Hugh James was recently instructed by the Royal British Legion (RBL) to represent Mr L in an Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) First-Tier Tribunal. Mr L suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after serving as an officer in Afghanistan and sought compensation under the AFCS.
Mr L received an initial award of £6,180 in 2011 for his PTSD. However, the award did not sufficiently compensate him for the difficulties he faced and so Mr L appealed the decision with the help of the RBL.
We were instructed to represent Mr L at the First-Tier tribunal hearing. Mr L’s appeal was successful and his award for PTSD was increased from a Level 13 tariff to a Level 10. He was awarded a lump sum payment of £27,810 as well as a Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP), payable for life.
The AFCS provides compensation for illnesses and injuries sustained after 6 April 2005. It is a ‘no-fault’ government scheme which compensates former and serving military personnel for injuries caused or worsened by service. Claims for injuries sustained before 6 April 2005 are eligible for compensation under the War Pension Scheme.
At Hugh James, we represent claimants in both AFCS and War Pension Scheme claims. Claimants are able to submit their own claim for free, or in some cases seek assistance from a charity organisation. However, many claimants still choose to instruct us to represent them due to the complexity of the schemes and our experience in representing veterans and serving personnel.