Government statistics suggest that the nearly 40,000 retired military personnel has made successful compensation claims since 2005 with a further 11 pursuing unsuccessful claims. 16,000 of the successful claims related to injuries sustained either in combat or during training, or as a result of military medical negligence, leading to a total compensation payout of over £340 million. The more severe the injury, the higher the compensation payout tended to be with lump sum payouts reaching nearly £600,000 in some cases.
One may wonder why these figures are so high. One contributory factor was the introduction in 2005 of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme by the Ministry of Defence. This scheme offers a paltry amount of compensation to injured armed forces members, especially when compared with what they could get in a civilian court. Although the current scheme is markedly better than the War Pension Scheme it still needs to be significantly improved. A massive recruitment drive in the armed combined with more promotions meant that the number of claims brought against the armed forces was low. However, this has changed and between 2011 and 2012, 8,815 claims for compensation were made compared to just 8,650 in 165 in 2005.
Military personnel will know how horrible the injuries sustained in battle can be, particularly for those serving in Afghanistan. In yeas gone by, many of the injured would have died in the field but improvements in medicine mean that they not have a good chance of survival. Sadly, in some cases, amputation is the only option available.
Despite the ‘compensation claim culture’ scaremongering seen in the Daily Mail and other publications, very few would argue against the idea that compensating those who put themselves in the line of fire for their country is the right thing to do should they become injured.
For expert advice on claiming compensation following a military injury – contact us now
Are you or were you serving in the armed forces? Have you been injured on duty? If so, our expert compensation claims solicitors may be able to give you advice on how to go about claiming military injury compensation for your pain, suffering and financial loss.
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