Combat Fitness Test Standards and Injury Compensation
At the Law Office of William Bruzzo, we understand how Combat Fitness Test (CFT) failures can seriously impact a Marine’s career when injuries prevent them from meeting mandatory standards. For more than 30 years, our Orange County personal injury attorneys have helped Marines across Orange County recover full compensation when accidents compromise CFT performance. As a former Marine Corps Major, we know firsthand the career consequences of failing the CFT.
What Marines Must Know About Combat Fitness Test Requirements
The Marine Corps Combat Fitness Test evaluates functional fitness through combat-simulated tasks performed in full combat utility uniform and boots. Every Marine must pass the CFT annually between July 1 and December 31å, with each of three events scored 0-100 points for a 300-point maximum.
Minimum passing scores vary by age and gender, but failure consequences remain the same across all ranks. Your Orange County personal injury lawyer needs to understand these requirements to properly calculate career losses.
The Three CFT Events That Determine Your Career
Movement to Contact
An 880-yard sprint in combat utility uniform and boots simulates running under fire to reach an objective. Male Marines aged 17-20 must complete this in 3:45 or less to pass, with a perfect score at 2:40 or less. Female Marines in the same age group need 4:36 to pass and 3:19 for a perfect score. These times increase slightly with age.
Ammunition Lift
Marines lift a 30-pound ammunition can from shoulder height to full arm extension overhead as many times as possible in two minutes. Male Marines aged 17-20 need a minimum of 62 repetitions to pass, with 106 earning a perfect score. Female Marines need 30 repetitions minimum and 66 for perfection. Every repetition must meet strict form requirements or it doesn’t count.
Maneuver Under Fire
This 300-yard course combines combat tasks including:
- High crawl and low crawl under simulated fire
- Dragging a fellow Marine 75 yards
- Fireman carrying that same Marine another 75 yards
- Sprinting while carrying two 30-pound ammunition cans
- Throwing a dummy grenade at a target
- Push-ups and final sprint to finish
Male Marines aged 17-20 must finish in 3:17 or less to pass. Female Marines get 4:53. Miss the grenade throw and five seconds get added to your time, which can mean the difference between passing and failing.
How Can Accident Injuries Prevent a Marine From Passing the CFT?
When a drunk driver crashes into a Marine leaving Camp Pendleton or a motorcycle accident causes serious injuries, the CFT becomes impossible. You either complete every event meeting strict standards or you fail.
Knee injuries prevent the 880-yard sprint and carrying another Marine. Shoulder damage eliminates the ammunition lift and carrying tasks. Back injuries compromise everything from lifting to dragging. Lower leg fractures that heal enough for civilian work still prevent passing the CFT.
The Marine Corps doesn’t offer partial credit or medical modifications. Failure triggers immediate adverse career consequences that your Orange County personal injury lawyer must document.
Career-Ending Consequences of CFT Failures
According to Marine Corps Order 6100.13A, CFT failures create the same devastating consequences as PFT failures. Your fitness report immediately becomes adverse, damaging promotion prospects permanently. You’re placed on promotion restriction until passing both tests.
You become ineligible for awards, decorations, and military schools. You cannot deploy to combat zones or overseas assignments. For infantry Marines at Camp Pendleton, CFT failure means you cannot perform primary job duties.
Consecutive CFT failures or failing a CFT after a previous PFT failure leads to administrative separation. That means discharge before 20-year retirement eligibility, costing millions in lifetime benefits.
How Do You Calculate Lost Military Benefits After a CFT Failure?
When civilians cause injuries preventing CFT passage, your Orange County personal injury lawyer must calculate every dollar of lost military benefits. A 28-year-old Marine with six years of service who faces medical discharge loses 14 years of continued benefits.
Immediate lost benefits include:
- Basic Allowance for Housing worth $2,000-$3,500 monthly in Orange County
- Basic Allowance for Subsistence
- Free TRICARE coverage
- Commissary privileges
These benefits alone total $50,000-$75,000 annually.
Lost retirement benefits at 20 years provide 50% of base pay for life, increasing 2.5% per year after that. A Marine discharged at six years loses $2,500-$4,000 monthly retirement pay for life starting at age 38, plus lifetime TRICARE and survivor benefits. Present value exceeds $1.5 million.
Lost promotion potential matters enormously. An E-4 with clear promotion potential to E-7 or E-8 loses hundreds of thousands in higher pay, allowances, and retirement calculations. Military disability ratings cannot replace these losses.
Proving CFT-Related Losses in Personal Injury Claims
We gather the documentation needed to prove your CFT-related career losses:
- Pre-accident CFT scores proving you passed before injury
- Post-accident failures directly following the accident
- Medical records explaining how injuries prevent each CFT event
- Physical therapy notes documenting functional limitations
- Orthopedic evaluations explaining permanent restrictions
- Command statements confirming deployment inability
For base housing accidents or training injuries at Orange County, we secure witness statements, incident reports, and immediate medical evaluations. This proves causation when insurance companies blame pre-existing conditions.
What California Laws Protect Marines Injured in Accidents From Career Losses?
When civilian drivers, contractors, or companies cause injuries preventing CFT passage, California personal injury law applies. That means no federal damage caps, full recovery for all economic losses including lost military benefits, and compensation for pain and suffering based on career-ending impact.
Insurance companies routinely offer settlements covering immediate medical bills while ignoring multi-million dollar career losses. We demand full compensation reflecting that CFT failures end Marine Corps careers and eliminate retirement eligibility.
Why Marines Choose Our Orange County Personal Injury Lawyer
As a former Marine Corps Major, we’ve taken the CFT ourselves and understand exactly what these standards demand. We calculate every dollar of lost benefits that civilian attorneys miss because we understand military career structure, promotion timelines, and retirement systems. We never charge a fee unless we win. Consultations are always free, and we come to you at Camp Pendleton or anywhere in Orange County.
Contact an Orange County Personal Injury Lawyer Today
If accident injuries are preventing you from passing the Combat Fitness Test anywhere in Orange County, you deserve full compensation for your lost military career. The Law Office of William Bruzzo offers free, confidential consultations seven days a week.
Call your Orange County personal injury attorney right now at 760-307-4233 or contact us online. There is never a fee unless we recover money for you.
