Can I claim Armed Forces compensation years after leaving?

Two dates decide whether a late claim works, and neither of them is the date you handed in your kit. What matters is when the service that caused your condition took place, and when the seven-year clock started running.

The two dates that decide it

• 6 April 2005. The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme covers injury, illness and death caused wholly or partly by service on or after that date. Conditions attributable to earlier service belong to the War Pension Scheme, which has no time limit at all.
• The seven-year limit. You normally have seven years from the date of injury or the date you left service, whichever is later — or seven years from when you first became aware of the condition. For progressive conditions such as noise-induced hearing loss, the clock starts when the condition first met the diagnostic criteria, not when you were first exposed. For late-onset conditions such as a cancer linked to historic asbestos or radar exposure, it runs from diagnosis.
• Extensions. Veterans UK can extend the time limit in exceptional circumstances, so a claim that looks out of time is still worth submitting with an explanation of the delay.

A condition that only developed after you left can still be claimed if service was a contributing factor, and partial awards are available where service significantly worsened something that pre-existed it.

Making the claim now

Claims go to Veterans UK, part of the Ministry of Defence. Request an AFCS1 claim form on 0808 1914 218 (freephone) or download it from gov.uk, and send it with everything you can gather: service records, military and GP medical records, witness statements from those who served with you, and any specialist report linking the diagnosis to service events. Veterans UK acknowledges a claim within four weeks and usually decides within three to twelve months; multi-injury cases take longer.

If the decision goes against you, ask Veterans UK for a reconsideration within twelve months, attaching fresh evidence, and if that fails you can appeal to the independent First-tier Tribunal (War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation) — check the deadline stated on your decision letter. The Royal British Legion and SSAFA (0800 731 4880) prepare and present these claims free of charge, and their caseworkers know what evidence a late claim needs.