These benefits can therefore often apply if you are a veteran or a dependent of someone in the Armed Forces.
Whether still in, or being a veteran of, the Armed Forces, there are various different benefits you could apply for to help support both yourself and your family both during and after your time in service. It’s important to understand the different types of benefits that are available in order to help you find the support you need when you need it.
Through this piece, we will be taking you through some of the main financial benefits you can get from serving in the Armed Forces, in addition to answering some of the most frequently asked questions surrounding this topic.
According to Forces Compare, the main financial benefits you can get from being in the Armed Forces are there to help financially support military personnel through difficult times in their life. These can be an array of different struggles, although they are most commonly a result of their time in service.
The main benefits you can get from being in the Armed Forces include:
- Armed Forces Compensation Scheme – this benefit is given out to those who have suffered from either an illness or injury as a direct result of your time I service. This only applies to those who have suffered this illness or injury either on the day (or any time after) the 6thApril 2005.
- War Pension Scheme – this type of scheme applies to those who have suffered an illness or injury that has been a direct result of their time spent in service before the date of 6thApril 2005. This scheme also will only apply if you have stopped serving in the Armed Forces.
- Armed Forces Independence Payment – this type of benefit can be used as an alternative to DLA (Disability Living Allowance) and PIP (Personal Independence Payment). It is also only applied to those who have suffered an illness or injury as a result of their time in service, and is used to cover the costs that have resulted from said injury/illness.
In addition to these benefits mentioned above, you can also receive other types of financial benefits from being in the Armed Forces in the form of grants. There are numerous different military charities that may be able to help give you the financial support you need.
What grants can I get from being in the Armed Forces?
As previously mentioned, in addition to the various different schemes you can receive as a financial benefit from service in the army, there are also various different charities that also offer such financial support. These are in the form of grants, there are numerous different charities that offer grants to those who have served in the Armed Forces.
Each military charity will set their own eligibility for grants, however the main focus of these grants is to help financially support someone through a difficult period of their life that has been caused as a direct result from their time I service; i.e. illness or injury. Although each different charity will have a different list of requirements, the main factors that will affect eligibility include the following:
- If you are currently serving in the Armed Forces
- If you have served in the Armed Forces and are now a veteran.
- If you are a spouse or dependent on someone who has served (e.g. daughter or son).
- If you are a widow of someone who had served in the Armed Forces.
As explored, there are many different financial benefits offered to help support those who have served in the Armed Forces. It is important when applying for financial support that you understand all the options available to you in order to find the grant/scheme that best suits your situation.
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash