Military Medical Malpractice and the Feres Doctrine

The Department of Defense (DOD) employs physicians and other medical personnel to administer health care to servicemembers, military retirees, and their family members. If these providers commit medical malpractice, they may cause injury or death.

This In Focus discusses the standards and procedures governing medical malpractice claims that servicemembers and non-servicemembers may assert against the United States, as well as pertinent considerations for Congress.