Injured veterans face compensation delays

Posted: August 8, 2014

Posted in: Armed Forces Injuries Spine & Back Injuries Workplace Injuries 

With tens of thousands of armed forces veterans claiming for compensation every year, the Ministry of Defence has admitted that they face delays in having their compensation claims dealt with. MoD figures found that there were a total of 36,000 new compensation claims made by armed forces veterans between 2013-14, an increase of 16% since 2010-11.

One injured armed forces veteran group raised the argument that claimants now had to wait for 219 days to have their claim dealt with, in comparison to 82 days recorded in 2010.  However, Veterans UK – an organisation that deals with claims and compensation – disagreed with this fact, arguing that the service is constantly improving.

A letter from the Defence Minister, Anna Soubry, however, highlighted that the Ministry of Defence was aware of the backlog of claimants awaiting compensation. The letter detailed the pressure put on the staff at Veterans UK due to the high number of cases, as well as the multiple changes to the compensation scheme.

“Wondering about the postman each day”

One veteran endured compensation waiting times that he described as “a little form of torture”.  44-year-old ex-sergeant of the Royal Air Force, Alex Ford, served for 25-years but was forced to take redundancy in 2012 to care for his wife who suffered a back injury while serving as a staff sergeant. Mr Ford developed depression six months after returning from Afghanistan, and did not receive any compensation until May this year. He said: “You don’t know when the case is going to be resolved, and you’re left wondering about the postman each day.”

Britain has a duty of care to protect its armed forces, a pact that was officially codified as a covenant in 2000.

If you have been injured whilst serving in the armed forces, and are looking to claim compensation, please contact us. 

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