Son is being discharged from Army before basic is finished?

He will NOT get a general discharge. It will be an entry level separation. Almost like he had never been in the military. He may have been hurt or had problems during a ruck march. If the condition was caused or aggravated during basic, there will be treatment through the military. The quick answer is the Army is supposed to return him in as good a shape as he was when he entered basic, but there will be a lot of caveats in every special situation.

Check the medical reports and all of the paperwork as he is being out processed.

Chances are, he will not be medically retired, because it was a pre-existing condition. It all depends on what his actual discharge paperwork says. Without that, we can not really answer it.

As far as health insurance? IF he manages to get medically retired, then he has a strong case. IF he just gets a general/honorable discharge, and not for medical, then...well....I am sorry but that is just how it is.

Best bet? contact the VA ASAP (or have him do it) and see what they say...

EDITED TO ADD:

I stand corrected. The reserve officer is correct, I forgot about entry level seperation...

I lied about my depression. The rucking in the military can be very hard on a back, especially when they require men to carry 50 pounds plus 35 pounds of equipment in full battle rattle.

He won't get any help above and beyond any injuries that may have been sustained in basic. The scoliosis probably won't impact his life in any way, they just decided that it was too risky for him to continue training. Encourage him to apply for grants to attend school. There is more money floating around out there for students than most people realize.

It seems your son is not telling you everything. They dont just discharge him if they deemed him to risky. It probably start getting back problems when carrying heavy loads.