Victory for Veterans in compensation battle
Around 60 veterans suffering from asbestos-related cancer will be given £140,000 lump sum compensation payouts after Ministers bowed to pressure from the Royal British Legion.
The former military personnel, exposed to asbestos during their military service and who subsequently developed mesothelioma, will now be entitled to the payments after an extension of a scheme announced in December 2015.
After the Government launched the compensation scheme, it emerged a group of 60 veterans were not eligible because they were diagnosed before the scheme started.
Chris Simpkins, Director General of the Royal British Legion said “the Government has done the right thing”.
He said: “We are gratified that good sense has prevailed and that the Government has extended eligibility to those people who – through no fault of their own – were missing out on the new lump sum compensation payment.”
“The Government has done the right thing and we appreciate the effort that has gone into accommodating the 60 people who were missing out.”
“This has been a hard-fought campaign which began in 2013. To see the campaign finally reach this stage, I’m sure will provide a huge sense of relief for dozens of proud servicemen and their families.”
“We are grateful to the Ministry of Defence for taking our campaign seriously and, in doing so, providing a fair result to all those who contracted this terrible terminal cancer in the service of their country.”
Mesothelioma is a particularly aggressive form of terminal cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and which is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. The cancer can take years to materialise but, once diagnosed most sufferers will have a life expectancy of only one to two years.
Further reading: Plymouth Herald bt.com recent article