Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS)

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS)

The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) is one of a number of schemes run by Veterans UK; a department of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) responsible for pension schemes and compensation payments for military personnel who have been injured or bereaved through military service.

It is a no-fault service, meaning that payments can be made without the MOD admitting liability for the injury, illness or death that has occurred. It is entirely separate from any other Personal Accident Insurance or Life Insurance that you may hold and so these factors are not taken into account when determining an AFCS award.

The AFCS is only applicable to military personnel who were injured, became ill or died since 6^th April 2005. If your service ended or your injury etc occurred before that date, you can still claim, but this time under the War Pensions Scheme (WPS).

If you or your eligible dependants were the innocent victims of crime whilst serving overseas, you can claim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation (Overseas) Scheme. All of these schemes are administered by Veterans UK and applications are available directly through them.

All current and previous members of the UK Armed Forces can submit a claim for compensation through the AFCS, even those who served as reservists, either during their service or after their service has ended. You generally have seven years to make a claim, but as some illnesses and injuries – in particular mental illness – can take a long time to manifest itself, alternatively you have three years from the point of seeking medical assistance. You can claim for any injury or illness that has been sustained as a result of your military service.

There are two main types of awards given by the AFCS:

Lump Sum Payment – a tax free lump sum might be paid to you for pain and suffering. These payments range from £1,236 to £650,000* depending on the severity of the injury / illness – if you have sustained multiple injuries then the scheme can award payments for each injury, to a maximum of £650,000.

Guaranteed Income Payment – this is a tax-free, index linked monthly payment that can be paid from the day service ends, or from the date of a claim (if the claim was made after service has terminated).

Advantages of the scheme include the fact that it is a no-fault service, so the MOD does not have to accept liability for the injury while paying compensation to the victim. It is administered by Veterans UK, part of the MOD, which generally tries to help active and former service personnel.

However, because it is a no-fault scheme, payment levels can be clearly defined within a payment structure, and sometimes these figures do not match with the amount of pain, suffering and ongoing expenses that such injuries and illnesses can lead to.

Contact us today, either by calling us free on 0800 999 1875, or by requesting a free call back, whereby one of our team will contact you at a time of your choice, to discuss your situation.

When you contact us you are under no obligation to continue with the case unless you wish to do so.

We’re here to help, so contact us today.

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*Figures taken from Judicial College Guidelines, 2019 edition. These are indicative only and not a guarantee of any award you may receive.