How to Appeal the Decision of the Military Medical Commission in 2026: A Step-by-Step Guide for Conscripts

The Military Medical Commission remains one of the key elements of the mobilization system and military service during martial law. It determines the fitness of citizens for military service based on their health status, and its decisions can affect both mobilization and subsequent service or discharge from the Armed Forces.

At the same time, citizens have the right to appeal the decision of the Military Medical Commission if they believe that the commission did not consider their actual health condition or violated the medical examination procedure.

What is the Military Medical Commission and what governs it

The Military Medical Commission is a panel of doctors that conducts a medical examination and determines the degree of a person's fitness for military service. The commission does not provide treatment or in-depth diagnostics but assesses the person's health status at the time of examination.

There is no separate law on the Military Medical Commission in Ukraine. Commissions operate according to the Regulation on Military Medical Expertise in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the laws "On Mobilization Preparation and Mobilization" and "On Military Duty and Military Service," Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 560, the Fundamentals of Ukrainian Health Legislation, as well as sectoral standards in healthcare.

Who is required to undergo the Military Medical Commission

During martial law, undergoing the Military Medical Commission is mandatory for several categories of citizens.

These include conscripts who have received a summons or referral from the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center (TRSSC), as well as former "limited fitness" individuals who previously had the status "unfit for military service in peacetime, limited fitness in wartime" and who, after the cancellation of this category in 2024, have not undergone a repeated medical examination.

Candidates for military service under contract also undergo the Military Medical Commission.

For servicemen, the medical examination is mandatory if there is a need to review their health status, particularly after injury, concussion, or treatment.

A separate procedure applies to women with medical or pharmaceutical education who graduated after 2025. After automatic military registration, they must undergo the Military Medical Commission within 60 days, update their registration data, and receive military registration documents.

Is it necessary to undergo the Military Medical Commission when having a reservation or deferment

Conscripts who have a reservation or an official deferment from mobilization are generally not required to undergo the Military Medical Commission.

Exceptions include cases of signing a military service contract, having an old Military Medical Commission decision stating "unfit for military service in peacetime, limited fitness in wartime" without a repeated examination (except for persons with disabilities), as well as situations where the person initiates undergoing the Military Medical Commission themselves.

How to obtain a referral to the Military Medical Commission

A referral is the basis for undergoing the medical examination.

It can be issued by:

• heads of the TRSSC;
• heads of the Armed Forces Recruitment Centers;
• commanders of military units — for servicemen.

Conscripts can obtain an electronic referral through the "Reserve+" app. To do this, they need to go to the "Services" section, select the "Referral to the Military Medical Commission" service, fill out the form, and send the request. After verification, the document should appear in the personal account.

Servicemen can obtain a referral through the "Army+" app by submitting a digital report and attaching a medical document with a doctor's recommendation for undergoing the Military Medical Commission.

Note that a summons is not a referral to the Military Medical Commission. It only obliges the person to appear at the TRSSC for data clarification or mobilization measures.

Which doctors are seen during the Military Medical Commission

Before the commission, it is recommended to prepare medical documents and results of current tests.

The standard composition of the Military Medical Commission includes:

• therapist;
• surgeon;
• neurologist;
• psychiatrist;
• ophthalmologist;
• otolaryngologist;
• dentist;
• dermatologist.

If necessary, consultations with other specialists and additional examinations, including MRI, CT, or inpatient examination, may be assigned.

Where the Military Medical Commission takes place

For conscripts, commissions operate at district, city, and regional TRSSCs and effectively conduct examinations at municipal medical institutions.

For servicemen, garrison Military Medical Commissions operate at military hospitals and hospital Military Medical Commissions in military medical institutions and hospitals of state or communal ownership.

If the medical institution where a serviceman is treated does not have its own Military Medical Commission, a mobile commission may be organized.

After inpatient treatment and using a 30-day treatment leave, the serviceman must undergo the Military Medical Commission again to determine further fitness for service or the need to continue treatment.

Deadlines for undergoing the Military Medical Commission and validity of the conclusion

In the absence of the need for additional examinations, the medical examination of a conscript should not last more than six days.

If additional laboratory or instrumental examinations or inpatient examination are required, the total duration of the Military Medical Commission cannot exceed 14 days from the date of receiving the referral.

During martial law, the Military Medical Commission's conclusion regarding the fitness of a conscript is valid for one year.

If a person is recognized as unfit with a re-examination in 6–12 months, it is recommended to undergo the repeated commission 3–4 weeks before the expiration of the established period.

At the same time, persons recognized as unfit for military service with exclusion from military registration do not undergo a repeated examination.

What decisions the Military Medical Commission makes

The commission can establish one of four main degrees of fitness:

• fit for military service;
• fit for service in support military units, TRSSC, military educational institutions, medical units, logistics, communications, operational support, and security units;
• unfit for military service with re-examination in 6–12 months;
• unfit for military service.

For servicemen, a decision of unfitness may be grounds for discharge due to health reasons and removal from military registration.

Decisions of the Military Medical Commission are issued electronically through the Armed Forces Medical Information System. Data regarding conscripts are automatically transferred to the "Oberig" register and displayed in the "Reserve+" app.

How to appeal the decision of the Military Medical Commission

If a person believes that the commission did not consider their actual health condition, the Military Medical Commission's decision can be appealed out of court or in court.

Out-of-court appeal

For this, within 30 days it is necessary to:

• submit a complaint stating the reasons for disagreement with the Military Medical Commission's conclusion;
• attach medical documents;
• attach a copy of the Military Medical Commission's decision;
• attach a copy of the military ID or officer's certificate.

Documents are submitted to the higher Military Medical Commission in person or sent by registered mail with an inventory of enclosures and delivery notification.

The higher commission checks the legality of the previous decision and, if necessary, sends the person for a repeated medical examination. A new decision is made based on its results.

If the decision of the Military Medical Commission at the regional or city TRSSC is appealed, the complaint can be submitted to the regional or Central Military Medical Commission.

Judicial appeal

If a person disagrees with the decision of the regular Military Medical Commission, they may apply to the administrative court.

At the same time, the court does not assess the medical conclusions on the merits and does not independently determine fitness for military service. The court only verifies the legality of the procedure, including:

• whether all mandatory doctors examined the person;
• whether necessary examinations were conducted;
• whether documents were properly issued;
• whether deadlines and the person's rights were observed.

If violations are found, the court may cancel the Military Medical Commission's decision and order a new medical examination.

It is important that the appeal itself does not suspend the validity of the Military Medical Commission's conclusion. The previous decision loses effect only after a new decision is made based on the repeated examination.

Is it possible to refuse to undergo the Military Medical Commission

During martial law, undergoing the Military Medical Commission is mandatory. Refusal to undergo the medical examination is effectively considered a failure to fulfill military duty.

If a person received a referral — in paper form, through "Reserve+" or another legal method — and without valid reasons did not appear for the examination, this may lead to administrative liability.

Fines for violations of mobilization legislation for citizens range from 17,000 to 25,500 hryvnias.

In addition, information about the violator may be entered into the "Oberig" register, and the person may be marked as wanted by the TRSSC, which may potentially lead to restrictions on driving rights and police detention.

Systematic evasion of the Military Medical Commission and ignoring summonses to the TRSSC may be qualified as draft evasion during mobilization, which entails punishment in the form of imprisonment for three to five years.

At the same time, the law allows absence from the Military Medical Commission for valid reasons. These include temporary incapacity confirmed by medical documents, death of a close relative, natural disaster, or shelling that objectively make it impossible to appear for the medical examination.

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