A question about military benefits

Here's a situation I've been wondering about and I wonder if any of you can give me the answer. I have never been in the service myself, but always thought they got very good benefits if they were injured on base. It's so surprising to me that I'm having trouble believing it and wonder if something else is involved that no one knows about.

I have a young third cousin who grew up loving hunting and loving guns, and on graduation from high school decided to join the army. He requested to be in the infantry and left home for boot camp. He completed all but two weeks of boot camp. While he was climbing up a tower on a rope, he fell and injured the muscles in his back. I would have thought the DOD would send him to a service connected hospital for recovery and rehab and let him continue his training when he got better. Instead, they sent him home to be treated by his private doctor and refused to pay for his medical care. They said when he recovered he could come back and complete his last two weeks of training and then go to whatever his assignment was supposed to be. He was required to be out for at least 6 months because of the injury. His parents paid for his medical care here locally because he was not on their insurance policy anymore. If he'd been in college he could have stayed on until he was 26 but he chose to serve his country instead. Now he has been certified ready to return. He has not been paid during this 6 months off and had to work at a store to pay for gas money, so he wants to return desperately. But he's been told that he is now "on waivers" which nobody seems to understand. It means he cannot join another branch of service and can't come back to the army yet either. So, he's in limbo.

I think he needs to get a lawyer to try and find out how it is that a servicemember can have a job injury that isn't paid for by workmen's comp (like a civilian's would be) and why his medical care had to be paid by him. Is this some new law? If it is it is ridiculous.

Or might there be something else that the young man isn't telling his family about what happened? It really is unbelievable to me and I just can't figure it out.

I don't know a damn thing about military benefits or rules, but this doesn't sound right.

In the private sector, if you are injured while at work, Workman's Compensation should kick in, shouldn't it?

I dont knowmuch about the "New" Army but something doesn't seem tight.  "Or might there be something else that the young man isn't telling his family about what happened?'

hallmarkgrad wrote:

I dont knowmuch about the "New" Army but something doesn't seem tight.  "Or might there be something else that the young man isn't telling his family about what happened?'

I kinda had that thought too, HG.

When I signed my contract you were free to leave all the way up until the day you entered bootcamp.

Once you checked in the service owned you and were also responsible for your health and welfare whether you were hurt on active duty or leave.

Think I'd find a good lawyer and fight this one since he had to be under contract for however long he signed up.

*****SMILE*****

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5X_Dd_6Czk

It sounds more like he isn't telling the whole story. If it is a training accident and in the line of duty then it seems he would be treated and sent to a medical battalion until able to return to basic training. If his injury will preclude further service then he faces a medical evaluation board and will be discharged. Regardless he should pursue VA disability benefits and file claims for medical treatment. If he is telling his folks the truth about what happened.

nochain wrote:

It sounds more like he isn't telling the whole story. If it is a training accident and in the line of duty then it seems he would be treated and sent to a medical battalion until able to return to basic training. If his injury will preclude further service then he faces a medical evaluation board and will be discharged. Regardless he should pursue VA disability benefits and file claims for medical treatment. If he is telling his folks the truth about what happened.

At the very least head to the VA.....

Damaged Eagle wrote:

When I signed my contract you were free to leave all the way up until the day you entered bootcamp.

Once you checked in the service owned you and were also responsible for your health and welfare whether you were hurt on active duty or leave.

Think I'd find a good lawyer and fight this one since he had to be under contract for however long he signed up.

*****SMILE*****

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5X_Dd_6Czk



 

That's what I thought too DE.  If there's not something the young man has not told his parents, they need to fight for what he should have received. Even if they were to discharge him (they haven't) his medical bills should be paid and he should get some comp for the time he's been off. He told his parents that it was some new rules from about 2 years ago that allow the service not to foot his bills. Sounds a little strange to me.