One tradition carried on in the Navy is the use of the chit. It is a carry over from the days when Hindu traders used slops of paper called citthi for money, so they wouldn't have to carry heavy bags or gold and silver. British sailors shortened the word to chit and applied it to their mess vouchers. Its most outstanding use in the Navy today is for drawing pay and a form used for requesting leave and liberty. But the term is currently applied to almost any piece of paper from a pass to an official letter requesting some privilege. Modern day uses are leave/liberty and a variety of others?

MMCM(SS) Greg Peterman USN Retired

MMCM(SS)
I recall one term used with the Liberty chit. A "My wife she..." reason for the request. This was always a good reason for the Leading CPO to give a standard lecture on young Sailors needing a "wife". If the USN had determined you needed a wife, they would have issued you one....
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Did you know... Chit happens
A chit is a small piece of paper, often a request for or granting of permission to do something (leave chit, for example or medical restrictions etc).

Members on medical restrictions (chit) are often viewed disdainfully with terms such as “malingerer” and “chitmonger” used to describe them.

This stigma has led to the situation where many personnel do not seek a medical review when their restrictions expire (and may not be physiologically ready to return to activity) or, even worse, fail to see their medical staff for fear of being placed on a medical restriction.

First, I must agree that there are those who manipulate the system for their own benefit. However, all medically restricted personnel (temporarily or permanently) should not be stereotypically labelled for the indiscretions of a few.

Medical restrictions are a means of marking an injured body as unserviceable until it is repaired and reconditioned.
With this in mind, the following information needs to be considered when on a medical restriction:

• Recovery. Take the time to recover properly, this includes doing those exercises prescribed by a physiotherapist/PTI for as long as the physiotherapist/PTI deems them necessary. Avoid returning to a sporting field until you have been assessed by a physiotherapist/PTI as being physically capable of doing so. Better to miss one weekend game rather than the rest of the season when the weak link fails completely.

• Stay Active. When on a restriction, stay as active as you can within those limitations. “No lower-body PT” for example does not mean no PT. Again PTIs and physiotherapists can assist you in remaining active.

Obey your chit. You have been given medical restrictions for a reason. If you choose to ignore your restrictions, you are disregarding medical advice given to you by medical personnel and you are doing yourself a disservice as you are delaying your own recovery.

• Remember your injury does not magically disappear just because you are playing a minor team game or sport. If you are injured you should not be playing sport, unless specific exemption is given by your medical staff.

• Consider your diet. With the body needing to repair, good nutrition is essential. Furthermore, your decrease in physical activity means a decrease in calorie expenditure so the susceptibility to weight gain is increased.

• Consider this. You are on a restriction due to a knee injury and cannot do much aerobic-based activity for a month. Over this month you gain several kilograms in weight as you have not adjusted your eating habits. As your body starts to recover, your injured knee must now cope with the added stress of additional body weight and your chance of re-injury is increased.

• Encouragement and Involvement. Peers and superiors should encourage the member on a restriction to remain involved with their section/unit and the member should be included in activities that do not contradict their restrictions.

With this in mind, the member on restriction should likewise explore ways in which to maintain involvement with his or her section/unit.

• Further information. If unsure of what duties or activities the medically restricted member is capable of performing, ring the medical staff who issued the restriction for clarification.

As long as there is no need to breach medical-in-confidence, they will be able to assist you in determining how best the member can be employed and involved.

The Australian HPD 236 of 7 Aug 06 may also provide guidance on restriction terminologies.

Ironically, from the personnel I have spoken to across all trades, many of them fail to understand what an injured person is going through – many in fact admitted to viewing medically restricted personnel in the light expressed above. That was until they themselves were injured and had to deal with the frustration, self-guilt and unfortunately negative attitude of a medically restricted member.

Deadly ....
Recall a Chit for "limited Duty". A "Special Liberty" chit. The form was actually a DOD issued item, and filled in locally. In the "old" days, the chit could be used for something called a 3 day pass. I don't believe the 72 hour liberty was actually allowed, but the chit covered you in and out of the station gate.
My memory is vague on the details here. But recalled using it for Week end overnights out of the Local Limited Travel Area....
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I remember the first time I was asked for my 'UP' Chit.
This was in reference to my medical clearance from the flight surgeon stating my physical rediness for flight duty.

Maddog....
Chits are used elsewhere. I had an interesting discussion with my doc, re using the Rx as a chit to get prescriptions. Turned out he was a USN Medical Doc, and recalled the use of Limited Duty chits and there use/misuse.
The word Chit seems to be a noun and a verb. Has quite a history as one poster summed it up.
Anyrate, this word can start lots of stored memories.
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My memory of chit is a Cuban girl I was stationed with who had a problem with the ch and sh sounds. The would go to the head for a chit and then later might ask for a leave s hit. We always gave her a hard time about it but she never changed her pronunciation.