Pūtahi Hauora
Defence Health HubUnderstanding your medical grading
Learn what the NZDF medical grading system means for you and how it helps assess your readiness for the demands of your role.
Medical boards
Medical boards – also referred to as “medicals” and “med boards” – are occupational medical assessments for Regular Force members. Medical boards allow your Defence Health team to address any health concerns that arise over the course of your career.
These assessments are an important part of keeping you – and your teammates – safe and effective in your role. Your medical board is also used to determine your medical grading (see Medical grading explained, below).
There are 3 types of occupational medical assessments:
- Routine – see table below.
- Clinical – your grading will be reviewed whenever you present with a clinical condition which impacts your employability or deployability.
- Directed – your grading will be reviewed for specific situations (e.g. an operational deployment) where, due to the nature of the NZDF activity, a formal assessment is mandated.
Routine occupational medical assessments:
| Recruit Medical | To assess the potential recruit against the Recruit Medical Standards Specifications. |
| Pre-Attestation Health Check | To identify any health issues which have arisen between the Recruit Medical and Attestation. |
| Initial Service Medical (approximately 12 months post Attestation) |
To ensure trade-specific occupational care health plans have been put in place, to conduct a review of your health following initial training and to familiarise you with healthcare services available within the NZDF. |
| Service Medical | Starting at age 25, these 5-yearly occupational health assessments will identify any impacts on employability or deployability and ensure all occupational health and clinical screening is up to date. They will also include New Zealand best practice age-related health screening, such as for diabetes, prostate, and cardiovascular risk. |
| Release Medical |
To document any significant clinical and occupational health events during your service, to ensure your health record is accurate, and to provide an assessment of your health condition on leaving the NZDF to facilitate transfer to non-NZDF providers. Please take a printed copy of your service history from SAP to your Release Medical. Your partner or a whānau member is also welcome – and encouraged – to attend. |
During your medical, your doctor or Medical Officer (MO) will usually run through a general health screen, vision and hearing checks, and any job-related tests you might need. It’s also the time for you to raise any issues or concerns you might have, including alerting them to any hazards or conditions in your job that might impact your health.
For example, if you’re regularly exposed to loud noise, you may need frequent hearing tests. If you work with lead, you’ll require annual blood tests. Or if your role involves specific weapons systems, Defence Health can help track and manage any related risks.
So when it’s time for your medical, come prepared – your input matters, and it helps us look after you better.
Medical grading, explained
Your doctor will translate your overall health assessment into a medical grading. Medical grades provide the NZDF with an understanding of the health status of its personnel without including any medical-in-confidence information. In the same way, it alerts your Command to any limitations on your employability or deployability while you recover from an injury or illness.
Note: You can view your medical grading by logging into ESS on the NZDF intranet, selecting ‘Employee Services Area’, and selecting ‘Fitness and Medical Related Data’.
Your grading can change over time, especially if you’re managing a health concern or recovering from an injury. In those cases, your grade may be adjusted to make sure you’re not asked to do duties that could slow down your recovery.
Sometimes this means you won’t be able to deploy or take part in vigorous activities for a while – but the focus is always on supporting a safe and timely recovery. If your condition needs closer monitoring, your doctor or MO may schedule more frequent reviews (every 3, 6, or 12 months).
It’s natural to wonder about the long-term impact of a downgrade. Permanent non-deployable gradings are rare, and are only given after thorough review and consultation with a senior MO.
For more information on grading, including waivers, medical regrading, and Medical Review of Service, consult your Defence Health Services Handbook, Tāngata Whaiora.
For more detailed information on how medical gradings are categorised, click here. You can also talk to your local doctor or MO about any questions or concerns you may have.
Recovery pathways
Recovery pathways are all about how your Defence Health team works with you to get you back to full health and operational readiness after an injury or illness.
Think of them as a roadmap. They set out what you and your healthcare providers can expect – the stages of recovery, the support available along the way, and a rough idea of how long recovery might take.
Your pathway is shaped around your specific situation and could include things like temporary changes to your work, such as being put on Light Duties, or adjustments to your medical grading. The aim is always the same: helping you recover in a safe, timely, and sustainable way, so you can get back to full fitness and return to duty.
Want to see how this works in real life? Check out an example of a seriously sprained ankle below.
For further information on how the NZDF will support your rehabilitation from injury, click here.