Servicemember Personal Injury Damages Expertise

Military compensation, entitlements, and benefits can complicate a seemingly straightforward Servicemember-Plaintiff’s personal injury damages case. Given the nature of the relationship between the United States and a Servicemember, it is entirely possible the U.S. Government will mitigate a defendant’s damages liability for a plaintiff’s compensatory, medical, and future employment damages.

Our attorneys at MNB Meridian Law, Ltd. are the leading experts on the interplay of a Servicemember’s military service and the compensation, entitlements, and benefits they will receive in a personal injury action, and the defendant’s liability for personal injury damages. We identify, translate, and quantify for our clients how a Service member’s military service was (not) or will (not) be impacted by the federal government’s contribution of compensation, benefits, and entitlements over the course of the Servicemember’s career or life. We then show in turn how that will affect the monetary value of a servicemember-plaintiff’s personal injury claim, and how much a defendant might be obligated to pay or be spared.

For instance, as a defense expert, we reviewed an active-duty Soldier-Plaintiff’s claim for $6M in lifelong medical and employment damages allegedly due to a civilian hospital’s medical malpractice. Given the nature of the Soldier-Plaintiff’s military service, the injuries purportedly caused by the alleged medical practice were considered to be “in the line of duty” and therefore compensable by the U.S. Government. As a result, the Army medically retired the Soldier, and provided him and his family lifelong medical insurance. The Department of Veterans Affairs awarded the (now) Veteran 100% disability at nearly $4,000 per month, secondary lifelong health insurance, and educational retraining. The present value of those government benefits was approximately $235,000.

The case settled for costs, because our experts identified, translated, and quantified how the compensatory, medical, and future employment damages claim was mitigated by the U.S. Government’s contribution of compensation, entitlements, and benefits. The reality is that the U.S. Government effectively paid for the Soldier’s injuries regardless of how they happened or who caused them. This nuanced understanding is the advantage of retaining our military compensation experts.

Contact Us for Assistance

For expert assistance with issues relating to military compensation and personal injury damages, please contact us by calling 215-268-3003 or using the online contact form. With offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Alexandria, Virginia, MNB Meridian Law serves clients throughout the United States and around the globe.

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What We've Done

Federal Employment Discrimination and Retaliation

A Department of Defense agency proposed the removal of a senior civilian employee for meeting with Congressional committee staff, “pushing back” on hiring practices, for “failure to follow instructions,” and for allegedly asking a fellow employe to lie. The proposed removal was in retaliation for being outspoken and attempting to hold the e…

Army Reserve Administrative Separation

The Army initiated administrative separation after a reserve officer, with 18 years of service, was issued a letter of reprimand for advertising his business wearing a de-identified Army combat uniform and mentioning his Army reserve status. During the administrative separation board, the Government tried to introduce additional alleged misconduct,…

Successful Titling Removal

An officer was accused of committing travel fraud after he provided what he thought was an official weigh station weight ticket. At the weigh station, an unauthorized person provided a blank weigh ticket and told the officer to complete the weigh ticket on their own. The officer reported this irregularity to the travel office processing the travel…

Former Army Reserve Major Pending Medical Evaluation Board

In 1985, the Major was exposed to radiation from a leaking microwave transmitter. The Officer developed endocrinological disorders and gained more than 100 pounds. He was treated by Army and civilian medical providers over the course of his active and reserve duty statuses, but later discharged due to his weight gain and other factors while pending…

Army Soldier Facing a AR 635-200 Chapter 14-12 Elimination

The Soldier, a former US Marine and current Army Specialist, was facing administrative elimination, for a pattern of misconduct that included falling asleep during a platoon sergeant’s meeting, punching a hole in the wall of his barrack’s room, wearing athletic socks with a logo, being absent (for 30 minutes) from his appointed place of duty, a…
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