War Pensions and Government Benefits

[yankee]

War Pensioners - I think it is disgusting that War Pensioners are not allowed to have their war pension without the worry of it being taken into account with other benefits. After all if it wasn't for serving their country they would not be in receipt of their injuries or the need for a war pension.
I believe the government could at least ignore the War Pension when assessing income. The WP should NOT play a part in the income assessment.

What I see happening in the future is that if you get a Service Pension this will do you out of State Retirement pension.

Is this a case of the British Government dirtying on its own troops yet again! !

It is deplorable that War Pensioners have to fight and have so much hassle to get their WP, DLA or whatever. Sadly GPs are not the most helpful when it comes to recording info on our medical notes. Therefore I sugest that everytime you have an ache or pain that is in anyway related to an injury during service, you go to your Doctor and have it recorded on your notes and keep a record yourself of visits and what treatment if any that you got or what the GP said. An example of note recording: a lady went on holiday took ill with heart trouble and when she tried to claim on her travel insurance was advised that as she had the condition before she was disallowed. This previous heart trouble statement came as a big surprise for the lady as too her knowledge she never had any heart trouble ! Personally, I was told last month my gallbladder is fine following a recent medical problem - guess what I don't have one - it was removed 7yr ago - discovered the GP was looking at the notes of someone else with the same name as me !
Too many service personnel are being turned down for WP and DLA because nothing recorded.
The Troops did their fighting in the streets of Belfast, Iraq, Serra Leone, Falklands, etc, etc,- let's have a more sympathetic approach to those who have saved so many lives by putting their lives on the line.
It's a sad day when I as a welfare caseworker hear ex veterans/British Troops saying that if they had to put a uniform on again they would rather wear anything but British !

[WHYATT]

Well as a War pensioner myself I have to say it was an uphill battle to get any money, at first I was assessed at 15% disabled this was after 3 operations and in and out of hospital for 13 months. It was only when I went to appeal that they decided to raise it to 40%. Just recently I have been informed that I have now got Arthritis in my left ankle due to my injuries, I have to say the uphill battle has now started again as my application for an increase in my pension has been refused!!,however, this was no great surprise to me.

[Guest]

Hi

Sorry to hear you are having problems getting your condition recognised but this is typical.
Also, have you put in for DLA or if over 65yrs of age Attendance Allowance?
When I first put in for my war pension in 1994 I had on the form Crepitis of both knees as one of my conditions. Every time I put in for a new claim for new condition/illness I put the knees in and it is only now - 10yrs down the line that I have put in an Appeal for mobility that they have suddenly found that crepitis was one of the conditions i was claiming for, however they are not awarding me anything. I await my appeal date.

The Veterans Agency need to review their way of working as so many people experience problems with their claims.

[guest]

REPLY FROM VETERANS AGENCY

A few contributors have expressed dissatisfaction with the service received from Veterans Agency, specifically about their claims to War Disablement Pension.

Thousands of new claims are received each year and although customer surveys show most people are satisfied with the service they receive, we appreciate that things do not always go right.

We are keen to give our customers the best possible service and I am posting this message on behalf of the Agency to give readers some guidance on the best way to resolve any problems that occur.

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the service you receive, the first step is to discuss your concerns with the person dealing with your case. They will be happy to look into your queries and explain any decisions we have made in more detail. Their name or that of their manager will be on correspondence from us. If your problem is not resolved, then you can use the Agency’s formal complaints procedure, by contacting our Customer Services Manager or by writing to the Chief Executive. Concerns may also be taken up with the War Pensioners’ Welfare Service. Their Welfare Managers are always available to discuss an issue, either at their office or via a home visit. More help still is available from the regional independent War Pensions Committees. All contact details are available from the free Veterans Helpline 0800 169 2277.

If the issue concerns a decision on a claim, rather than a ‘process’, you will have the right to appeal to an independent Pensions Appeal Tribunal. In the case of an appeal, you can also seek independent advice from organisations such as the Royal British Legion or SSAFA Forces Help.

More information on the work of the Agency can be found at www.veteransagency.mod.uk

[tasape]

Guys if you are having problems with pensions
use the Ex forces Associations SSAFA RNA RAFA Royal British Legion
they have experienced leagal teams who deal with these issues
all the time you are not alons in fighting these battles call the experts and let them help you

the are Good