MOD Compensation Scandals – In the News Again!

MOD Compensation Scandals – In the News Again!

I have authored a couple of articles on the MOD and the seemingly problem-filled compensation schemes in place for our injured war heroes – and Defence Chiefs have once again appeared on the wrong side of the news with a crazy compensation payout that you might not even believe!

According to sources from The Sun (source), a poultry farmer has been paid £42,000 in compensation because his chickens have “laid less eggs” due to noise from the Red Arrows scaring them! In fact, the MOD has paid out around £7.6 million in damages to people for noise related complaints… So why on are our brave injured soldiers receiving just a fraction of that sum?

According to the report, the Ministry of Defence spent the massive sum over a period of four years due to noise complaints from the Staffordshire poultry farmer, which came to light from a Freedom of Information request from The Sun. In fact there is more; see if you can match these sums to the victim:

The Payouts:

• £5,000
• £52,000
• £117,000

The Victims:

• Payout due to low flying aircraft over Devon causing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Payout in Yorkshire because the noise from aircraft frightened a horse that subsequently injured itself.
• Twenty-three year old trooper Sean Chance of the Queen’s Royal Hussar’s who suffered Post Traumatic Stress and had part of his foot blown off, losing three toes, due to an impact explosion from a rocket propelled grenade in 2004.

 Think you’ve guessed it right? Here are the answers:

• Payout due to low flying aircraft over Devon causing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – £52,000
• Payout in Yorkshire because the noise from aircraft frightened a horse that subsequently injured itself – £117,000
• Twenty-three year old trooper Sean Chance of the Queen’s Royal Hussar’s who suffered Post Traumatic Stress and had part of his foot blown off, losing three toes, due to the impact explosion from a rocket propelled grenade in 2004 – £5,000

Yes, that’s right, our brave injured trooper received just less than £4,000 for his post traumatic stress and £1,500 for his injury – which appears to not make a great deal of sense!

Yes, the inner circumstances of these cases are not quite known, but the point is, is that our brave service men and women are still being failed by Defence Chiefs in the proportionately smaller payouts they are receiving.

Sean has reportedly commented, stating “There’s no justice. I must live like this for the rest of my life. I should have gone into chicken farming.”

Thirty seven year old Sergeant Darren Stevens from Leeds was paid £60,100 for his horrific injuries to his arms and legs after a mortar attack in Basra (2007), which eventually rose to £102,000 after compensation payouts. This is still £15,000 less than a racehorse!

The MOD has commented stating that “Comparing payments made through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and civil litigation is misleading as it is not a like for like comparison.  Seriously injured personnel also receive a guaranteed monthly income for life.”

That being said, it still seems rather unfair; even though the inner circumstances are unclear. The scheme is undergoing an independent review at present, so we hope most of these issues can be cleared up!