We are calling on the next government to commit to supporting veterans and their families and end the ongoing injustices they face.
With a General Election taking place on Thursday, 4 July, we are asking all party leaders to sign the Veterans Pledge, committing to:
- Keep the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, led by a Cabinet attending minister.
- Commission an independent review of the medical discharge process.
- Ensure veterans get the benefits and compensations they deserve.
Show your support by joining us in telling the party leaders – and the next Prime Minister - to sign the Veterans Pledge.
What is the Veterans Pledge?
Keep the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, led by a Cabinet attending minister
In 2019, Help for Heroes, along with other veterans’ charities, led the campaign to create the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA).
Without its existence and independence from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), we believe successes, such as reinstating the Veterans’ Mobility Fund, would not have been possible.
If the next Administration is serious about making the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran, it must give veterans a voice at the heart of Government, with a minister reporting directly to the Prime Minister.
Commission an independent review of the medical discharge process
Veterans tell us that the medical discharge process is not working. Our studies show that almost 70 per cent of the veterans we supported who had been medically discharged from the Armed Forces had a negative or very negative transition experience.
Major inconsistencies and gaps exist, and an average of four service personnel leave the military every day due to injury or illness. We believe the process needs urgent reform, which will also ease future pressure on the NHS.
“I was told “you’re broken and you’ve got to leave”. It felt like my world had ended. I felt confused and alone. It got so bad that I considered ending my life.”
Veteran
Ensure veterans get the benefits and compensations they deserve
Too many veterans are having to fight the system to get the compensation and financial support they deserve – often while battling physical or mental illness and injuries from service.
We are calling on the next government to remove unfair barriers to receiving compensation and benefits. They need to
- Make sure chronic pain is recognised as a distinct illness so the long-term, debilitating impact it has on veterans' lives is fairly compensated.
- Disregard all forms of Armed Forces compensation as income when it comes to deciding on benefits for veterans.
- End multiple assessments for amputees to qualify for benefits.
- Increase the cap of £50 million on reparations for LGBT+ veterans and deliver the recommendations from the Lord Etherton review.
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