The following is taken from the Pathfinder magazine of June 1998 (pp. 24-26)
"According to Lt Col
Stephen Coltman, R SIGS, secretary of the Services Medical Discharges
Welfare
Committee, 1,138 people were discharged in 1996/97 of which 628 were recruits.
458 (all of whom had served over two years) received a Service Invaliding
Pension (SIP) of which 257 received a Service Attributable Pension (SAP)
which is tax-free. Many early training injuries are downgraded by the
DSS and qualify for a one-off payment (see war pension leaflet for grisly
details).
While those on full
medical discharge can expect their war pension within weeks of discharge,
those claiming
themselves use the Benefits Agency medical assessment service and can
wait months, according to a Benefits Agency spokesman.
In 1987 legislation was passed to allow Crown servants injured through negligence to have recourse to law. Many of these compensation cases are handled by James Bond of RBL, as are war pension claims. 'Many people are baffled by the fact that they have not been awarded a war pension when they have been discharged for medical reasons. We receive a lot of phone calls asking for guidance'
The present system
for compensation is the war pension which also includes a loss of earnings
element. At present, the War Pensions Agency decide, on the evidence from
the medical board, the amount of a war pension and degree of attributability.
A Service Invaliding Pension is paid to all those with two years' service
or more. If discharge is attributable, it becomes a Service Attributable
Pension.and is either paid tax-free or, if the percentage of disability
makes it more, replaced by an SAP based on the percentage of disability.
There are also gratuities of three times each pension plus a complicated
raft of DSS allowances. The prospect of a tax-free index-linked income
for life is preferable to a one off award which can melt away."