As Co-Chair of the Veterans All Party Parliamentary Group and previously Shadow Minister for Veterans, one of the main issues raised with me is the Veterans UK system.

Veterans UK are in charge of both War Pensions and the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, meaning that they are allowed to mark their own homework, as they are responsible for both assessing claims, and awarding any payments.

However, we have heard repeated anecdotal evidence that the system does not work, with many veterans waiting years for the compensation they deserve.

There has been an increase in rejections for compensation from the Armed Forces Compensation scheme. In 2021, 40% applications were rejected compared to 22% in 2014-15.

For veterans who feel they have been unfairly rejected, a lengthy and difficult appeals system awaits. Rather than Veterans UK having to prove an injury or illness is not related to service, veterans are tasked with the burden of proving it is, all whilst dealing with medical advisors prone to losing their records, ignoring their submissions, and mixing up claims.

In the case of one veteran I spoke to, even though he was injured whilst on Operations resulting in back surgery, he was discouraged from making a claim, and was rejected when he did.

Even though this was overturned at appeal, the claim was only partially accepted, as his injuries were not considered severe enough to warrant compensation.

He was still stuck in the appeals process ten years after his injury.

Veterans whose claims were rejected reported a deterioration in their physical and mental health, due to the long and complicated process of navigating the compensation system.

We have heard about these issues countless times, and it is clear to the All Party Group that something in this system is not working.

In the absence of a government-led inquiry or call for evidence on this, the All Party Group for Veterans have been running a survey on Veterans UK. The Cross Party Group launched the survey with the aim of giving veterans the space to share their experiences with navigating the compensation scheme, and collating this evidence to share with the Ministry of Defence, and push them to take action.

The survey doesn’t close until the end of January, so there is still time to let me know your views if you haven’t already done so.

Email me at stephanie.peacock.mp@parliament.uk or write to me at:

Stephanie Peacock MP
House of Commons
SW1A 0AA