These precautions mean that we will changes will be
introduced to some services as follows:
War Pension Scheme/Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
(AFCS) Medical Examinations
With effect from 17 March, all planned medical
examinations in relation to compensation scheme claims
will be cancelled for a period of up to 3 months. All
veterans with dates for medical examinations during
this period will be contacted direct by the DWP’s
Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA) to
confirm cancellation. Veterans UK is now reviewing
whether individual War Pension and AFCS claims can be
progressed without a medical examination and more
information will be issued to those affected in due
course. There is no need to contact the Veterans UK
helpline at the moment.
Veterans Welfare Service/Defence Transition
Services/Integrated Personal Commissioning For Veterans
Visits We have decided to suspend, except in the most
exceptional circumstances, all face to face welfare
meetings with veterans with immediate effect as a
protection for our clients and our staff. Please rest
assured that we will continue to provide advice,
information and support via telephone, email or letter
and our welfare staff will remain available to assist
veterans in need at this difficult time. Please
see urgent-help-for-veterans
Appeal Tribunal Hearings
With effect from 20 March, all appeal hearings in
England, Scotland and Wales (against War Pensions and
Armed Forces Compensation Scheme decisions) are being
cancelled until further notice. Tribunals usually
involve the attendance of veterans and it would be
wrong for these to proceed in the current
circumstances. The HM Courts and Tribunals Service are
contacting all those with appeals affected. Northern
Ireland have not yet made a decision on hearings.
Veterans UK Helpline
To help us maintain a service and better manage the
impact of staff availability, we are changing our
helpline opening hours to 8am to 4pm (instead of 5pm)
Monday to Friday. When the helpline is closed, callers
in need of immediate emotional support will continue to
be given the option to be routed to The Samaritans 24
hour helpline.
It is always our aim to provide the best possible
service. However, we must now also balance this with
adopting Government advice on reducing the risks of
spreading the Coronavirus. We would like to thank
everyone for their understanding during this
unprecedented time.
Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) DWP’s Centre
for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA
