Military Injury Claims

Although it’s widely accepted that working in the armed forces will incur more risks than most occupations, the MoD still has a duty of care to protect you from avoidable harm.

If you have become ill or sustained an injury that could have been prevented, you might be able to make a military compensation claim. We can help you with a free consultation call and, if you wish to continue, start collecting evidence to support your case, including:

• Medical records
• Military reports and logs
• Receipts
• Photographic and/or video evidence
• Witness statements.

You can get all the help you need to progress with your claim, even if it has to go to court—we know the prospect of claiming against the MoD can be daunting, but we will be with you every step of the way, no matter how you were affected.

Working in the armed forces comes with a unique set of risks. There are various circumstances that could result in avoidable incidents in the military, such as:

• Training injuries
• Cold injuries
• Noise-induced hearing loss
• Defective equipment
• Off duty accidents
• Road traffic accidents
• Fatal injuries
• Air accidents.

This list isn’t exhaustive—get in touch if you have been affected by the MoD’s negligence in a different way.

The MoD can’t legally discriminate you if you claim against it and want to remain in the military. While it’s accepted that the risk of injury is typically greater in the military, the MoD still has a duty of care to protect its personnel.

If you have been avoidably ill or injured, the MoD has failed in its duty of care, entitling you to claim compensation. The MoD sets aside a designated budget to compensate armed forces personnel who were injured through negligence, so you needn’t worry that your payout will be deduced from your unit.

If you choose to stay in the military after making a claim, and feel you’re being treated unfairly due to claiming, you could have a case for discrimination.

The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) compensates personnel who were injured on or after 6 April 2005.

An AFCS claim differs from a civil claim in that your compensation sum will be based on a tariff system. The minimum amount you can claim in an AFCS award is £1,200, while the most you could claim is a lump sum of £570,000.

If you’re awarded over £15,500 in compensation, you will also be entitled to a Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP). Some claims aren't eligible for GIP payments, though, so it may be better for you to make a civil claim as you could claim more compensation.

The time limits also differ. From the injury or illness date, you have seven years to claim via the AFCS and three years to claim via the civil route.