{"id":39287,"date":"2019-12-30T20:50:39","date_gmt":"2019-12-30T20:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/12\/30\/lets-make-2020-the-year-injured-service-members-finally-get-the-right-to-sue-dod\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:24:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:24:58","slug":"lets-make-2020-the-year-injured-service-members-finally-get-the-right-to-sue-dod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/12\/30\/lets-make-2020-the-year-injured-service-members-finally-get-the-right-to-sue-dod\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s make 2020 the year injured service members finally get the right to sue DoD"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the quiet of the Friday before Christmas, President Trump signed<\/a> the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law. Of the many provisions in this whopping $738 billion<\/a> bill, Trump is most proud of the creation of his Space Force. In his remarks at the signing ceremony, he crowned it a \u201clandmark achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This jubilation ignores a big problem. Even if the Space Force results in Trump\u2019s desired \u201cAmerican superiority in space,\u201d the NDAA leaves service members on Earth behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Trump touted in his remarks, the Space Force is the first new military branch in over 70 years. The most recently created branch \u2014 the Air Force \u2014 was formed in 1947<\/a>. What Trump didn\u2019t mention, though, is that it\u2019s also been 70 years<\/a> since service members had the right to sue the Defense Department for serious injuries. The NDAA doesn\u2019t fix that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 1950, a widely criticized<\/a> Supreme Court decision known as \u201cFeres<\/a>\u201d has prohibited tort suits by service members against the Defense Department. The Supreme Court issued this ban tentatively, admitting it had \u201cfew guiding materials.\u201d It assured itself that if its opinion is wrong, \u201cat least Congress possesses a ready remedy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congress, however, has sat silent for the 70 years since Feres. This has left victims of military medical malpractice<\/a>, sexual assault<\/a>, and other grievous harms<\/a> with little recourse. It also left the Defense Department with little accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bill<\/a> that would have removed the Feres bar for medical malpractice cases was initially included in this year\u2019s NDAA. But despite the dogged advocacy of the bill\u2019s author \u2014 Rep. Jackie Speier<\/a> \u2014 and the bill\u2019s namesake \u2014 Sgt. First Class Richard Stayskal<\/a>, a Green Beret with cancer stemming from medical negligence \u2014 this provision was ultimately tossed<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill passed the House<\/a> only for Sen. Lindsey Graham to kill it<\/a> in the Senate. He objected that exposing the Defense Department to liability would \u201copen Pandora\u2019s box<\/a>.\u201d He had little to say to defend Feres as a legal matter, though. Or about Defense Department accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This missed opportunity to restore service members\u2019 access to justice makes the 2020 NDAA a disappointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To give credit where credit is due, the NDAA does contain some provisions that will benefit service members. For instance, for the first time service members will be able to file administrative claims with the Defense Department for compensation for medical malpractice. No doubt, military families hurt by medical negligence deserve these awards. The NDAA also includes important military sexual assault reforms<\/a>. Under the new law, special victims\u2019 counsel<\/a> will be available to domestic violence victims and will receive training on civilian criminal law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem is these reforms only kick in once the damage has already been done. Medical malpractice compensation softens the blow of lost earnings. It doesn\u2019t stop the injury from happening in the first place. Indeed, with some limits<\/a> on awards the military might not feel the pinch strongly enough for there to be deterrence of future harms. Likewise, increased availability and training of special victims\u2019 counsel helps assault survivors navigate the military justice system. But it doesn\u2019t prevent rape or abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For there to be a real sea change, service members need the right to sue. To hold the Defense Department accountable for medical negligence<\/a> and its sexual assault epidemic<\/a>, we need independent adjudicators. In reviewing service members\u2019 medical malpractice claims, as the NDAA allows, the Defense Department is susceptible to motives of self-preservation. The courts, in contrast, have no skin in the game. And they aren\u2019t afraid to demand the big structural changes<\/a> that are sometimes necessary to protect individuals\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Trump can take the military to the moon, we should be able to get service members through the courthouse doors. Congress should stop politicking, to face the Feres Doctrine\u2019s harms and heed the Supreme Court\u2019s plea for intervention. At 70 years and counting, a congressional fix is way overdue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rose Carmen Goldberg is a lecturer at UC Berkeley School of Law who represented veterans at Swords to Plowshares, a veterans rights organization.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s note: This is an Op-Ed and as such, the opinions expressed are those of the author. If you would like to respond, or have an editorial of your own you would like to submit, please contact Military Times managing editor Howard Altman, <\/i>haltman@militarytimes.com<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At 70 years and counting, a congressional fix to the Feres Doctrine is way 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