The Army is allowing more people with mental health problems to seek waivers to join the service.
USA Today reports the Army began the unannounced policy in August.
The change allows people with histories of the following disorders to apply for waivers:
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Self-mutilation
- Drug and alcohol abuse
The change comes as the service faces the challenging goal of recruiting 80,000 new soldiers through September 2018.
To meet last year's goal of 69,000, the Army:
- Accepted recruits who fared poorly on aptitude tests
- Increased the number of waivers granted for marijuana use
- Offered hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses