Veterans: Health Services

Question

Medical discharge policy is delegated to the single Services to afford each branch of the Armed Forces the necessary flexibility to respond effectively to the unique and varying environments in which their people are employed.

Royal Navy:

As part of the People Transformation and Modernisation Programme, the Royal Navy established a “Leave Well” project in 2021, focused on delivering improvements to the Service Leaver processes and mechanisms. This work is focused around improving the through-career development and skills of individuals whilst in Service, as well as the provisions made to assist during career transition, giving them the tools and confidence needed to better prepare for life as a civilian.

British Army:

The Army supports Service personnel in recovery and seeks to enact the most effective transition to civilian life and employment for those undergoing medical discharge/retirement action. The timelines for the discharge are carefully considered on an individual basis by the Full Medical Board when determining the last day of service. Taking into consideration the medical care pathway, individual last days of service are routinely deferred for up to 12 months, and beyond in exceptional circumstances. The Army acknowledges that clinical recovery is complex and there may be occasions in which an individual’s Defence Medical Services healthcare cannot be easily transferred to NHS providers within the usual timeframe. In such cases an application for an extension in service on medical grounds can be made which, if policy compliant, will enable an extension to support healthcare transition.

Royal Air Force (RAF):

The medical discharge process is a generous system with a long lead in time (at least 12-18 months) before a Service person is presented to the RAF Medical Board (RAFMB) for an assessment/decision, even when it may be obvious that a discharge is inevitable. This allows time for adjustment and to ensure that all reasonable attempts have been made to return the Service person to a level required for meaningful work.

The RAF retains Service personnel where they can still offer sufficient performance; only approximately 15 percent of Service personnel attending the RAFMB are recommended for medical discharge. Personnel who are recommended for medical discharge can take periods of leave, including resettlement leave and invaliding leave, often adding a further eight to ten months of paid service before the date of discharge. The medical discharge process may span two and half years from the initial injury/illness through to discharge date.

Improvements to the process include the option of remote RAFMB appointments, ensuring that the medical discharge process is transparent and subject to scrutiny; that Service personnel know what their rights to appeal against a decision are, and that those who are medically discharged are allowed sufficient time to complete their resettlement training and recovery courses.