Doctor Disability: Military Doctors May Lose Coverage
Thanks to our military doctors, many wounded warriors and injured civilians have received critical, life-saving care. Some have been cosmetically restored, while others have been fitted with prosthetic devices that have enabled them to live productive, happy lives after a terrible injury. Once our military doctors leave the service and go into private practice, they may still receive some veteran’s benefits, but they lose disability insurance for problems that aren’t directly linked to their military time. 
As a general rule, says Vets First, an organization serving America’s disabled veterans and their families, eligibility for VA disability compensation benefits requires identification of the disability or associated symptoms during the term of military service. If a disability develops or is identified after separation from the military, even if it’s service-related, if there is nothing in the service medical record indicating presence of the disability or its symptoms, it is “highly unlikely the VA will award disability compensation.”
Undiagnosed problems can build for years, resulting in incapacitating conditions later in a doctor’s career. If they aren’t demonstrably service-related, a physician will have to rely on private income protection insurance. That could be group disability insurance offered through an employer or an individual disability policy purchased by the physician. Of course, a doctor will have more flexibility insuring as an individual, but a group policy will be less expensive.
Service medical records may be required under an individual policy, and both individual and group disability insurance typically exclude pre-existing conditions. Getting a clean bill of health before separating from the military is a critical step, so—even though it can be tempting to skip the out-processing physical in order to expedite the departure process—doctors should always take that final medical exam before finishing out their military career.
If you are a doctor considering leaving military service and entering private medical practice, either as a sole practitioner or as part of a group, hospital, school or medical center, talk to one of our professionals about physician income protection. We are available by phone at 866-899-7318 or online at Doctor Disability.
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