Compensation Increase

It's just been announced onthe BBC that the Government have reviwed the compensation payment made to Lance Bombadier Ben Parkinson who suffered horrific injuries in a roadside bomb incident in Afghanistan.
The original award of £152,000 has been increased to £285,000, and in addition, Ben will continue to receive his Army pay.
This soldier lost both legs, and suffered brain damage in the blast which left him in a coma.
Do you consider this extra award to be enough?

 

No, not when some crabfat got 450k for a repetitive strain injury because of typing.

What amount of money can compensate you for the injuries that lad has suffered?

 

Although I agree entirely it was a Civvy working for the Crabs.

 

Civvy..ffs..mind you comes out of the same pot doesn't it, just like them 1k chairs.

 

If this soldier had received comparable injuries in a car smash for which he was not responsible I wonder what the other party's insurers would have had to pay out for his life-long care? A great deal more I think. Also, of course, his family are screwed by this as well.

 

So it's been raised from Total crap to F'in crap, how nice of them.

This man has probably got another 60 years ahead of him, so what happens when his parents are gone?

It's going to cost far in excess of that to adapt the house by widening all the doorways putting in ramps and supply a suitable wheelchair, then there is the stairlift and the climb in and out of the bath equipment. It wont come anywhere near what is required.

The only alternative is to move into an house built for disabled and with a small lawn out the back to sit in during the summer.
Seeing as a flat can, and usually does, cost more than that there's no hope of that either.

The tag MoD is put on this but it all comes from that knob Jock(y) Brown, MOD edit, avoid the ad hominem please .

Why didn't they just mothball him or sell him to Pakistan like they do with all of the other ex service junk.

.

 

Massive increase in compensation paid for multiple serious injuries

11 Oct 07

Service personnel who have sustained serious multiple injuries in a single incident will now receive a full lump sum payment for each injury, under new proposals announced today, 11 October 2007.

The proposals follow the completion of a review into the multiple injury rules of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

The immediate lump sum payment, payable while still in-service, will be capped at a total of £285,000

The most seriously injured will continue to receive a tax-free, index-linked Guaranteed Income Payment on discharge which over a lifetime can be worth many hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Under current rules, the most seriously injured receive lump sum compensation payments for only the three worst injuries sustained in a single incident. 100 per cent is paid for the first injury, 30 per cent paid for the second and third being discounted to 15 per cent. The new proposals are for all serious injuries to be compensated at 100 per cent.

Defence Secretary Des Browne said:

"Our Armed Forces are unique in making a vital contribution to the security of our nation and we have a responsibility to continue to look after them properly when they get injured."

The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) came into force on 6 April 2005 to pay compensation for injury, illness or death caused by service on or after that date.

The review into the multiple injury rules of the scheme commissioned by the Under Secretary of State for Defence, Derek Twigg, aimed to ensure that the scheme’s intent of focusing benefit on the most seriously injured was being delivered.

The new proposals have the full support of the Service Chiefs of Staff.

Additional benefits will be paid to the most seriously injured whose multiple injury claims have been paid since the start of the scheme in April 2005. This will bring their lump sum awards to the same level as those who will benefit from the proposed changes in future.

The proposals are now subject to a period of consultation, principally with the Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions (CAC). The CAC includes representatives from ex-service organisations including the Royal British Legion and Combat Stress. This process will take around four weeks. Payments will be processed as quickly as possible after this consultation has concluded and the legislation has been amended, ideally before the end of the year.

The increased payments will only be paid to those who are assessed as the most severely injured i.e. those with multiple serious injuries who qualify for the full (100 per cent) Guaranteed Income Payment.

The lump sum component of the Compensation Scheme is to recognise pain and suffering and the loss of amenity. The Guaranteed Income Payment is to recognise loss of earnings capacity and loss of pensions. These are not designed to cover ongoing medical care, which is provided by the NHS. Armed Forces Compensation Scheme recipients are also eligible to claim for disability benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions.

The standard of proof used in the Compensation Scheme is based on the balance of probabilities. This is the accepted approach in other Schemes, such as the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. No case should fail where there is reasonable, reliable evidence that injury is due to service.

Any payments made under the AFCS do not interfere with a person’s right to claim civil damages against the MOD where they believe that the injury, illness or death was a result of negligence on the part of the MOD.

Source: MOD: Defence News: 11 Oct 07

The BBC link is here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk/7039292.stm
[hr]

I personally would not describe a maximum award of less than £300K as massive. More like ungenerous!

 

A derisory amount and I don't think it is over yet, more power to his lawyer’s elbows.

 

Most of the injured will still fall under the old scheme, a only those who recieve payments from tarriffs 1-4 are eligible, ie. the very worst injured. If you have a 5-8 rated injury then you could potentially still be severely disabled. With this in mind, it is very misleading and does not deserve the press attention it has recieved.

I wonder who else will lose out because of this. The MOD always robs Peter to pay Paul.

 

Bravo Zulu - Sir, well said

re Risking Life and Limb for one's nation, an article by Surg Cdr Rick Jolly

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/11/ncomp411.xml

 

Another well written article from Rick Jolly... cheers for the link Richie. Says it all really.