Proper completion of medical documentation after sustaining an injury is a critically important issue for military personnel, directly affecting the acquisition of status and social payments. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (MoD) has issued a detailed explanation of why each certificate is needed and how errors in them can block payments or complicate the medical examination process.

According to information from the department's press service, a wounded soldier is not personally obligated to control the process of completing paperwork at a medical facility. However, the speed and effectiveness of receiving assistance depend precisely on the correctness of the document completion. Errors are not grounds for refusal of rights, but they force document packages to be returned for revision, which delays the process.

Primary Medical Card and Discharge Summaries

The foundation for all subsequent actions is the Primary Medical Card (PMC). This is the first accounting document recording assistance provided at the pre-hospital stage. The MoD emphasizes that the card serves as one of the key sources of information for completing the certificate on the circumstances of injury, wound, concussion, or disability.

After treatment is completed, the medical facility is obliged to issue a discharge summary from the card of an outpatient or inpatient. Military personnel are advised to keep this document and provide it at every subsequent medical examination. Unreliable data in the discharge summary can negatively affect the establishment of a causal link between the injury and the performance of official duties.

Certificate on Circumstances of Injury: Requirements for Formulations

The key document is the certificate on the circumstances of the injury (wound, concussion, disability), which is completed according to the form of Appendix 5 to the Regulations on Military-Medical Expertise in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense emphasizes that the formulation of circumstances must strictly correspond to reality and be compared with data from the combat operations log, the PMC, and the official investigation.

The document must necessarily use formulations corresponding to the descriptions of causal links of injuries according to point 21.5 of chapter 21 of section II of the Regulations on MME. Without a direct indication that the injury was received while performing military duties or in connection with them, the document package for the Unified Monetary Benefit (UMB) is returned for revision.

Who Establishes the Causal Link?

It is important to understand the division of powers: the causal link between the injury and the performance of military service is established exclusively by the Military-Medical Commission (MMC). Neither the commander, nor the head of the medical service, nor the personnel department has the right to make such conclusions. The commander only completes the certificate on the circumstances of the injury, on the basis of which the MMC makes its decision.

The procedure for completing the certificate depends on the situation:

  • If the injury was received from enemy actions, an official investigation is not conducted.
  • The serviceman is issued a paper copy of the electronic document.
  • Then follows the standard procedure: report, order, certificate on the circumstances of the injury in the electronic document management system (EDMS), and a copy in hand.

Participation in Defense Support Activities

A separate certificate is issued regarding a person's direct participation in events necessary to ensure the defense of Ukraine. It is filled out according to the form of Appendix 6 to the Procedure approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated August 20, 2014, No. 413. If the commander has not submitted the necessary documents to the commission, the serviceman has the right to initiate this process independently.

Correcting Errors and Storing Documents

All medical and administrative documents received during the treatment process should be stored in their original form. If an error is found in the documents — incorrect date, incomplete diagnosis, or incorrect formulation of circumstances — it must be corrected before submitting the document package to the MMC, the Electronic Medical Information System (EMIS), or for the appointment of payments.

Correction after submission of the package is possible but requires significantly more time. In situations where the necessary documents were missing at the time of establishing the causal link but appeared later, one can submit an application to the staff MMC requesting a review or supplementation of materials.