The Hidden Policy Gap Hurting Injured Service Members
- Kirk Carlson
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Every year, thousands of service members who dedicate their lives to protecting this country face an unexpected and devastating reality: one injury — sometimes small, sometimes life-altering — can end their military career overnight. Not because they want to leave. Not because they can’t serve in any capacity. But because the system they trusted has a hidden policy gap that leaves them with no other option.
It is a gap most Americans don’t know exists.
A gap that costs service members their purpose, their stability, and often their mental health.
A gap that weakens readiness, wastes talent, and drains taxpayer dollars.
And a gap that can and must be fixed.
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What Is the Hidden Policy Gap?
In the civilian world, if an employee becomes injured, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires employers to explore:
• reasonable accommodations
• position changes
• job reassignment
before considering termination.
But in the military?
There is no equivalent protection.
If a service member becomes non-deployable due to injury — even if they are fully capable of performing hundreds of critical support roles — the military has no reassignment pathway to keep them employed in another position.
Instead, the standard pipeline is:
1. Identify injury
2. Label as non-deployable
3. Begin separation
No alternatives.
No retention options.
No reassignment pathways.
This is the policy gap at the heart of the crisis.
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How This Gap Hurts Service Members
1. Careers End Without Options
Years of dedication, training, and expertise can be erased with one medical board ruling.
2. Families Face Immediate Instability
Unexpected discharge disrupts income, housing, healthcare, and every pillar of support.
3. Mental Health Declines After Forced Separation
Many veterans describe the experience as:
• “being thrown away”
• “discarded”
• “cut loose without a plan”
4. The Military Loses Highly Trained Talent
America invests heavily in its service members — only to discharge many who could still serve in non-deployable roles.
5. Long-Term Harm Follows Veterans Home
Without proper transition support, documentation, or stability, injured troops face long-lasting consequences.
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How This Gap Hurts the Military
This issue is not only unfair to service members — it is a strategic failure.
• The military loses experienced personnel every month.
• Readiness drops.
• Taxpayer resources are wasted.
• Unit cohesion and institutional memory decline.
A system that defaults to discharge instead of reassignment harms the entire force.
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The Solution: Build a Reassignment Pathway
A common-sense reassignment pathway would:
• Keep injured troops in roles they can perform
• Strengthen military readiness
• Reduce unnecessary discharges
• Protect families
• Utilize trained personnel instead of replacing them
This is the core mission of the Reasonable Ranks Campaign — to ensure that being injured does not automatically mean career termination.
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A Bipartisan, Patriotic Reform
This is not a red or blue issue.
It’s red, white, and blue.
Republicans support it for readiness and efficiency.
Democrats support it for fairness and human dignity.
Independents support it because it’s the right thing to do.
It is rare to find a reform that unites the country.
This one does.
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Your Voice Can Change Policy
Real reform doesn’t start in Washington — it starts with people.
Your signature tells leaders:
• Protect injured troops
• Modernize outdated policies
• Create a fair reassignment pathway
• Stop the cycle of unnecessary discharges
This is how we protect those who protected us.
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It’s time to close the gap.
It’s time to stand up for injured service members.
It’s time for Reasonable Ranks.**
👉 Sign the petition: https://chng.it/5yXYvkBtMR
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