Situation:
I am pes A.
I got injuried during BMT, I got a bad shin splint. I managed to POP by eating pain killers(tekong doctors gave me) whenever I am marching or feel pain in my leg etc.
I posted out to a unit. I finally got a letter from specialist to excuse me from rmj, LL, heavy load for a few months etc. The camp MO ask me if I want a temporary down pes. I said, "is there a need?" Lastly, the camp MO convinced me to try temporary down pes.
Qns:
I was temporary down pes for 6 months, I have completely no idea what pes am I down to. What I'm worried is, what if after 6 months I go for medical board to review my pes, they decided to up pes me, back to pes A.
1. Will I stay in my unit? or do I revocate?
2. I don't understand what's the use of temporary down pes.
3. What if I succeed in downgrading my pes, is there a chance for me to upgrade it back after I ORD?
4. If i get to upgrade it back after I ORD, do my reservice still in the same vocation?
Please help me. I am confused. Am I wrong to temporary down pes?
Please check current PES and its expiry with the counter medic at the medical centre. The medic can readily see your PES on the computer just with your NRIC number. Simple.
1. Revocation/ Post Out matters are none of medical centre business. Medical centre can only recommends a revocation/ post out. Please note that all actual manpower matters are all handled by the NS unit's S1 Manpower Branch. Therefore, please go to check with S1 Manpower Officer/ DyS1 Officer/ Chief Clerk.
2. Temporary PES downgrade is to let the person to rest, recover and recuperate well enough with sufficient time period for health conditions/ injuries deemed temporary. As simple as that.
3. To upgrade PES, please get a hospital specialist to write memo to verify and certify that you have well recovered to fit.
4. As mentioned above, for all revocation/ post out matters, please check directly with the S1 Manpower Branch for all manpower issues.
(A) Service Injuries
If you sustained an injury during your NS training, it may be considered as attributable to service only when service is the cause of injury. If you sustained an injury during ICT, you are required to report immediately to your unit’s Medical Officer and unit S1. This is so that your unit can arrange to attend to your injury, and document your injury sustained in your medical docket.
Before MINDEF determines that an injury is attributable to service, you are responsible for bearing all medical expenses. Treatment for your injury must be sought at government or restructured hospitals at your eligible ward and referred to by a government or SAF Medical Officer.
In the case of permanent disablement due to service injury, a medical board will be convened. Eligibility for disability compensation will be based on the degree of residual permanent disability as endorsed by the SAF Medical Board.
If your service injury requires continuous medical or hospitalisation leave beyond your ICT period, you are eligible for a stepped-down compensation as a form of ex-gratia payment. Compensation will be based on your civilian pay or an equivalent regular serviceman’s pay (whichever is higher) if you do not receive any income from your employers. This ex-gratia payment is compensation for your loss of income during this period. Payment will cease when you are no longer on medical/hospitalisation leave or when disability compensation is paid, whichever is earlier.
Compensations for Service Injuries
Service injuries are injuries sustained while serving NS.
This also includes injuries sustained when reporting for duty or going home after duty.
You will get free medical treatment for such injuries even after ORD for lifetime.
Remember to first report your injury to your unit MO. Also remember to collect and keep all documents relating to your injury and your treatment. These will help when you submit the injury report and seek claims.
Source: http://iprep.ns.sg
How does an injured serviceman make a claim for the medical costs incurred for service injury?
The PMC (Personnel Management Centre) will issue all serviceman with the SI (Service Injury) Card if their injuries have been approved as attributable to service by the Pensions / Awards Officer. The serviceman must produce this card to be eligible for fully-subsidised medical treatment at the government / restructured hospitals.
If the SI Card is not produced when seeking treatment, the serviceman will have to pay for all the medical cost first and seek reimbursement via the respective PMCs with the following documents:
a. the original medical bills and payment receipts
b. a memorandum from the attending doctor to prove that the treatment received was for his service injury.
The serviceman is required to notify his PMC immediately when he loses his SI Card. There will be an administrative charge of $15 for each replacement of lost or defaced SI Card. He will need to make the payment via MINDEF Cashier / Internet and submit the receipt to the unit PMC before he will be issued a new SI Card.
While waiting for the SI Card to be issued or replaced, the serviceman may approach the respective PMCs for the issuance of the SI Memo (a temporary identification document) for the fully-subsidised medical treatment.
1. Will I stay in my unit? or do I revocate?
It depends on the operational and requirement of your unit. If you are in NDU and you got down pes, you will ooc and be revocated.
2. I don't understand what's the use of temporary down pes.
Just so that they can give you extra care and attention.
3. What if I succeed in downgrading my pes, is there a chance for
me to upgrade it back after I ORD?
Yes there is a chance. However, I think it would be harder to up pes after you down pes.
4. If i get to upgrade it back after I ORD, do my reservice still
in the same vocation?
Most probably you will do reservice in your exsiting vocation because they cannot just post you around you ORD as you do not know how things work in other units. In addition, you did not receive training from other units.
When an NSman sustains an injury due to an authorised activity sanctioned by the Unit Commanding Officer during his In-Camp Training (ICT), he is required to report the incident immediately to his Unit S1/Manpower Officer and Unit Medical Officer (MO), so that his unit can assist him in the filing of his injury report and to provide him with the required treatment for his injury.
NSman is to provide the following, should he wish to submit his bills incurred for the treatment of his service injury:
Upon the approval of his injury as attributable to service, the NSman may be issued with an SI card, if it is certified by his attending doctor that he would require long-term medical treatment for his service injury. This SI card will provide him with fully subsidised medical benefits at government/restructured hospitals and polyclinics at his eligible ward for as long as he requires it.
If NSman has incurred medical fees at government/restructured hospitals and polyclinics for the treatment of his service injury prior to the approval, he is to retain all original receipts, certification from the doctor that the treatment is for his service injury and other supporting documents to his payment of medical fees. He may submit these documents to MINDEF/SAF Human Resource Shared Services Centre (HRSSC) upon the approval of his service injury for medical reimbursement. Do note that only medical fees incurred at government/restructured hospitals and polyclinics are reimbursable by MINDEF and he is to seek referral from doctors at polyclinic, hospital's A&E or his Unit MO for treatments at government/restructured hospitals.
If the NSman remains on continuous medical leave upon his ICT due to his service injury, he may be eligible for ex-gratia payment if it is certified by his employer that he is not receiving any salary for the period of his medical leave for his service injury. He is to provide a letter from his employer to inform MINDEF of this and the amount that is to be reimbursed, together with supporting documents.
This ex-gratia payment, which is meant to compensate NSman's loss of income during the period of medical leave, will be paid in a stepdown approach based on his civilian pay or an equivalent pay of a regular serviceman, whichever higher. The ex-gratia payment will cease upon the termination of his medical leave or the award of his disability compensation, whichever earlier.
If it is certified by his attending Specialist that his service injury has stabilised, the NSman is to inform his unit to request for him to be reviewed by his Unit MO. He will be required to complete an authorisation form to allow MINDEF to obtain a Disability Assessment Report (DAR) from his attending Specialist on his service injury. The hospital will take about 3 to 4 months to revert with the DAR. Upon the receipt of the DAR with no further query, he will be scheduled to attend a PD Board by Military Medicine Institute (MMI) for the endorsement of the PD that has been assessed by his attending Specialist for him to have suffered as a result of his service injury. Upon the endorsement and approval of his PD Board Outcome, MINDEF/SAF HRSC will then be able to process his disability compensation. He will be informed of the award of his lump sum disability compensation subsequently.
When an NSman sustains an injury due to an authorised activity sanctioned by the Unit Commanding Officer during his In-Camp Training (ICT), he is required to report the incident immediately to his Unit S1/Manpower Officer and Unit Medical Officer (MO), so that his unit can assist him in the filing of his injury report and to provide him with the required treatment for his injury.
NSman is to provide the following, should he wish to submit his bills incurred for the treatment of his service injury:
Upon the approval of his injury as attributable to service, the NSman may be issued with an SI card, if it is certified by his attending doctor that he would require long-term medical treatment for his service injury. This SI card will provide him with fully subsidised medical benefits at government/restructured hospitals and polyclinics at his eligible ward for as long as he requires it.
If NSman has incurred medical fees at government/restructured hospitals and polyclinics for the treatment of his service injury prior to the approval, he is to retain all original receipts, certification from the doctor that the treatment is for his service injury and other supporting documents to his payment of medical fees. He may submit these documents to MINDEF/SAF Human Resource Shared Services Centre (HRSSC) upon the approval of his service injury for medical reimbursement. Do note that only medical fees incurred at government/restructured hospitals and polyclinics are reimbursable by MINDEF and he is to seek referral from doctors at polyclinic, hospital's A&E or his Unit MO for treatments at government/restructured hospitals.
If the NSman remains on continuous medical leave upon his ICT due to his service injury, he may be eligible for ex-gratia payment if it is certified by his employer that he is not receiving any salary for the period of his medical leave for his service injury. He is to provide a letter from his employer to inform MINDEF of this and the amount that is to be reimbursed, together with supporting documents.
This ex-gratia payment, which is meant to compensate NSman's loss of income during the period of medical leave, will be paid in a stepdown approach based on his civilian pay or an equivalent pay of a regular serviceman, whichever higher. The ex-gratia payment will cease upon the termination of his medical leave or the award of his disability compensation, whichever earlier.
If it is certified by his attending Specialist that his service injury has stabilised, the NSman is to inform his unit to request for him to be reviewed by his Unit MO. He will be required to complete an authorisation form to allow MINDEF to obtain a Disability Assessment Report (DAR) from his attending Specialist on his service injury. The hospital will take about 3 to 4 months to revert with the DAR. Upon the receipt of the DAR with no further query, he will be scheduled to attend a PD Board by Military Medicine Institute (MMI) for the endorsement of the PD that has been assessed by his attending Specialist for him to have suffered as a result of his service injury. Upon the endorsement and approval of his PD Board Outcome, MINDEF/SAF HRSC will then be able to process his disability compensation. He will be informed of the award of his lump sum disability compensation subsequently.