Appeal a War Pension or Armed Forces Compensation decision
What you need to do if you think our decision is wrong.
Overview
Most decisions under the War Pension or Armed Forces Compensation Schemes have an appeal right. The letter telling you about the decision tells you if you can appeal.
If you are unhappy with the decision and you think there are some facts Veterans UK may not have known when we made our decision, you should contact us and ask for the decision to be looked at again. For decisions made under the War Pension Scheme we will call this a review and for decisions made under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme we call this a reconsideration.
If you did not receive the reasons for decision and you would like an explanation, please write to Veterans UK at the address below.
If you have the reasons for decision and you are still unhappy with the outcome you can appeal to an independent tribunal, although if your decision was made under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, the law says we will need to reconsider the decision before an appeal can go ahead.
You have 12 months to appeal from the date of your decision letter.
The actions you must take depend on where you live.
If you live in England, Wales or overseas
You can either complete an appeal form or write to us stating:
- your name, address and member/national insurance number
- the name and address of any representative
- an address where documents can be sent (this will normally be your home address)
- the date and details of the decision you want to appeal against
- why you disagree with the decision
- sign and date your correspondence.
Please send the appeal form or your letter to Veterans UK.
If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland
You must complete an appeal form:
- for Scotland this must be sent to the Pensions Appeal Tribunal Scotland, the address is on the form
- for Northern Ireland the appeal form should be sent to Veterans UK.
Appeal form
Download and fill in the form.
The form comes with notes telling you how to fill it in and where to send it.
If you cannot download or print the form, phone or email the Veterans UK helpline to ask for a copy.
Guidance on the WPS Appeals (appeal preparation) customer journey will help you understand how we process your appeal.
To view the accessible version please select the download option.
Guidance on the AFCS Appeals (appeal preparation) customer journey will help you understand how we process your appeal.
To view the accessible version please select the download option.
You should receive a letter confirming we have received your appeal. If you do not receive this, you should contact us to check we have received your request.
Late appeals
If you appeal after 12 months you must tell us why you (or someone on your behalf) did not appeal within the 12 months.
The Tribunal will consider your reasons and may extend the time limit up to a further 12 months. We will write to you if the Tribunal rejects your appeal due to being late.
After you have appealed
The War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Tribunal explains what happens after you have appealed which includes information on:
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Preparing for your hearing.
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What happens at your hearing.
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If you lose your appeal.
If you need help
You can contact any of the service charities or support organisations who can provide guidance and offer personal representation at appeal hearings.
If you need an appeal form sending or have any further questions, phone or email:
Veterans UK
Ministry of Defence
Norcross
Thornton Cleveleys
FY5 3WP
Freephone (UK only):0808 1914 2 18
Telephone (overseas): +44 1253 866 043
Email veterans-uk@mod.gov.uk
Normal Service 8.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday
Last updated 22 March 2022 + show all updates
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Included attachments explaining the WPS & AFCS appeal (appeal preparation) customer journey.
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First published.