Air Force updates line of duty policy for reservists, guardsmen

The U.S. Air Force updated its line of duty guidance for Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members in an effort to streamline health care access for those serving on extended active-duty orders.

For Air Reserve component members who are activated for 31 or more consecutive days, the new guideline “streamlines the LOD process,” according to a Monday service release, by limiting the necessity for officials to determine when an illness or injury began.

LOD refers to an injury, illness or disease sustained or aggravated while in a qualified duty status. The update applies to LOD determinations initiated on or after Feb. 1, the statement says. The LOD determination process refers to the confirmation of that injury’s development and verifies health care benefits eligibility.

“The new directive removes bureaucratic friction and allows airmen to focus on recovery and mission readiness,” Richard Anderson, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, said in the statement.

When certain criteria are met, the revised policy allows for LOD approving authorities to issue “in line of duty” determinations, aligning procedures with those used for regular Air Force and active Guard and Reserve members, according to the memo.

The memo says that for those cases, the updated policy permits officials to no longer need to determine when an illness or injury began as long as a commander does not request a formal investigation.

In order to qualify for the new process, members have to be serving on a single active-duty order for 30 or more days and have at least 180 days of total active federal military service, per the memo.

The release states that the reservists and guardsmen must complete a LOD rights advisement memo and submit the proper medical documentation supporting the claim.

The members need to initiate the LOD requests through their medical unit or the Headquarters Individual Reservist Readiness Integration Organization before their active-duty orders finish.

If the criteria is not met, the requests will instead follow the standard informal or formal LOD processes, the memo reads.

The informal LOD process requires a military medical provider to first review the case with civilian and member inputs, then the unit commander will make a recommendation before the wing commander makes the final determination.

Immediate commanders and wing commanders can recommend that an informal LOD become a formal one under circumstances such as suspicion of misconduct, absence without authority cases, alcohol or drug abuse or when a commander believes the case should be fully investigated.

“When leadership talks about being ‘Ready Now,’ this is what it looks like in practice, empowering you to be healthy and mission-ready instead of leaving you stuck in a bureaucratic holding pattern,” Lt. Gen. John Healy, chief of the Air Force Reserve and commander of Air Force Reserve Command, said in the release.

“This is about cutting through the red tape to ensure you get the same level of care as your active-duty counterparts, because the mission depends on it,” Healy continued.

This new guidance only pertains to health care access and not other programs needing LOD determinations, like medical continuation or disability evaluations, which will continue to follow requirements listed in previous service instructions, per the release.

The memo states that additional guidance and the updated version of the department’s instruction will be released within 180 days.