Military Medical Commission during Mobilization: Who is Required to Undergo Medical Examination and When It Is Not Necessary

The procedure for undergoing the military medical commission (MMC) during martial law remains one of the key stages of mobilization procedures. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine clarified who is subject to mandatory medical examination, how to obtain a referral, and what decisions the commission makes.

The MMC conducts a medical examination to determine a person's fitness for military service based on their health condition. The commission does not provide treatment or in-depth diagnostics, but only establishes fitness for service at the time of the examination.

Mandatory medical examinations are required for those liable for military service, including those who have received a summons or referral from the territorial recruitment and social support center. Citizens who voluntarily join military service under contract, servicemen who need to review their health status, especially after injury, as well as persons who previously had the status "unfit in peacetime, limited fitness in wartime" and have not undergone a repeated examination after its cancellation, must also undergo the MMC.

A separate procedure applies to women with medical or pharmaceutical education who received their diploma after 2025. They must undergo the MMC within 60 days after automatic registration for military service, update their data, and obtain military registration documents.

The Ministry of Defense emphasized that those liable for military service who have reservations or an official deferment from mobilization are not required to undergo the MMC. However, this rule does not apply to those who sign a contract for military service, have not undergone a repeated medical examination after the cancellation of the "limited fitness" status, or voluntarily wish to undergo the commission.

To undergo the MMC, a referral must be obtained. It can be issued by the heads of territorial recruitment and social support centers, heads of the Armed Forces recruitment centers, or commanders of military units—for active servicemen.

Those liable for military service can also independently submit a request for an electronic referral through the "Reserve+" app. To do this, use the "Referral to MMC" service, fill out the form, and send the request. After verification, the electronic referral will appear in the personal account. Active servicemen can obtain a paper referral through the "Army+" app by submitting a digital report and attaching a medical document with a doctor's recommendation.

The Ministry separately stressed that a summons is not a referral to the MMC. A summons obliges a person to appear at the territorial recruitment center to clarify data or for mobilization, while a referral is a document that provides grounds to undergo a medical examination for a specific purpose.

If no additional examinations are needed during the basic medical examination, the MMC process should not exceed six days. If laboratory or instrumental studies or consultations with other doctors are required, the total duration of the medical examination cannot exceed 14 days from the moment the referral is received.

During martial law, the MMC conclusion on the fitness of a person liable for military service is valid for one year. If a person is recognized as unfit for military service with a re-examination scheduled in 6–12 months, it is recommended to undergo the repeated examination three to four weeks before the expiration of the established period. If a person is recognized as unfit for military service with exclusion from military registration, repeated MMC is not conducted.

As previously reported by the Judicial and Legal Newspaper", during military service or combat missions, defenders may be diagnosed not only with wounds or injuries but also with serious diseases, including cancer. At the same time, the legal status of such a disease and the further realization of the rights provided by law to the serviceman depend on the causal connection of the disease established by the military medical commission. 

Illustrative in this context is the case considered by the Kyiv District Administrative Court. A serviceman who was diagnosed with cancer during direct participation in combat operations appealed to the court.

He disagreed with the conclusion of the military medical commission, which determined that the disease was only related to military service, and requested recognition that it was related to the defense of the Fatherland.