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Welfare at the heart of the Veterans Community

The Ministry of Defence’s Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) provides a range of ‘through life’ support functions direct to around 900,000 serving personnel and the Veterans Community. These include Pay and Human Resources for the Services, Pensions Schemes and Compensation Schemes for those disabled or bereaved through service.Its dedicated Veterans Welfare Service provides one to one support, in the home if needed, via 25 offices across the UK.

Each veteran’s needs are unique, but enquiries can range from help in completing claim forms, requests for financial assistance, and enquiries with Social Services to referrals for treatment or home adaptations. Welfare Managers work with local authorities and other bodies to ensure veterans get the help and support to resolve their problems. How to arrange a visit Just call the Veterans-UK FREE Helpline on 0800 169 2277 and request a visit. Where to find your local office To find out the address of your local Veterans Welfare Service office, visit our website at www.veterans-uk.info and click on welfare or call the Veterans-UK FREE Helpline on 0800 169 2277. Turn to page 7 for more welfare information.

Case study

Marianna is a single mum from York with four young children. She served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during the first Gulf War in 1991. Working in a field hospital, she witnessed first hand the injuries suffered by members of the Iraqi forces during the conflict, leaving her with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Marianna has been helped for many years by the Veterans Welfare service in Yorkshire. She says “I first met Helen, my Welfare Manager when I moved to York from Chester a few years ago, She’s fantastic - she sorted out my war pension and helped me build a support network from the many different Agencies involved. More women veterans should apply for the help that’s out there.”

• Online Resource For Service Leavers
• Inheritance Tax
• Pathways Advisory Service
• Making The Move - From The Services To Civilian Life
• The Mental Capacity Act And The Office Of The Public Guardian
• Joining up veterans support across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Veterans Health
• Inquests
• Compensating injured Service Personnel and Veterans
• Round The Clock Support For HM ARMED FORCES
• Same Service Different Name
• Stop Press New compensation rules to benefit seriously injured personnel approved

Top of page

Compensating injured Service Personnel and Veterans

The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency administers two pension and compensation schemes for injuries, illness or death linked to service. The date determines under which scheme they are considered – 6 April 2005.

War Pension Scheme

A War Disablement Pension can be claimed if a person was injured, became ill or disabled due to their service before 6 April 2005. If a claim is successful, payment may be made as a lump sum gratuity or weekly pension depending on the assessment made.

A War Pension cannot be paid until service in the HM Armed Forces has ended and there are also various additional allowances payable, for example, to those with mobility or employment problems caused by their disablement, providing the qualifying crriteria
are met

ArmedForces Compensation Scheme This Scheme was introduced from 6 April 2005 as a simple and modern way of compensating Service (and ex-Service) personnel for injury, illness or death sustained as a result of their service. This includes “warlike” incidents and acts of terrorism. Under the terms of the Scheme, a lump sum is payable based on a 15-level tariff which is graduated according to the seriousness of the condition. A Guaranteed Income Payment, payable for life, will also be paid to those in the higher tariff levels.

The lump sum awards for injury paid in Service are tax-free.
For the latest update see page 7.

Death due to Service

Under both schemes, pension and lump sum payments may be payable to surviving family of Service personnel killed as a result of service.

How to claim

Claiming is simple, a call can be placed to the
Veterans-UK FREE Helpline on
0800 169 2277 or claim forms can be downloaded from the Veterans-UK website.

Further information about the schemes can be found on http://www.veterans-uk.info

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