I am currently on deployment, and my spouse was recently diagnosed with lupus. To add to the fact, she is pregnant. Will the Army grant me EML to return home, or how are these instances handled when the illness is not immediately life threatening?
You prolly need to talk to the 1st Sgt, they are the ones that deal with these issues. I know if that I got that news while I was deployed, he/she would be the first person I talked to after I got off the phone with my wife.
Either talk to the 1st Sgt or the Red Cross can be notified and they can assist in getting you home to be with your spouse by notifying your command of your spouses situation back home. Best of luck bro.
The commander makes the decision on that. Make your case to your NCOs and you should be in good shape. A Red Cross message is a requirement for emergency leave to be granted. Otherwise it would just be normal leave that would count against your normal leave balance. I'd suggest looking up the Army regulation covering emergency leave for more information.
I'd get your chaplain evolved too, if your command has one. Let them know the situation; your personal beliefs won’t matter. At least that was my experience, not that I ever had a situation like this, some buddies did though.
I can't picture them letting you go for that bro....also depends on the OpTempo...probably better off waiting until the baby is born...because if you go now, you wont be able to go when the child is born.... speaking of which I had to get 3 LTC's to sign off on my leave when my daughter was born...it took forever, 2 of them told me "they dont sign off on good things, they have to be tragic".... stay safe...