Military medical malpractice claims are supposed to offer families a path to accountability when care goes fatally wrong. But for military families, the Military Claims Act often leads nowhere. After losing their 19-year-old son Noah, Meg and Yoni Samuel-Siegel tried to seek justice. What they found was silence, delay, and denial.
No Family Should Have to Fight the Institution That Let Their Child Die
When Noah Samuel-Siegel died by suicide in his barracks at Camp Humphreys in November 2021, his parents were shattered. But what came next deepened their pain in ways no family should ever have to endure.
The same Army that had failed to protect their son refused to offer them straight answers. Instead, it issued conflicting reports, withheld critical facts, and left them to chase the truth on their own. For Meg and Yoni, the pain of losing Noah was compounded by the reality that the Army wouldn’t even acknowledge its own role in his decline.
No family should have to fight for answers from the institution responsible for their child’s death—especially when that institution caused it.
This Was Military Medical Malpractice in Plain Sight
In the weeks leading up to his death, Noah showed multiple signs of serious psychological distress.
Documented Warning Signs That the Army Ignored:
- Noah expressed emotional numbness and disconnection during a mandatory pre-separation mental health screening.
- He reported insomnia, loss of interest in activities, and feelings of detachment.
- He scored high on the Army’s AUDIT-C screening tool for alcohol misuse.
- His Squad Leader warned that Noah wasn’t sleeping and was under intense stress.
- On October 18, Noah submitted a written request for a behavioral health evaluation. It was never signed or scheduled.
At the time, Noah was being punished for a minor months-old traffic infraction. He was demoted, confined to base, and placed on extended extra duty from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. He had been rotated between platoons, pulled from Military Police duties, and assigned four 24-hour CQ shifts in two weeks. He was overworked, isolated, and unraveling.
Still, no intervention was made.
After his death, the Army claimed it hadn’t known about his request for help. But the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) confirmed the form was already in his personnel file—accessible to leadership.
This wasn’t a missed sign. This was a system that saw the signs and chose to do nothing.
The Military Claims Act Lets You Speak—But No One Listens
Understanding the Limits of the Military Claims Act
The Military Claims Act was amended in 2020 to allow active duty service members to file medical malpractice claims for injuries or deaths caused by military medical providers—a historic shift from the long-standing Feres doctrine, which had previously barred such claims. The change was intended to provide a limited but meaningful path to accountability when substandard care leads to serious harm.
However, the process remains deeply restricted. Claims are handled entirely within the Department of Defense, and there is no option to appeal or bring the matter before a federal court. All decisions are made internally, with no judicial oversight.
That means the relief available under the Military Claims Act is limited—and determined solely through a process that lacks transparency and public accountability.
The Human Cost of a Broken System
On November 3, 2023, Meg and Yoni Samuel-Siegel filed a Military Claims Act claim with the Army, alleging medical negligence based on the care Noah received. Their claim was supported by expert opinion and backed by the Army’s own internal documentation.
On June 25, 2024, the Army denied the claim, despite the detailed expert report outlining the breach of the medical standard of care and its connection to Noah’s death.
There was no hearing. No opportunity to respond. Just a flat rejection.
This is how the Military Claims Act works. It lets families speak—but there is no obligation to listen. No transparency. No court review. No independent oversight.
For families who lose a child to military medical malpractice, it often feels like the process is designed to go nowhere.

This Was the Government’s Chance to Do Better. It Didn’t.
After the Army’s denial, the Samuel-Siegel family turned to the only option left: an appeal to the Defense Health Agency (DHA). They still believed that if someone—anyone—took a real look at the evidence, justice was possible.
But families like theirs rarely get a second look.
As of June 2024, the military services had received 597 malpractice claims from service members and their families and approved just 20—an approval rate of roughly 3%. The Army, the largest branch, had received 258 claims and approved only 12.
(Data reported by Military.com based on Department of Defense figures.)
The vast majority of claims are denied without explanation. Many never receive a response at all.
The Samuel-Siegels filed their appeal on October 9, 2024. Nearly eight months later, on May 30, 2025, the DHA Appeals Board issued its final decision: the Army’s denial would stand. The board claimed the standard of care had been met—without addressing the family’s core evidence or the Army’s contradictions.
No explanation. No transparency. Just a second rejection, issued by the same system that failed Noah from the start.
This wasn’t a fluke. It was the expected outcome in a system designed to deny, delay, and disappear the truth.
The Military Claims Act Doesn’t Allow You to Fight Back
Here’s the most devastating part: once the DHA issues a denial, there is no path forward. Families cannot sue the government in court under the Military Claims Act. They cannot appeal. There is no hearing, no judge, no discovery.
Unlike the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA)—which allows civilians and some military families to bring negligence claims to court—the MCA leaves active-duty families with no legal recourse beyond the government’s own internal process.
That’s not accountability. That’s a closed loop. And it’s why almost every claim ends in silence.
We Can’t Accept This as the Cost of Service
Meg and Yoni Samuel-Siegel have shown extraordinary strength in the face of unimaginable loss. But no grieving parent should have to file lawsuits, pressure agencies, and relive their trauma just to be taken seriously.
The Military Claims Act isn’t broken—it was built this way. A process that shields the government, not protects its people.
And if nothing changes, it will happen again. Another family. Another missed chance. Another life lost to silence.
The Samuel-Siegel family’s fight isn’t over. While the Military Claims Act process ended in silence, their pursuit of justice continues through a separate lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), now pending in federal court. They are represented by Carol Thompson of the Federal Practice Group, who leads the firm’s efforts to hold the government accountable for military medical negligence and systemic failure.
Military medical malpractice deserves real accountability. The Military Claims Act is standing in the way.