers for those with food allergies. In December 2024, the Air Force announced that individuals with a documented history of food allergies, provided there has been no anaphylaxis or serious systemic reaction, will now qualify for a medical waiver. Individuals granted these waivers will be restricted in which careers they can pursue and where they can be assigned, to ensure that they are not unduly placed at risk. This new policy is a reasonable and logical way of balancing medical standards and recruitment needs, and it removes barriers for many who are willing and able to serve; and
Whereas, Many adults in the United States have food allergies. The National Center for Health Statistics estimated that, as of 2021, 6.6 percent of adults aged 18 to 44 have a diagnosed food allergy, and a study conducted between 2015 and 2016 estimated that approximately 1.8 percent of U.S. adults have a peanut allergy, specifically. Applying these figures to current population data, one can estimate that Michigan is home to nearly 500,000 adults with a food allergy, including over 140,000 adults with a peanut allergy. Opening up medical waivers to these individuals would increase the pool of potential applicants for military service; and
Whereas, Expanding the availability of medical waivers for food allergies could also help address the recruiting crisis in the United States military. On multiple occasions over the past few years, branches of the Armed Forces have failed to meet their recruitment goals. The ongoing struggle to sustain our fighting force is evidence that there is a substantial need to expand the pool of eligible applicants to guarantee the safety of our nation; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we urge the United States Armed Forces to expand the use of medical waivers for recruits with food allergies, including allergies to peanuts; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the United States Secretary of Defense.
Co-sponsored by Reps.
Referred to the Committee on Government Operations
