Pension Regulation for the Army Part-II Chapter-IV provides instructions regarding
procedure for holding release medical board, reassessment medical board documentation and entitlement decision for disability pension and special family pension.

Those who have been placed in Low Medical category and retired / retiring with disability, required to be completed RMB/IMB as the case may be. Detailed instructions mentioned in the Pension Regulations is reproduced here for ready reference.

Medical Examination prior to release/retirement /discharge

Regulation 64. (a) All ranks are required to be medically examined by a medical Officer prior to release, retirement, discharge, on completion of tenure or service limit or release/discharge at their own request vide paras 391(a) and 418(e) of Regulation for Medical Services for Armed Forces, 1983. Such medical examination will be conducted by the authorised medical attendant (Resident Medical Officer/Staff Surgeon) and the report will be recorded on the Form AFMSF-18 in quadruplicate.

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The Officer Commanding unit will ensure that the individual is medically examined by the medical Officer or brought before a medical board prior to release. If an individual is proceeding on leave pending retirement this may be conducted before he proceeds on such leave. The individuals who are in SHAPE-1/Category ‘AYE’ will be required to undergo only a Release Medical Examination whereas those who are in low medical category will undergo a Release Medical Board.

(b) In such cases individual should be sent to his Authorised Medical Attendant well before his discharge/proceeding to Depot Battalion, who will arrange for the Medical Board at the nearest service hospital. A Release Medical Board can be held, in advance, by 8 months to the date of release from service. The proceedings of the medical board will be recorded on form AFMSF-16 in addition to Release Medical Examination report AFMSF-18 in quintuplicate.

In order to help in the proper assessment of the award of attributability/aggravation in connection with the consideration of disability/family pension claims, AFMSF-18 will also be initiated by the hospital in quintuplicate at the time of Release Medical Board of low medical category personnel and sent to Officer Commanding Unit for completion and return. Release Medical Board Proceedings (AFMSF-16) in respect of personnel released in low medical category will, however, be approved by the next higher medical authority of the Area/Div/Corps/Command within one month of the date of Release Medical Board and disposed off. 51 Pension Regulations for the Army, Part II (2008)

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(c) The Release Medical Examination Report (AFMSF-18) in respect of personnel released in medical category SHAPE-1/AYE do not require approval by ADMS concerned and will be disposed of directly by the Officer Commanding Unit of the individual. A Release medical Examination can be held in advance, by eight months to the date of release from service. (d) The Medical Board will also render a certificate in the AFMSF-16 (for those released in low medical category), making an annotation about the individual’s longevity, which will be accepted by Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Pensions) for the purpose of commutation of pension.

Explanation:- Annotation made by the Release Medical Board about the individual’s longevity will be signed by the Medical Board but does not require approval of the next higher medical authority. (e) In the following cases sanction of the competent authority shall be necessary to regularise Release Medical Examination/Release Medical Board proceedings:

(i) Where the Release Medical Examination/Release Medical Board is held before release/retirement/discharge and the proceedings thereof are approved by the competent medical authority only after the actual date of retirement/discharge.

(ii) Where the Release Medical Examination/Release Medical Board is not held before release/retirement/discharge due to various reasons like the late reporting of the concerned individual or administrative lapse or individual’s own difficulty etc. The authority competent to exercise powers to sanction under clause(e) is given in Appendix- XVI to these Regulations.

Must submit this Declaration on SPARSH Portal for Continuous Pension