The government has had to issue new information on the delays as it said people were working weekends to address the problem
Officials have released a new update on delays affecting a significant government pension scheme. Tens of thousands of people receive support from a scheme that has been plagued by backlogs — prompting a new parliamentary question on the matter.
Although the War Pension Scheme closed to new injuries sustained after 5 April 2005, the most recent figures indicate that thousands of veterans continue to lodge claims each year for injuries and illnesses linked to pre-2005 military service. The statistics also show that new claimants are waiting considerably longer for decisions than in previous years, with first claims now taking an average of 17 months to process.
The scheme – which is separate to the state pension – serves as a compensation programme for veterans for any injury or illness caused by, or worsened by, their service in His Majesty’s Armed Forces. You are eligible to claim under the WPS if you are no longer serving in His Majesty’s (HM) Armed Forces and your claimed disablement arose before 6 April 2005.
The War Pension Scheme (WPS) provides compensation for any injury, illness or death resulting from service prior to 6 April 2005. There are 2 main types of WPS awards. Which one you receive depends on the extent of your disablement: a gratuity is a tax-free lump sum payment for disablement of less than 20%; a pension is an ongoing tax-free payment made weekly or monthly for disablement exceeding 20%.
The matter has come under scrutiny once more following an MP’s parliamentary question to the government. Paul Davies, Labour MP for Colne Valley, asked the Ministry of Defence what measures the department is implementing to reduce delays within the War Pension Scheme.
Calvin Bailey, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People), replied to confirm that staff were undertaking weekend shifts in an effort to address the backlog.
He said: “The MOD has introduced a range of measures to improve War Pension Scheme claim processing times. These include flexible resource management, allowing teams to reallocate staff as needed and training personnel in multiple skillsets to enhance efficiency and resilience.
“To accelerate the clearance of outstanding claims, overtime and weekend working have been implemented alongside the additional recruitment of administrative and caseworker staff.
“Furthermore, a dedicated taskforce has been established to support service delivery improvements. This taskforce focuses on stabilising the system, monitoring operational performance, and identifying areas for improvement.”
“Throughout the claims process, all cases are managed in strict date order at every stage to ensure fairness, with priority given to those with a terminal illness and to claimants over the age of 90.”
WPS delays and the role it plays in helping veterans and families
Legal firm Hugh James says that although the scheme only applies to service before 6 April 2005, the latest statistics show that it continues to play an important role in compensating veterans and their families. Thousands of new claims are still being made each year, and many existing recipients continue to seek reassessments as their conditions deteriorate over time.
In a statement on the government data on the pension scheme’s delays, Hannah Baker at the firm said: “Perhaps the most striking statistic in this year’s bulletin is the time it takes for claims to be decided. Veterans UK reports that first disablement claims cleared during 2025/26 took an average of 17 months from registration to clearance. This is a significant increase from the clearance time in previous years.
“For many veterans, this represents a substantial wait before receiving a decision on whether they are entitled to compensation. Delays can be particularly difficult where a claimant is living with a disabling condition, has retired early because of ill health or is experiencing financial uncertainty.
“The Ministry of Defence notes that changes to its case management system mean that care should be taken when comparing processing times with previous years. Nevertheless, the current figures demonstrate that War Pension claims remain a lengthy process and that claimants should be prepared for decisions to take many months rather than weeks.”
The firm also noted in its July statement that more than half of the disablement claims registered over the past year were second or subsequent claims. It said: “Many veterans experience service-related conditions that worsen over time. Orthopaedic injuries, mental health injuries and other long-term conditions may become more disabling many years after leaving the Armed Forces. Where a condition has deteriorated, it may be possible to seek a reassessment of the level of disablement and an increase in pension, as long as the deterioration can be attributed to service. The continued volume of these claims highlights that the effects of military service can continue long after discharge.”
For further details about the scheme, visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/war-pension-scheme-wps#who-is-eligible.
