Veterans 'face compensation delays'

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 06 Agustus 2014 | 15.37

6 August 2014 Last updated at 09:14 By Sima Kotecha BBC Radio 4 Today programme

The Ministry of Defence has said it is aware of serious delays in dealing with compensation claims for injured armed forces veterans.

It said delays were down to a rising number of cases and because there were fewer staff dealing with the claims.

One veterans' group said waiting times for claimants had increased from 82 days in 2010 to 219 days in 2014.

But Veterans UK, which processes the claims, disputed the figures and said the service was "improving".

A letter from Defence Minister Anna Soubry, which has been seen by the BBC, revealed the MoD was aware of the backlog.

The letter said staff at Veterans UK were under pressure, and the MoD has since acknowledged this was due to the high number of cases and because of changes to the compensation scheme.

'Can't move on'

MoD figures show there were 36,000 new compensation claims in 2013-14, an increase of around 16% from 2010-11.

Alex Ford and his wife

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Former Royal Air Force Sgt Alex Ford said his wait for compensation was "a little form of torture"

Laura Fermour, a troop commander with the Royal Logistic Corps, said the claim she filed for an injury sustained during a military fundraising exercise in April 2013 was still being processed by Veterans UK.

The agency, which works within the MoD, is tasked with administering compensation payments for those injured, disabled or bereaved through service.

Ms Fermour said: "You've got to adapt to a completely new environment and to your injuries.

"There's just no understanding of the fact that them taking so long to process our claims actually has a massive impact.

"You can't move on with your life until this is sorted."

This has led many of those affected, including Ms Fermour, to call for an independent inquiry.

Case Study: Lance Corporal Chris Yates, Royal Engineers

In June 2011, after a truck tailgate gave way and fell upon me, I suffered prolapsed discs, a paralysed bladder, severe kidney damage and mental side effects such as depression.

I first applied for compensation in early 2012, but it took until 24 February 2013 to be awarded an interim payment of £3,000.

I was told by Veterans UK they would review my case again a year on, but when I rang in February 2014 they told me to phone back in a few weeks - which kept on happening until June.

The last time I phoned them I was told my claim had been passed on to a case worker, but it's now just in another queue.

They said it might be weeks before I hear anything as they're completely snowed under with thousands of backlogged cases.

I was medically discharged in April 2014, so this is my pension that hasn't been sorted. All my income has stopped and I'm not able to work.

The National Gulf Veterans and Families Association has data that suggests the average waiting time for claims has increased from 82 days in 2010 to 219 days in 2014.

But Jon Parkin, head of Veterans UK, challenged the figures.

"The average wait to get an answer [from the time the claim is submitted] is currently about four months," he said.

"That's a good standard of service, and it's improving.

"We are committed to dealing with all claims as quickly as possible... but of course some claims do take longer than others."

'Offensive'

The government said the 12,000 redundancies made in the armed forces since 2011, as well as the "rising claiming culture", have led to more people putting forward cases. Veterans dismissed this, saying the claims reflected a genuine need.

It also said the Boyce review that evaluated the process for military compensation in 2010, was partly responsible as it had diverted resources.

But Lord Boyce said it was difficult to envisage how a review carried out several years ago had resulted in the current delays.

Madeleine Moon, an MP who sits on the defence select committee, said it was "offensive" for the government to talk about a "claiming culture" being responsible for the backlog.

She said: "We ask people to put their lives and futures on the line, the work that they do is tough.

"If people are injured, if people's lives are changed that dramatically that they need financial compensation to be able to deal with the day-to-day grind of living with an injury, they should have the financial help that we as a nation have covenanted to provide."

Are you an injured veteran? Have you had a delayed compensation claim? What do you think about the service from Veterans UK? You can send us your views and experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'veteran delays'.


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