A soldier who suffered injuries in Afghanistan has said he was mocked for being Welsh in comments caught on a hot mic when he was seeking compensation.
The serving officer, who has spent 26 years in the army, was hurt in a 2009 explosion during his time in Afghanistan. He told the Telegraph he was laughed at during a consultation with a civilian panel advising the Ministry of Defence on his Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) claim.
The soldier claimed there was a 10-minute recess in the online meeting when the legal team reportedly forgot to mute their microphones. He said: “They laughed and said, well, he is Welsh. He doesn’t understand why he is here. He can’t be that intelligent given he doesn’t know why he’s here."
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One panel member reportedly said he “did not look like [he’d] had a blast injury”, which made other members laugh, according to the soldier. He claimed they also said he was "kicking a can down the road” and "if he knows what’s best he should withdraw the claim”.
The officer said: “Hearing what they had to say about me in a manner that was derogatory and discriminating was unacceptable. I have never felt so belittled in my life. I was angry and felt completely let down by the very system designed to support our injured soldiers. I was lucky – or unlucky – enough to have heard what a typical panel of professional board members had to say about me in a tribunal.”
The President of the Chambers wrote to the officer earlier this month and apologised for the “unfortunate incident”, the Telegraph reports. They said: “I very much regret what has occurred and apologise for the offence caused to you… It sounds, from what I have been told so far, that we have fallen short today.”
The officer replied that the hearing had left him “deflated, shocked and appalled”. He said the comments had left him with “absolutely no trust in or respect for the process”.
The newspaper reported that the AFCS scheme – which grants lump sums and monthly payments for injuries, illness or death caused by military service – has been plagued by complaints and delays.
Amanda Marsh, a specialist military injuries lawyer, told the Telegraph: “We regularly see problems with claims not being assessed at the correct level, meaning injured armed forces personnel are being under-compensated for their injuries. From the claims we have supported, this is common with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) in particular, which can be a devastating issue for people to live with for the rest of their lives. We have shared our concerns with the Office for Veterans Affairs and hope that improvements will be made to ensure the people serving our country receive the fairest possible treatment.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “We care deeply about supporting our people throughout their service and beyond. They make remarkable sacrifices in defence of this country and we are committed to providing them with the best possible services. Where we fall short of our own standards we will listen to people’s concerns and act however necessary.
"Compensation claims are not decided upon lightly and require careful consideration of many complex factors, including medical histories and types of service, often requiring extensive correspondence with the claimant and multiple organisations.”
You can read more of the latest news on the armed forces here.
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