One mistake in documents can delay payments: what military personnel need to check after injury

After a serviceman is injured, not only treatment but also the correct preparation of medical and official documents is crucial. These documents confirm the circumstances of the injury, serve as the basis for undergoing the military medical commission (MMC), expert assessment of daily functioning (EADF), disability determination, obtaining the status of a person with a disability due to the war, participant in combat operations, and the appointment of monetary payments. The Ministry of Defense explained which documents must be prepared after an injury, what to pay special attention to when checking them, and which mistakes most often lead to delays in processing social guarantees.

Why correct document preparation after injury is critically important

An injured serviceman is not obliged to personally control the document preparation process at the medical facility. However, the correctness of these documents determines the ability to smoothly pass the MMC, establish the causal link of the trauma, injury, concussion, disability, or disease with military service, receive additional compensation during prolonged inpatient treatment or treatment leave, undergo EADF to determine the disability group, obtain the status of a person with a disability due to the war, and receive a one-time monetary assistance (OMA) in case of disability establishment.

At the same time, mistakes in the documents themselves do not deprive the serviceman of the right to social guarantees. However, they may lead to the return of documents for revision, which delays the procedures and payment appointments by several months.

For questions regarding document preparation, referral and passing of MMC, as well as implementation of social guarantees, servicemen can contact specialists of the support services of their military unit, healthcare facility, or territorial recruitment and social support center (TRSSC). Their tasks include assisting the wounded in passing the MMC and preparing documents to obtain statuses and payments.

Primary medical card: the first document after injury

The first document is the primary medical card (PMC) — the initial accounting document prepared during pre-hospital medical care.

It is filled out in case of trauma, injury, disease, or damage. The document confirms the fact of medical assistance and is one of the main sources of information for further preparation of the certificate about the circumstances of trauma, injury, concussion, or disability.

Discharge summary: what must be checked

After treatment completion, the healthcare facility issues a discharge summary from the outpatient or inpatient medical card. It indicates diagnoses, patient condition at discharge, and treatment duration.

The Ministry of Defense recommends carefully checking two key points:

• whether all established injuries are included in the document. For example, some fractures may be detected only after detailed examination, not during initial care;
• whether the date of injury in the medical history is correctly indicated. For example, the wording "consequences of a combat injury received on 01.05.2024" must correspond to the data in the primary medical card and the certificate about the circumstances of the injury.

Inaccuracies in these data may negatively affect establishing the causal link during the military medical examination or determining disability causes during EADF. Therefore, all discharge summaries must be kept and presented at each subsequent medical examination.

Certificate of circumstances of injury: a document without which several payments cannot be processed

One of the most important documents is the certificate of circumstances of injury (wound, concussion, disability), prepared according to Appendix 5 to the Regulation on Military Medical Examination in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, approved by the Ministry of Defense order dated August 14, 2008, No. 402.

This document is used for:

• establishing the causal link of the injury during the military medical examination;
• appointing payments, including one-time monetary assistance in case of disability;
• confirming the right to additional compensation and certain types of assistance from territorial communities;
• appealing MMC decisions regarding the established causal link.

When preparing the certificate, it is necessary to verify the accuracy of personal data, injury date, full list of injuries and their localization, as well as the consistency of the description of circumstances with other documents — combat log, primary medical card, materials of official investigation, and other evidence.

The wording of circumstances must correspond to the descriptions of causal links of injuries, wounds, concussions, and disabilities defined in paragraph 21.5 of chapter 21, section II of the Regulation on Military Medical Examination in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

It is especially important that the certificate explicitly states that the injury is not related to committing a criminal or administrative offense, did not result from being under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or toxic substances, and is not the result of intentional self-inflicted bodily harm. Without such wording, the document package for appointing one-time monetary assistance is returned for revision.

Who establishes the causal link of injury

The causal link between the injury and military service is established exclusively by the military medical commission according to the Regulation on Military Medical Examination in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The commander of the military unit, head of the medical service, or personnel department cannot make such a decision. The commander only prepares the certificate of circumstances of injury, which is then used by the MMC when making a decision.

The procedure for preparing the document depends on the circumstances of the injury.

If the serviceman was injured as a result of enemy actions, no official investigation is conducted. Existing documents are used — primary medical card, combat log, orders on participation in combat operations, and other materials. After that, a report is prepared, a commander's order is issued, and the certificate of circumstances of injury is prepared in the electronic document management system (EDMS), transferred to the MMC office or healthcare facility, and a paper copy is issued to the serviceman.

If the event occurred without enemy influence, an official investigation is mandatory according to the Ministry of Defense Instruction No. 332 dated October 27, 2021, and an official investigation report and accident report are prepared. The subsequent procedure is similar: report, order, certificate preparation in EDMS, and issuance of a copy to the serviceman.

Certificate of participation in combat operations: what it is needed for

Another important document is the certificate of direct participation of a person in activities necessary to ensure the defense of Ukraine. It is prepared according to Appendix 6 to the Procedure approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine resolution dated August 20, 2014, No. 413.

This certificate is necessary for:

• obtaining the status of a combatant;
• establishing during the military medical examination the connection of disease with the defense of the homeland.

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

Which documents should be kept after injury

The Ministry of Defense recommends keeping all medical and administrative documents in originals and making copies in advance.

They may be needed later:

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

What to do if errors are found in documents

If an incorrect date, incomplete diagnosis, or inaccurate description of injury circumstances is found in the documents, they must be corrected through the medical facility, military unit, or TRSSC before submitting documents to the MMC, EADF, or for payment processing.

Corrections are also possible after submission, but the procedure will take significantly longer.

If at the time of establishing the causal link of injury or disease the necessary documents were missing but appeared later, the serviceman may apply to the regular MMC with a request for re-establishing the causal link, adding new documents.

How to appeal MMC decisions

If disagreeing with the decision of the military medical commission, including regarding the established causal link of injury or disease, the serviceman has the right to appeal the decision to a higher-level MMC or to the court.

The appeal period is 30 days from the date of the relevant decision.

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