Why does the leadership always want to punish a Soldier with UCMJ if they miss an appointment especially if it's MEDPROS?

2018-07-24T20:23:37-04:00

Response by LTC John Wilson made Jul 24 at 2018 9:39 PM

2018-07-24T21:39:42-04:00

They resort to UCMJ for two very good reasons that are rooted deeply in recent history. During Desert Shield/Storm and mmediately after 9-11, Reserve Component units were mobilized on a scale not seen since Korea or World War II. During these mobilizations, Reserve Component units demonstarated an embarrassing track record of massed formations filled with ranks of Soldiers not medically prepared to deploy. Since this time, the National Guard and Army Reserve have pressed hard to reverse this trend.

First, failure of the individual Soldier to meet basic medical readiness has a significant and negative impact on Unit Deployment Readiness. Commanders are responsible for Unit Deployment Readiness and are held to account. General Officers berate Subordinate Commanders constantly over poor MEDPROS statistics. And as they say, the fecal matter rolls downhill.

Second, individual medical readiness is a Soldier's responsibility -- his DUTY. An LHI appointment is an Official Duty appointment (and Soldiers get aid to attend these appointments). Failure to appear at a set appointment is the same as being AWOL -- punishable under UCMJ (or the equivalent under Title 32 as established by the individual State's Code of Military Justice).

Commands repeatedly make the case to their Soldiers about just how serious these appointments are. However, too.many of the younger Soldiers do not seem to grasp the concept. As such, Senior Officers all the way up to USARC and NGB levels have encouraged a "Zero Tolerance" policy in an effort to emphasize how critical these appointments are in an effort to "tighten the shot group."

As an NCO, you have responsibility for yourself AND those Soldiers under your charge. Lead by example and encourage your Soldiers to treat these appointments seriously as well.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Jul 24 at 2018 10:08 PM

2018-07-24T22:08:29-04:00

1. So they schedule an appt- ties up two or three people, waiting on you to show up. You bolo the appt, and that means 1 loss person was seen that day, cause you wasted their time. Under UCMJ- Failure to be at the appointed place/time, etc. is a punishable offense.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2018 12:29 PM

2018-07-25T12:29:27-04:00

By MEDPROS, I'm assuming you mean LHI. It's punishable by UCMJ most likely under article 92, violation of a direct order. Leadership usually tells SM when they're due and if they are red medically then they are an UNSAT.

When a SM schedules through LHI and the is a no show, the command will be charged a no show fee. For us those fees go to the 99th RSC and the reports go to the company all the way up to DIV.

Not to mention MRC and suicide prevention are on the top tier hit lists.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2018 3:25 PM

2018-07-25T15:25:26-04:00

I understand and agree with holding the Soldier accountable with a missed appointment. Especially when they blow it off. That being said, I’m also a proponent of ‘what’s good for the goose is good for the gander’.

What I mean by this is that when a Soldier is 10 minutes late for an appointment or fails to cancel an appointment 24 hours prior (regardless of the reason), that is counted as a missed appointment and reported to the command as such. On the other hand, when the MTF cancels / changes the Soldiers appointment at the last minute or has the Soldier sitting there past the 10 minute mark, who is held accountable?

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2018 3:47 PM

2018-07-25T15:47:43-04:00

Tell me, NCO, what would you recommend instead as a consequence of missing an appointment?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2018 5:52 PM

2018-07-25T17:52:56-04:00

The Army legitimately loses millions of dollars in wasted time a year from missed appointments. For the TMCs and Dental clinics making these appointments and tracking them, missed appointments are paid provider time that goes to waste. On top of that, there are other SMs who could have been seen in that time and the original SM will need to be rescheduled.

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Jul 25 at 2018 6:00 PM

2018-07-25T18:00:51-04:00

To keep it simple, missed appointments cost the Army money and holds up another Soldier from receiving an appointment. Thank you for your service.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2018 10:01 PM

2018-07-25T22:01:11-04:00

Same reason a civilian Dr. will charge you for a missed appointment, deterrence...

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Jul 25 at 2018 10:27 PM

2018-07-25T22:27:03-04:00

There are rare instances where missions have dictated a joe misses an appointment but the command eats that and it’s acceptable. I’ve seen instances where joe has told folks and higher forgot. Unless joe can prove he told someone in advance about it, it’s on joe. You’re gonna eat it.
Joe also needs to take a vested interest in their own health. First thing you hear from joe when they’re about to ETS/RET is ‘I didn’t get to claim...’, ‘it isn’t in my records’, ‘I should’ve gone and had that looked at’. There are more but the bottom line is you need to treat MEDPROS like your promotion packet. The rank will come off one day, those packets won’t mean ish....having your MEDPROS up to date with all of your issues will save you(and your ass), a lot of heartache in the long run. PHA’s ans Dental are so important and should not be overlooked.
No one will take better care of you THAN you. If you don’t, I can guarantee your 1SG will and he doesn’t like being yelled at over some BS with no valid reason behind it. the VA will be looking at it too when you make claims. See how far you get with them when you claim it’s ‘service connected’ and there isn’t a shred of proof because you didn’t make or keep appointments