Ministry of Defence announces major review into veterans welfare

The Ministry of Defence and the Office for Veteran’s Affairs has announced that it is undertaking a review of veterans services in the UK.

The review is to be conducted by an (as yet unnamed) independent civil servant and a report will be delivered to the government in 3-months.

The announcement can be found here.

Our MD Grant Evatt, a solicitor and former of 29 Commando Regiment RA:

“This review is said to complement the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme ‘Quinquennial Review’, which is already underway. The fact is, the scheme, now in its eighteenth year, is weighted in favour of the MOD, not the injured veteran.  I know this. 

It is clunky, ineffective, inefficient and near on impossible to navigate without legal representation and yet, Veterans UK, which administers the scheme within the MOD, openly discourages an applicant from seeking legal advice.  To put it bluntly, they should  encourage our veterans to do so because, whether they like it or not, people such as myself, the military lawyers, working for our sick and injured veterans in the War Pension and AFCS tribunal, are the gatekeepers. I know this too. 

Will the MOD or even perhaps the Office for Veterans Affairs seek my input? Johnny, if you are reading this, you are pushing against an open door.”

GE

02.03.23