A single mistake in documents can cause a wounded serviceman to be without payments for a long time

The Ministry of Defense noted that a wounded serviceman is not obliged to personally control the preparation of medical documents, but mistakes in them can significantly delay procedures and lead to the return of documents for revision.

The ministry emphasizes that the correctness of their preparation directly affects the passage of the Military Medical Commission, obtaining the status of a person with a disability due to the war, and the assignment of monetary payments.

Why documents after injury are not a formality

A wounded serviceman is not required to personally control what and how documents are prepared for him in the medical institution. However, the correctness of document preparation directly affects:

• passing the VLC and establishing the causal link of the injury (wound, concussion, disability) or illness;
• assignment of additional remuneration during prolonged inpatient treatment or treatment leave;
• assessment of daily functioning to determine the disability group;
• obtaining the status of a person with a disability due to the war;
• assignment of a one-time monetary assistance (OMA) in case of disability establishment.

Mistakes in documents are not grounds for denial of rights – but they force the return of document packages for revision, which delays the process by months.

For questions regarding document preparation, referral and passage of the MMC, as well as the implementation of social guarantees, a serviceman can contact specialists of the support service of his military unit, healthcare institution, or the territorial recruitment and social support center (TRSSC). The tasks of support services include, in particular, assisting the wounded in passing the VLC and preparing documents to obtain status and payments.

Primary medical card: the first medical document

The primary medical card (PMC) is the primary accounting document used during pre-hospital medical care. It is filled out in case of injury (wound), illness, or damage and confirms the fact of providing medical care at the pre-hospital stage.

The card is one of the sources of information for preparing the certificate of injury circumstances (wound, concussion, disability).

Discharge summary from the inpatient medical record: what to check

The discharge summary from the outpatient (inpatient) medical record is issued by the healthcare institution after treatment. It certifies diagnoses, the patient's condition at discharge, and the duration of treatment.

Two points are important to check in the discharge summary:

• completeness of diagnoses – all established injuries must be recorded. For example, bone fractures are not always detected during pre-hospital care – they are recorded after detailed examination;
• the date of injury in the medical history – for example, the wording "consequences of a combat injury received on 01.05.2024" can be compared with data from the PMC and the certificate of injury circumstances.

Inaccurate data can negatively affect the establishment of a causal link during the VLC or the cause of disability during the assessment of daily functioning (ADF). Discharge summaries should be kept and provided at each subsequent medical examination.

Certificate of injury circumstances: a key document

The certificate of injury circumstances (wound, concussion, disability) is Appendix 5 to the Regulation on Military Medical Expertise in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, approved by the Ministry of Defense Order No. 402 dated August 14, 2008 (as amended).

This document is mandatory for:

• establishing the causal link of the injury during the MMC;
• assignment of payments, including OMA upon disability establishment;
• confirming the right to additional remuneration and assistance from territorial communities;
• appealing MMC decisions regarding the established causal link.

What to pay attention to during preparation

The certificate is checked for:

• correctness of personal data;
• dates of injury (wound, concussion, or disability);
• completeness of injury description and circumstances – all types and locations of injuries must be reflected;
• the wording of circumstances must correspond to reality and be consistent with other documents (combat log, PMC, service investigation data, etc.).

The Ministry of Defense emphasizes the necessity of using formulations in the certificate of circumstances in accordance with the descriptions of causal links of injuries (wounds, concussions, disabilities) in paragraph 21.5 of chapter 21, section II of the Regulation on Military Medical Expertise in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Important. The certificate must contain a direct indication that the injury is not related to the commission of a criminal or administrative offense, is not a consequence of actions under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or toxic substances, and is not a deliberate self-inflicted bodily injury. Without this wording, the document package for OMA is returned for revision.

Who and how establishes the causal link

The causal link between the injury and military service is established exclusively by the VLC – according to the first paragraph of clause 1.2, chapter 1, section I of the Regulation on MMC in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Neither the commander, nor the head of the medical service of the military unit, nor the personnel service can do this. The commander only prepares the certificate of injury circumstances – the document on the basis of which the MMC makes a decision.

The procedure for preparing the certificate depends on the circumstances of the event:

• Injury from enemy actions – no official investigation is conducted. Available data are collected (primary medical card, combat log, orders on participation in combat operations, etc.), a report is prepared for the command to issue a commander's order, based on which the certificate of injury circumstances is prepared in the electronic document management system (EDMS) and sent to the MMC office or healthcare institution. The serviceman is issued a paper copy of the electronic document.
• Event without enemy influence – a mandatory official investigation is conducted according to Ministry of Defense Instruction No. 332 dated 27.10.2021, investigation and accident reports are drawn up. Then the same procedure follows: report, order, certificate of injury circumstances in EDMS, copy issued to the serviceman.

Certificate of direct participation in combat actions

The certificate of direct participation of a person in measures necessary to ensure the defense of Ukraine is prepared according to the form of Appendix 6 to the Procedure approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Resolution No. 413 dated August 20, 2014 (as amended).

This document is necessary for:

• obtaining the status of a combatant participant;
• establishing the link of illness with the defense of the Fatherland during the MMC.

The certificate is prepared by the military unit. If the commander does not submit the necessary documents to the commission, the serviceman has the right to initiate this process independently according to the requirements of Procedure No. 413.

Documents that a wounded serviceman must have

How to store documents and what to do if mistakes are found

All medical and administrative documents received during treatment should be kept in originals and copies should be made in advance. The list of documents that will be needed later:

• military registration document;
• primary medical card;
• discharge summaries from medical records for each period of inpatient treatment;
• certificate of injury circumstances (Appendix 5 to Ministry of Defense Order No. 402);
• certificate of direct participation in combat actions (Appendix 6 to Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 413);
• extract from accounting documentation (Form 12).

If a mistake is found in the documents (incorrect date, incomplete diagnosis, incorrect wording of circumstances), it should be corrected through the medical institution, military unit, or TRSSC before submitting the document package to the MMC, the Expert Commission on Disability Assessment (ECDA), or for payment assignment. Corrections after submission are possible but require more time.

If necessary documents were missing at the time of establishing the causal link of injury (wound, concussion, disability) or illness but appeared later, an application can be submitted to the regular MMC requesting a re-establishment of the link, attaching the relevant documents.

Appealing the MMC decision

If a serviceman disagrees with the MMC decision – including the established causal link – he has the right to appeal it to a higher-level MMC or in court. The appeal period is 30 days from the date of the decision.

Recall that the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court considered a landmark case 280/8933/24 on recovering compensation for lost income due to delayed payment of monetary allowance.

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