Miss-Delectable

'Deep Concerns' over New Compensation Rules

By Ben Pindar, Community Newswire

A national charity for the deaf has today voiced “deep concerns” over new Ministry of Defence rules governing the compensation of veterans.

The MoD has launched the new Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) for injury, illness or death due to service to replace the old system of war disablement pensions.

However, the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID), which represents nine million deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK, has hit out at the new rules over the way the scheme will apply to veterans with a hearing loss.

The charity said the full consequences of noise-induced hearing loss cannot be assessed until later age-related hearing loss is known and can be taken into account.

But the new AFCS has introduced a time limit to claim of five years from the event or after leaving the armed forces where no particular incident caused the condition, and this will prevent veterans from receiving compensation if hearing loss emerges later in life.

The charity also claims the replacement of the annual disablement pension with a one-off lump sum payment will take away the flexibility needed to ensure that further hearing loss caused by service can be taken into account.

Under the new rules there is an exceptions list for late-onset conditions and the charity is now calling on the MoD to include noise-induced hearing loss so veterans deafened by their time in the armed forces can receive compensation.

Chris Underwood, head of campaigns at RNID, said: “It is unacceptable to see the use of flawed scientific arguments to deny veterans the recognition they deserve for the sacrifices they have made.

“The new Armed Forces Compensation Scheme will only go to worsen the situation for deafened veterans.”

The RNID is conducting research into the experiences of hundreds of veterans affected by hearing loss, in order to assess the impact of the flawed criteria used by the government to make decisions about compensation.

The findings will be launched at the start of July, and RNID will use them to lobby the Government, with the aim of initiating much-needed reform.

For more information about the work of the RNID visit the charity’s website at www.rnid.org.uk

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