Simon Kirby, MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, along with other MPs is calling for a reform to the compensation payments for injured veterans.
REFORMS would make sure that all veterans injured prior to April 6, 2005 would not be unfairly disadvantaged by having to use their military compensation on social care.
Veterans injured after April 2005, and those injured in their place of work, retain all of their compensation when accessing council support. In contrast, veterans who have been injured in service before 6 April 2005 have to cover the costs of their social care out of their weekly military compensation. This current law means that veterans that were injured prior to April 2005 are disadvantaged.
Mr Kirby said: “As someone who backed the Armed Forces Covenant to ensure that our service personnel receive the support they deserve, I am concerned this situation could be a breach of the Covenant’s principle of no disadvantage due to Service.”
In order for this imbalance to be resolved, and to see all former servicemen treated in the same way, Mr Kirby has joined a group of MPs in calling for the Government to harmonise these compensation payment differences, and to help local authorities implement such a reform.
Mr Kirby continued: “We owe so much to the brave men and women in our armed forces and it can’t be right that many veterans who were injured in service to our Country are being disadvantaged in comparison to other fellow veterans.
“I firmly believe that this discrepancy in the current law needs to be looked at, so that all injured veterans can be treated the same and those injured prior to 6 April 2005 can begin to receive their compensation in full, rather than having to pay for their social care with it.
“These men and women have given invaluable service to our Country, and it is right and proper that we give them the respect and support that they deserve. I hope that these calls will be listened to, and that there will be swift moves to resolve what is, at present, a concerning state of affairs.”
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