Service members now can file claims related to alleged malpractice at military medical facilities for up to $750,000, after the Pentagon proposed an increase from the previous limit of $600,000.
Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder announced in an email to media outlets that the proposed change applies “to any pending claims” and was published in the Federal Register on Friday.
“Effective immediately, the Department has increased the cap on non-economic damages for active-duty Service member medical malpractice claims from $600,000 to $750,000,” Ryder wrote Friday. “These actions are in direct response to input from our Service Members, Members of Congress, and other key stakeholders.”
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Ryder also announced that the Defense Department is pushing to update the regulation to change how it offsets other payments to service members under malpractice regulations.
“Currently, total potential damages are reduced by offsetting most of the compensation otherwise provided or expected to be provided by DoD or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the same harm that is the subject of the medical malpractice claim,” the change reads in the Federal Register. “The amendments would apply offsets to economic damages only.”
Troops generally cannot sue the DoD for injuries suffered while they are on active duty…
