Are those with back pain exempt from military service? Which medical conditions qualify for a deferment from conscription?
In the context of general mobilization in Ukraine, there are medical restrictions for conscription. Specifically, men with severe joint, bone, and muscle diseases may be granted the status of "unfit for service."
This is stipulated by the Ministry of Defense order №262 dated April 27, 2024, which regulates the list of diseases that exempt individuals from mobilization. According to the medical regulations, military conscripts are not subject to mobilization if they have the following diagnoses:
- infectious arthropathies with persistent and significant changes (purulent arthritis, reactive arthropathies, Reiter's disease);
- inflammatory polyarthropathies with significant functional impairment (rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis and bursitis, Felty's syndrome, Still's disease, crystalline, psoriatic and enteropathic arthropathies, juvenile arthritis, gout);
- systemic connective tissue diseases with significant functional impairment (polyarteritis nodosa and related conditions, necrotizing vasculopathies, Wegener's granulomatosis, Takayasu syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, systemic sclerosis, Sjögren's syndrome, Behçet's disease);
In addition, men who have been diagnosed with the following are also exempt from mobilization:
- severe ankylosing spondylitis;
- arthrosis and other joint conditions with significant functional impairment;
- muscle, synovial membrane, and tendon diseases with significant functional impairment;
- osteopathies and chondropathies with significant functional impairment (osteoporosis, osteomalacia, delayed fracture healing, stress fractures,
- fibrous dysplasia of bones, osteomyelitis, osteonecrosis, Paget's disease, and others);
- acquired deformities and defects of fingers and limbs with significant functional impairment;
- bilateral amputation of limbs at any level or unilateral amputation of the lower limb stump above the upper third of the shin;
- spinal diseases with significant functional impairment (deformity, osteochondrosis, spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis, intervertebral disc damage, etc.).
How to Obtain Exemption from Service
To officially confirm unfitness for military service, it is necessary to undergo a military medical commission (VMC). Only after the appropriate conclusion can one receive the status of "unfit."
Previously, "Telegraph" reported on whether those with hearing impairments can be mobilized. The VMC may recognize a man as unfit under certain circumstances.