If you’ve been offered a posting outside of the UK, it’s important to understand the pre-screening process that will be required before you’ll be given clearance to go overseas…
SINCE April all medical pre-screening for families posted to overseas locations will be conducted through the Global Medical Supportability Cell (GMSC).
Once you’ve been informed about an overseas assignment, your soldier should contact MSS Families Section and you’ll be sent medical questionnaires to complete.
These are returned to the GMSC for assessment by the doctor there. If you have a medical condition or require medication, they’ll contact your GP, with your permission, for further information.
A recommendation will then be made to the chain of command on whether your medical needs can be supported in that overseas location. It’s really important that the medical questionnaire is answered honestly and in detail, because if you arrive in your new overseas location and cannot be supported, you may well be returned to the UK.
Sarah, whose family is being assigned to Kenya later this year, said: “We’ve been through the pre-screening process using the new supportability unit and it was a totally seamless process.
“The Families Section advised us to each fill out a 16-page document. Although it was time-consuming, it was easy to complete.
“Within the space of about three hours, we had received an email from one of the doctors saying we were fully supportable.”
There’s currently work being done by GMSC to create a more robust appeals process, so that if it’s recommended that you cannot accompany your soldier overseas, you can challenge this.
Your soldier will be able to access JSP 770 Chapter 2A, which has information on both the medical and educational pre-screening process.
If you or your family member has a medical condition, additional needs and/or a disability it’s important for you to read AGAI 108 and complete Annex A, so that your serving partner’s career managers are aware of any support you may require.
Any problems, send an email to Karen Ross at additionalneeds@aff.org.uk