OVER 25,000 HAVE NOW BACKED THE CHARITY'S CAMPAIGN ASKING THE NEXT GOVERNMENT TO SIGN THE VETERANS PLEDGE

JUNE 27th, 2024 - Help for Heroes, the UK’s leading veterans’ charity, has today said that political party leaders have not gone far enough to support veterans in their manifestos ahead of the general election.

More than 25,000 Brits have backed the campaign calling on the next government to sign the Veterans Pledge(1) and commit to truly making the UK the best place in the world for veterans.

The Veterans Pledge aims to end ongoing injustices faced by veterans and their families and to ensure this becomes a reality, Help for Heroes is asking the next Prime Minister to:

1) Keep the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, led by a cabinet attending minister, giving veterans a voice at the heart of government.

2) Commission an independent review of the medical discharge process, to kickstart the reform needed so that all veterans leaving service due to injury or illness get the support they need.

3) Remove unfair barriers to receiving benefits and compensation so that every veteran gets the financial support they need and deserve.

These three pledges will lead to life changing improvements for veterans if the next government commits to them. Help for Heroes is urging the public to show their support and add their name, to call on all political party leaders to sign the Veterans Pledge(2).

James Needham, CEO of Help for Heroes, said:

“The British public have risen to the occasion as always and made their voices heard. More than 25,000 have joined us in urging party leaders to sign the Veterans Pledge and commit to ending the injustices veterans and their families face every day.

“We know many veterans feel let down by the system, and that is why it is so important that party leaders back the pledge and ensure that more is done to support the men and women who have served our country."

Help for Heroes’ previous Veterans Pledge campaign, resulted in significant changes for veterans, including the introduction of the Armed Forces Covenant which was enshrined into law as part of the Armed Forces Act in 2021.

The charity also led the charge in calling for the creation of The Office of Veterans’ Affairs, which has driven the reinstatement of the Veteran Mobility Fund and the creation of Op Fortitude supporting homeless veterans.

Help for Heroes is also asking the next government to commission an independent review of the medical discharge process. A research survey showed that almost 70 per cent of the medically discharged veterans who took part, had a negative or very negative transition experience following medical discharge from the Armed Forces.*

More than 32,000 personnel have had to leave the Armed Forces due to injury or illness over the last 20 years, and this number grows daily, with an average of three people medically discharged every day.**

The final commitment of the Veterans Pledge would ensure veterans get the benefits and long overdue compensation they deserve. This would include veterans who experience chronic pain caused by their service who are currently excluded from being fairly compensated for the long-term, debilitating impact on their lives.

It would also end multiple assessments for amputees to qualify for benefits - they often must prove their entitlement every two years even though their limbs will never grow back.

One major injustice that the pledge looks to rectify is in calling for an increase in the cap of £50 million (estimated to be only £20,000 per victim) on reparations for LGBT+ veterans a year on from the historic LGBT Veterans Review(3).

Only 15 per cent of the public think the UK government is effective in supporting veterans, and 14 per cent think the UK's treatment of veterans is better than that of other countries.***

According to ONS census data there are more than 2 million veterans in the UK. The survey revealed that approximately 11.4 per cent of veterans reported being in bad or very bad health, compared to an estimated 6.1 per cent of people who have not previously served.****

ENDS

Notes to Editors

* Results of survey by Help for Heroes conducted between 19 and 30 August 2019 using a sample of help-seeking 403 Veterans who have been medically discharged from the British Armed Forces and are supported by Help for Heroes

** Based on official statistics from the Ministry of Defence’s annual reports on medical discharges in the UK among regular service personnel, referenced from all reports dating from 2005/06 to 31 March 2023, published 13 July 2023

*** The Office of Veterans Affairs Public Perceptions report (Published 12th January 2023)

**** Office for National Statistics (ONS) census published in 2021 (updated June 2024) shows there are 2,029,191 veterans across England, Wales and Scotland

(1) (https://shorturl.at/uogHt)

(2) (https://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/our-impact/action-for-change/general-election-2024-the-veterans-pledge)

(3) (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64b14c0d07d4b800133472e9/LGBT_Veterans_Independent_Review.pdf)

About Help for Heroes:

• Help for Heroes champions the Armed Forces community and helps them live well after service. The charity helps them, and their families, to recover and get on with their lives. It has already supported more than 30,000 people and won’t stop until every veteran gets the support they deserve.

• The Charity supports veterans, and their families, from any branch of the UK military – regulars or reserves – irrespective of length or place of service, and locally embedded civilians (and their families) who worked alongside our Armed Forces.

• Help for Heroes relies on the spirit and generosity of the great British public.

• Any monetary figures quoted, as funds raised or donated, have been supplied by the fundraiser/donor and are quoted in good faith.

• Help for Heroes has attained the Pride in Veterans Standard (PiVS) (https://www.fightingwithpride.org.uk/pride-in-veterans-standard), a programme run by Fighting With Pride, which demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to providing inclusive and welcoming support to LGBT+ veterans, serving personnel and their families.

• Help for Heroes’ online Suicide Awareness Training course can be viewed at (https://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/get-help/mental-health-and-wellbeing/suicide-awareness)

• Help for Heroes is actively recruiting new volunteers. To register your interest in becoming a Help for Heroes volunteer go to (https://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/give-support/volunteer).

To get support, visit (https://www.helpforheroes.org.uk).

Social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

For further press information, please contact:

Help for Heroes - Michael Power (Brand PR Manager) - T: +44 (0) 7739 466 739 - E: michael.power@helpforheroes.org.uk.

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