Armed Forces Personal Injury Claims

Armed Forces Personal Injury Claims

In addition to the compensation payments on offer through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and the War Pension Scheme (WPS), if you have suffered from an illness or injury during your time in the armed forces it is quite possible that you could make a Personal Injury Claim.

AFCS and WPS compensation payments are managed by Veterans UK, part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), and so in a sense are dealt with ‘in house’. They are no-fault schemes and so the MOD does not have to admit liability when compensation is awarded. Personal Injury claims are managed by highly trained solicitors who are not afraid to illustrate when the MOD has made mistakes and ensure that they pay suitable compensation for the damage or distress caused by the injury or illness.

Personal Injury claims generally need to be submitted within three years of the illness or injury, but as with the other payments; certain situations can occur or develop after this guideline timescale has closed – in particular mental illness such as PTSD – and these can still be claimed for, so long as the claim is made within three years of seeing a medical professional about the condition or illness.

The AFCS and the WPS both have strict guidelines for the amounts that will be paid out according to the extent of the illness or injury suffered, and while these can help with the pain and suffering, they make no allowance for some of the further difficulties that can be brought on by these types of issues.

For example, a lump sum payment for the loss of limbs can help with the pain and suffering, but will it really be enough to try and rebuild a life without limbs and the huge range of challenges that this kind of physiological injury can bring. Future employment prospects can be severely limited, significant changes might need to be made to the victim’s home and transport arrangements, alongside further costs for on-going treatment (perhaps private healthcare might be necessary if the NHS cannot supply such specialist treatments).

When making a Personal Injury claim our highly trained solicitors will take all of these factors into account to ensure that you receive a compensation payment that reflects the suffering you have endured.

A personal Injury claim can be lodged whilst applying for AFCS or WPS payments, but it should be noted that if a substantial claim is won through personal injury, it might have an effect on the amount paid out by the MOD schemes. This is something that your solicitor will discuss with you when making a claim so that appropriate compensation is sought.

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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