UK:Troops to get free education and priority NHS care

There needs to be a new rule from now on. If a nation cannot take care of the wounded combat will make, if they cannot and do not plan for them in advance, they can't send them until they are able to. Afghanistan was invaded in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. This is 2008! The UK has not gotten it right yet. The US has not gotten it right yet. Canada has not gotten it right yet. Australia has not gotten it right yet. The men and women serving these nations are worth all the money it takes to train them and arm them, deploy them into combat zones, but it would really be great if they were also worth whatever it costs to take care of them if they get wounded doing it!

The new report does not, however, provide any compensation for soldiers suffering from psychological damage. Chris Simpkins, director general of the Royal British Legion, said that "the legacy of those suffering from stress will be a very long one".

Troops to get free education and priority NHS care

By Kim Sengupta
Friday, 18 July 2008
Members of the armed forces will be entitled to free university education, fast track access to the NHS and double the compensation for those seriously wounded, under a benefits package announced yesterday.


Although the initiative was broadly welcomed by veterans and armed forces welfare groups, there was criticism that the measures had been slow in coming.

Yesterday also saw the release of a report by the Commons Committee of Public Accounts which found younger people leaving the services are not getting adequate support from the Ministry of Defence.

But Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, said the Command Paper, which for the first time involves other government departments as well as the MoD contributing to soldiers' welfare, "will make a real difference to the everyday lives of our forces and their families".

Under the new scheme the maximum lump-sum payment for the worst injuries will rise from £285,000 to £570,000 and a guaranteed income of £19,000 a year will raise the total lifetime earnings for some to about £1.5m. Other benefits include service personnel receiving free education up to A-level and degree standard and their children getting easier access to local schools; free bus travel for injured veterans; "key worker" status extended for 12 months for those leaving the service and improved access to NHS dentists for personnel and their families.

The new maximum injury compensation is expected to benefit about 80 individuals such as Lance-Bombardier Ben Parkinson, who lost both legs and suffered brain damage from a landmine explosion in Afghanistan in 2006.

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troops-to-get-free-education-and-priority-nhs-care-870842.html