Hearing on Reforming the Feres Doctrine

• •The Feres doctrine has been in effect for 69 years, prohibiting active-duty service members from suing the U.S. government for medical malpractice.
• •The hearing was held on April 30, 2019, by the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
• •SFC Richard Stayskal testified that his radiologic diagnostic test was misread at an Army facility, resulting in a terminal stage 4 cancer diagnosis.
• •SSgt Dean Patrick Witt died in 2003 after a nurse administered a lethal dose of fentanyl and incorrectly inserted a breathing tube during a routine appendectomy.
• •Rebecca Lipe testified that military physicians repeatedly misdiagnosed and mistreated her for injuries caused by ill-fitting body armor, resulting in permanent reproductive damage.
• •The subcommittee chairwoman, Jackie Speier, characterized the Feres doctrine as a product of judicial activism and argued that reform is a function of Congress.

The Feres doctrine currently bars active-duty military personnel from filing medical malpractice lawsuits against the federal government, leaving service members without legal avenues for compensation or accountability for medical errors.

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.