AFCS- Leaving it too late to appeal

Most of us are guilty of receiving a letter, skimming over it and putting it to one side to deal with later, then forgetting about it. This can sometimes have consequences if the letter is about a decision on an Armed Forces Compensation Scheme claim. 

Claimants have 12 months in which to seek a reconsideration and appeal Veterans UK’s decision on their claim. There has been an occasion recently where an individual has contacted me for assistance, advising me they had several weeks to appeal a decision  however when we checked the date on the decision letter, it was 2 days! I recommended they submit a reconsideration with the reasons why they felt the decision was wrong straight away. I contacted them again the following day to check they had done it- they hadn’t. I reiterated it needed to be sent by email that day to be received in time. For whatever reason the claimant did not submit a reconsideration and subsequently contacted me requesting support to make a late appeal. I explained a late appeal in the most exceptional of circumstances may be allowed and I explained the types of scenarios they would need to satisfy permission to appeal late, such as being incapacitated and too ill and incapable of doing it themselves or authorising someone to do it on their behalf. The claimant could not provide a vaild reason for not challenging the decision sooner and I had to sadly confirm it was too late to do so.

By failing to seek guidance and support straight away and running out of time, the claimant potentially missed out on a substantial lump sum and additional benefits.

If you receive a decision letter and you are unhappy with the decision, don’t wait, contact us straight away.