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Pensions / Compensation
War Pensions Scheme
Am I eligible to claim?
How do I claim?
What is the claim process?
How will I be paid?
Supplementary Allowances
What if I disagree with your decision?
What is the claim process?
War Disablement Pension
How long does the claim process take?
Service Personnel and Veterans Agency Medical Services
Calculating your entitlement - War Disablement Pension
War Disablement
Pension
Once we receive your completed claim form we will send you an acknowledgement
and a leaflet explaining how we make a decision on your claim.
The claim process follows a number of stages.
Stage 1
We will obtain your Service records to provide evidence about your Military
Service and/or wartime experience that you claim has caused your disablement.
Stage 2
Our clerical and medical staff will look at the information you have given
us. They will decide if we need some more medical evidence to help us make
a decision on your claim. We will only ask for the information that we
need to make a decision.
We may;
- obtain a report from your doctor;
- obtain some more information from hospitals you have attended;
- ask you to have a hearing test if you are claiming for hearing loss; or
- ask you to have a medical examination
Stage 3
If you we arrange for you to have a medical examination we will ask the Medical
Service Centre that deals with your area to arrange an appointment for
you. If the time or place of the appointment they give you are not convenient,
you should contact the centre and they will re-arrange your appointment.
When you have been examined, the completed report will be sent back to
us.
Stage 4
When we have all the Service and medical details that we need, one of our
medical advisers will look at all the information and we will make a decision
on your claim. Where entitlement to War Disablement Pension is established
it is then necessary to determine the degree of the claimed service-related
disablement. The medical adviser assesses your disablement in comparison
to that of an able-bodied person of the same age and sex. We will write
to you and let you know the decision of your claim as soon as we can.
Throughout the claim process we will keep you informed of the progress.
How long does
the claim process take?
War Disablement Pension claims have to go through several stages before we
can make a decision. We aim to clear War Pension claims within an average
of 53 working days and in setting this target we take into account that there
can be delays. Some cases take longer than others simply because they are
more complicated. We will contact you to tell you how your claim is progressing,
and explain if there is a delay.
War Widow's/Widower's Pension claims follow a number of stages similar to the War Disablement Pension, however, as the claim process is slightly shorter we aim to clear War Widow's/Widower's claims within an average of 21 working days. Sometimes it may take longer. If we do expect delays we will let you know.
If you wish to enquire about the progress of your claim, please contact
us.
Service Personnel and Veterans Agency Medical Services
Medical Advisers (MA) employed by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency
all hold full registration with the General Medical Council and have been
recruited from a number of specialities. A number of MAs have also Served
in HM Armed Forces.
What is their role?
As required by War Pensions Legislation, doctors known as MAs consider medical
aspects of War Pension claims and appeals. The MA has both medical expertise
and special training in the War Pensions Scheme.
What is the medical process?
The MA takes into account the case specific facts, the relevant law and policy
and the contemporary medical understanding of the relevant disablement.
Having considered all the evidence available a certificate of entitlement
or rejection will be provided.
To view the “How We Decide Who Receives a War Disablement Pension leaflet, click here.
Calculating your entitlement - War Disablement Pension
The amount of money we pay is dependent on the extent of your
disablement, i.e; any physical or mental injury or damage, or loss of physical
or mental capacity. We will look at the conditions you have claimed for.
Conditions are defined as:
- a wound
- an injury
- a disease
We will use the information you have provided and advice from
medical advisers in order to assess your disablement. We work out our assessment
of your disablement as a percentage.
If we assess your disablement at 20% or more, we will pay you a pension.
If your disablement is assessed at less than 20%, we will normally pay you
a lump sum called a gratuity. The amount depends on the extent of your disablement
and how long you are likely to be disabled.
If your condition is Noise-Induced Sensorineural Hearing Loss and your disablement
is less than 20% we will not be able to pay you a pension or lump sum. Leaflet
10 – Notes about War Pension claims for deafness.
Leaflet 9 - Rates of War Pensions and allowances.
