Preparedness to leave the UK armed forces: Veterans’ Survey 2022, UK

Question 1

Main points

Accepted Answer

Across the UK, under half of veterans (43.2%) felt prepared or very prepared for life after service in the UK armed forces and over a third (34.7%) said they felt unprepared or very unprepared. The percentage of veterans who felt very unprepared decreased as age increased.

When compared with their counterparts, some veterans were more likely to have felt unprepared to some extent for life after service (for example, veterans who were disabled, discharged on medical grounds, who did not live in owner-occupied or shared ownership properties, who witnessed or took part in enemy operations, did not serve as officers or who said they were bullied, discriminated or harassed during their service).

Across the UK, training or additional training was the most cited type of information, advice or guidance that veterans felt would have improved transition to civilian life (46.7%), a family counsellor and alcohol support services were the least cited (both cited by 3.5% of veterans).

Veterans that felt unprepared to some extent for life after service were more likely to say all types of guidance and information suggested would have improved their transition than those that were felt prepared to some extent. Notably, those that were unprepared were over 5 times more likely to say a family counsellor, mental health services and alcohol support services would have improved transition to civilian life than those that said they were prepared.

Unweighted qualitative analysis of a representative set of responses to the question ‘What support would have been helpful for veterans that you feel is currently lacking?’ indicated that over a fifth of veterans responding felt services related to health and wellness that were available to them were lacking in some way. A smaller number (1 in 10) pointed to a need for more co-ordinated services or better signposting and information for veterans.

Question 2

About the Veterans’ Survey 2022

Accepted Answer

These statistics are official statistics in development. They are published as research and are not official statistics.

The Veterans’ Survey 2022 was the first survey of its kind in the UK and was a collaboration between the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the Office for Veterans’ Affairs and the devolved administrations. The Veterans’ Survey 2022 aimed to understand the experiences of veterans and their families ranging from their time in the armed forces, their transition to civilian life, and their access to veterans’ services and support. In total, there were 28,957 veteran respondents.

In December 2023, the ONS published initial research on the Veterans’ Survey 2022 in Veterans’ Survey 2022, demographic overview and coverage analysis of the survey. The Veterans’ Survey 2022 was conducted through a self-select sample, which relied on advertising and promotion. Coverage analysis of veteran respondents from England and Wales as compared with veterans from Census 2021, shows aggregate analysis of the veteran survey will better represent veterans that have ever served as regulars as there was an under-representation of reserve veterans. Veterans with a disability were over-represented, and there was a small under-representation of those that identified in all but the high-level ‘White’ ethnic group. There was also an under-representation of veterans aged 75 years and over, which weighting by age has mitigated.

Caution is necessary in assuming findings are representative of the whole veteran population. The Veterans’ Survey has been partially weighted to compensate for known biases in age among respondents from England and Wales only, some biases remain as outlined in Veterans’ Survey 2022, demographic overview and coverage analysis, UK: December 2023.

ONS also published the Veterans’ Survey methodology which outlined the survey design, development and processes as well as the methodology used to analyse and partially weight the veterans’ survey by age to produce UK level analysis and measure uncertainty in more detail.

All quantitative UK data presented are based on these weighted estimates. Veterans’ Survey 2022 estimates are presented with 95% confidence intervals in our data. We only refer to a difference throughout where we are confident this difference is a significant difference based on the associated 95% confidence intervals found in our accompanying dataset. This article focuses on UK level data only. Additional UK-level data and an exploration of whether we see the same patterns at country level (where the latter analysis was feasible) are contained within footnotes in our accompanying dataset.

Question 3

Preparedness to leave the UK armed forces

Accepted Answer

Veterans were asked ‘How prepared or unprepared did you feel for life after service in the armed forces?’ Across the UK, veterans were most likely to have said they felt prepared to some extent (43.2% overall with 31.1% prepared and 12.1% very prepared). Around a fifth (21.8%) said they felt neither prepared or unprepared and just over a third said they felt unprepared to some extent (34.7% overall or 19.7% unprepared and 15.0% very unprepared).

Figure 1: Under half of veterans felt prepared or very prepared for life after service in the UK armed forces and over a third said they felt unprepared or very unprepared

Weighted percentage of veterans by responses to the question about how prepared a veteran felt for life after service in the UK armed forces. Veterans’ Survey 2022, UK.

Source: The Veterans’ Survey 2022 from the Office for National Statistics

Notes:

Blank responses to this question were removed from this analysis and answers of ‘Prefer not to say’ are presented in data tables but removed from this chart because of high levels of uncertainty.

Proportions may not sum to 100.

Information, advice or guidance that veterans felt would have improved transition

The survey asked veterans ‘What information, advice or guidance, if any, would have improved your transition to civilian life?’ This was a multiple-choice question with the following response options:

training or additional training
learning new skills or a trade
information on support services
confirmed employment
confirmed housing
qualifications
alcohol support services
mental health services
medical care or support
family counsellor
a transition team or worker

If none of these applied, respondents were able to say ‘None of the above’.

Nearly half (46.7%) of veterans said training or additional training would have improved their transition to civilian life. The next most popular options were learning new skills or a trade (37.1%) and information or support services (37.0%). Just under a third of veterans said qualifications (31.7%) or confirmed employment (32.9%) would have improved their transition to civilian life.

Figure 2: Training or additional training was the most cited response option and family counsellor, and alcohol support services were the least cited response options to what would have improved transition to civilian life

Weighted percentage of veterans by responses to the question about what information, advice or guidance, if any, would have improved their transition to civilian life. Veterans’ Survey 2022, UK.

Source: The Veterans’ Survey 2022 from the Office for National Statistics

Notes:

Blank responses to this question were removed from this analysis because of high levels of uncertainty.

Proportions may not sum to 100.

Preparedness for life after service by types of information, advice or guidance that veterans felt would have improved transition

Among veterans who felt prepared or very prepared for life after service, the most popular response option when asked what would have improved their transition to civilian life was none of the above options (38.3%). However, even among those who said they felt prepared or very prepared, over 6 in 10 veterans still selected types of information, advice or guidance that they felt would have improved their transition, this was compared with around 95% of those that felt unprepared to some extent.

Among those who said they felt prepared to some extent or unprepared to some extent, despite higher proportions among the unprepared, the most popular type of support referenced for both groups was training or additional training. Both groups shared the same top 5 suggestions, though the ordering of their popularity differed between the prepared and unprepared:

training or additional training (31.6% and 66.8%)
learning new skills or a trade (23.7% and 54.4%)
qualifications (22.6% and 44.1%)
confirmed employment (22.4% and 46.8%)
information or support services (21.6% and 57.8%)

A larger proportion of veterans who felt unprepared to some extent answered yes to every option presented compared with those that felt prepared. The largest percentage increases related to the proportion of veterans who said a family counsellor, mental health services or alcohol support services. Findings indicate unprepared veterans were more than 5 times as likely to say advice or guidance of this nature would have improved their transition to civilian life compared with those that felt prepared.

Figure 3: Veterans who were unprepared to some extent for life after service were more likely to say each type of information advice or guidance would have improved transition than veterans who were prepared to some extent but more than 5 times as many said family counselling, mental health services or alcohol support services

Weighted percentage of veterans by what they felt would have improved their transition and preparedness for life after service. Veterans’ Survey 2022, UK

Source: The Veterans’ Survey 2022 from the Office for National Statistics

Notes:

Blank responses to this question were removed from this analysis and answers of ‘Prefer not to say’ are presented in data tables but removed from this chart because of high levels of uncertainty.

Proportions may not sum to 100.

Question 4

Preparedness to leave the UK armed forces by personal demographics

Accepted Answer

Age

Responses to how prepared or unprepared a veteran felt for life after service and to what would have improved transition to civilian life were associated with age. Those aged 80 years and over were more likely to have felt prepared or very prepared (60.3%) for life after service compared with veterans in all other age groups. This was followed by those aged 70 to 79 years who were more likely to have felt prepared or very prepared than all younger age groups (50.1%). We see the same pattern in reverse for veterans who said they felt unprepared or very unprepared.

Figure 4: The percentage of veterans who felt very unprepared or unprepared was much lower among veterans aged 70 years or over than among younger veterans

Weighted percentage of veterans by how prepared or unprepared they felt for life after service by age. Veterans’ Survey 2022, UK.

Source: The Veterans’ Survey 2022 from the Office for National Statistics

Notes:

Blank responses to this question were removed from this analysis and answers of ‘Prefer not to say’ are presented in data tables but removed from this chart because of high levels of uncertainty.

Proportions may not sum to 100.

‘Age’ refers to the age on the last birthday, rather than the exact age.

As expected, given the relationship between preparedness and responses to the question about what would have improved transition, we also see variation by age in relation to responses to the latter. Around 4 in 10 (40.2%) veterans aged 80 years and over said none of the options would have improved their transition compared with 4.5% among those aged 18 to 29 years old.

Veterans aged 18 to 29 years old were much more likely to respond with each of the options than those aged 80 years and over. Training or additional training, learning new skills or a trade, qualifications and confirmed employment were more likely to have been selected as services that would have improved transition by those under 60 years compared with those over 60 years old, potentially reflecting differing transition needs for different age groups. For example, around 4 in 10 (26.4%) of veterans aged 80 years and over said training or additional training would have improved transition, compared with over 6 in 10 veterans aged 18 to 39 years (63.7% of those aged 30 to 39 years and 69.6% of those aged 18 to 29 years).

There was a similar age-related pattern for non-career related types of information, advice or guidance. For example, a much higher proportion of veterans aged 18 to 29 compared with those aged 80 years or over said mental health services would have improved transition to civilian life (40.8% compared with 1.5%).

Figure 5: One of the largest differences between veterans aged 18 to 29 years and those aged 80 years and over was in the proportions that felt mental health services would have improved transition to civilian life

Weighted percentage of veterans who said mental health services would have improved transition by age. Veterans’ Survey 2022, UK.

Source: The Veterans’ Survey 2022 from the Office for National Statistics

Notes:

Proportions may not sum to 100.

‘Age’ refers to the age on the last birthday, rather than the exact age.

We know preparedness for life after service had a strong relationship with age and many personal demographics were also associated with age. As a result, when we considered personal characteristics in this article, we focused on relationships between a characteristic and preparedness to leave the armed forces that we expect to exist regardless of the age profile of veterans with that characteristic. This was based on assessing the association between preparedness and a given characteristics after adjusting for age.

For example, female respondents to this survey were younger than male respondents which is true of the female veteran population generally as indicated in Characteristics of UK armed forces veterans, Census 2021. Other characteristics were associated with an older age profile, for example more people in older age groups were homeowners. While health is typically associated with age, analysis of our survey coverage shows this was not the case among our survey respondents, perhaps owing to high response rates from veterans with a disability as referenced in ‘Veterans’ Survey 2022, demographic overview and coverage analysis of the survey’.

Our accompanying dataset provides data for how prepared or unprepared a veteran said they felt for life after service and what types of information, advice or guidance they felt would have improved their transition by a number of other personal demographics (including age, sex, high-level ethnic group, economic activity, income, housing tenure, UK citizenship, disability and health).

Sex

As described above, veterans’ views about what would have improved transition and how prepared they felt were related to age (veterans aged 70 or over felt more prepared for life after service and were less inclined to say all suggested types of information, advice or guidance they felt would have improved their transition). Despite being younger than male veterans, females were not more likely to say they thought all information, advice or guidance would have helped transition compared with males. Females were more likely than males to have said, information or support services, mental health services, medical care or support, a family counsellor and a transition team or worker would have improved transition than male veterans. Conversely, they were less likely to have said qualifications (27.4% compared with 32.2%), alcohol support services (1.6% compared with 3.7%) and training or additional training (40.8% compared with 47.4%) would have improved transition than males.

Housing tenure

Across the UK, veterans who lived in owner-occupied or shared ownership properties were more likely to have felt prepared or very prepared than veterans living in any other type of housing by tenure (47.5% compared with 29.8% of those in privately rented accommodation, 22.4% of those in socially rented accommodation, 28.9% of those living long-term with family or friends and 14.0% of those that were homeless, rough sleeping or in a refuge for domestic abuse). There was also variation by housing tenure in which types of information, advice or guidance veterans felt would have improved their transition to civilian life. Veterans who lived in a socially rented house or flat were most likely to say confirmed housing compared with veterans of all other housing tenures (excluding homeless, rough sleeping or refuge for domestic abuse).

Disability

Veterans who were disabled were more likely than veterans who were not disabled to have felt very unprepared (20.2% compared with 9.1%) or unprepared (21.5% compared with 17.7%) for life after service. Among those with a limiting health condition, we estimate 29.1% of veterans whose day-to-day activities were limited a lot felt very unprepared compared with 16.0% of those whose day-to-day activities were limited a little.

Figure 6: Disabled veterans were less likely to have felt either prepared or very prepared for life after service than veterans who were not disabled and were more likely to have felt unprepared and very unprepared

Weighted percentage of how prepared or unprepared a veteran felt for life after service in the UK armed forces by disability. Veterans’ Survey 2022, UK.

Source: The Veterans’ Survey 2022 from the Office for National Statistics

Notes:

Blank responses to this question were removed from this analysis and answers of ‘Prefer not to say’ and ‘Don’t know’ are presented in data tables but removed from this chart because of high levels of uncertainty.

Proportions may not sum to 100.

When considering types of information, advice or guidance veterans felt would have improved their transition to civilian life, veterans who were disabled were more likely to have selected each service proposed compared with those who were not disabled. The largest differences were seen for the proportions selecting medical care or support (20.5% compared with 6.9%) and mental health services (21.7% compared with 7.6%).

As day-to-day activity becomes more limited, the proportion of veterans who said medical care or support would have improved transition increased (6.2% of those with no long-term physical or mental health conditions said medical care or support would have improved transition, compared with 29.1% of those whose day-to-day activity were limited a lot). The same patterns were seen for mental health services.

Figure 7: Disability was strongly associated with whether veterans said medical care or support would have improved their transition to civilian life

Weighted percentage of veterans who said medical care or support would have improved transition to civilian life by how limited day-to-day activity was. Veterans’ Survey 2022, UK.

Source: The Veterans’ Survey 2022 from the Office for National Statistics

Notes:

Blank responses to this question were removed from this analysis and answers of ‘Prefer not to say’ and ‘Don’t know’ are presented in data tables but removed from this chart because of high levels of uncertainty.

Proportions may not sum to 100.

Question 5

Preparedness to leave the UK armed forces by service-related factors

Accepted Answer

As with personal characteristics, age was also associated with a number of service-related characteristics in our data (for example, length of service, years since leaving the UK armed forces and rank). Younger veterans were also more likely to have said they felt they had been bullied, discriminated against, or harassed than older veterans. This may relate to how perceptions of what constitutes bullying, discrimination or harassment have changed over time as raised in our cognitive testing and outlined in the Veterans’ Survey methodology. When we considered service-related characteristics in this article, we focused on characteristics that we expect to have a relationship to preparedness to leave the armed forces, regardless of the age profile of veterans within that category. This was based on assessing the association between the characteristic and preparedness to leave the UK armed forces after adjusting for age.

Our accompanying dataset provides data for veteran responses on all themes discussed in this article by service-related factors (including service type, service branch, National Service, rank, reason for leaving the UK armed forces, number of years since leaving the UK armed forces, length of service, experiences of deployment and bullying, discrimination and harassment or sexual harassment during service).

Reason for leaving

Reflecting our findings on health and disability, if a veteran was medically discharged from the UK armed forces, they were more likely to have felt very unprepared or unprepared and less likely to have felt prepared or very prepared than veterans who left the armed forces for any other reason. Around two-thirds (66.3%) of veterans who were medically discharged said they were unprepared for life after service to some extent. This is compared with 30.6% of those who said they left because of compulsory discharge, 31.8% of those who said they left by choice, 36.5% of those who said they were made redundant and 25.9% of those who said they left because of the end of a contract or retirement.

Veterans who were medically discharged were also more likely to say all types of information, advice or guidance proposed would have improved their transition to civilian life than those who left the armed forces for any other reason.

Figure 8: Veterans who were medically discharged were more likely than veterans who left the armed forces for any other reason to say all proposed types of information, advice or guidance would have improved their transition – this was particularly the case for medical care, mental health services and a transition team or worker

Weighted percentage of veterans by what they felt would have improved their transition by their reason for leaving the UK armed forces. Veterans’ Survey 2022, UK.

Source: The Veterans’ Survey 2022 from the Office for National Statistics

Notes:

Blank responses to this question were removed from this analysis and answers of ‘Prefer not to say’ are presented in data tables but removed from this chart because of high levels of uncertainty.

Proportions may not sum to 100.

Respondents who answered ‘None of the above’ are presented in the data tables but removed from this chart to better present the proposed types of information, advice or guidance that would have improved transition to civilian life.

Service type

Across the UK, veterans who had served as a reserve only were less likely to have felt unprepared or very unprepared than veterans who had served as a regular only or as both a regular and reserve (8.9% compared with 36.2% and 36.8% respectively). Across the UK, veterans who served in the reserve armed forces only were more likely to say none of the types of information, advice or guidance proposed would have improved their transition to civilian life (46.3% compared with 21.0% of those who had served as a regular and 20.8% of those who had served as both a regular and reserve). If a veteran had ever served as a regular (only as a regular or as a regular and reserve), they were more likely to select each of the proposed types of information, advice or guidance with the exception of mental health services, alcohol support services and family counsellors where there were no differences by service type.

Service branch

Those who said they served in the British Army were much more likely to have selected confirmed housing as a service that would have improved transition to civilian life than those who said they served in the Royal Navy, Royal Marines or the Royal Air Force (25.1% compared with 14.0%, 14.2% and 16.0% respectively). Those who said they had served in the Royal Air Force were more likely to have said none of the types of information, advice or guidance suggested would have improved their transition than those who said they had served in other branches of the UK armed forces (26.4% compared with 18.3% of those who served in the Royal Marines, 21.7% of those who served in the British Army and 22.9% of those who served in the Royal Navy).

Rank

Veterans who said they served at Officer ranks were more likely than veterans who said they served at lower ranks to have felt very prepared or prepared for life after service (61.6% compared with 37.2%) and less likely to have felt unprepared or very unprepared.

Figure 9: Veterans who had served below Officer rank were over 3 times more likely to have felt very unprepared for life after service compared with those of Officer ranks

Weighted percentage of how prepared or unprepared a veteran felt for life after service in the UK armed forces by rank. Veterans’ Survey 2022, UK.

Source: The Veterans’ Survey 2022 from the Office for National Statistics

Notes:

Blank responses to this question were removed from this analysis and answers of ‘Prefer not to say’ are presented in data tables but removed from this chart because of high levels of uncertainty.

Proportions may not sum to 100.

Veterans who said they had served at Officer ranks were also more likely to say none of the options presented would have improved their transition to civilian life compared with veterans who said they served at lower ranks (36.5% compared with 18.2%). The largest percentage changes between veterans who said they served at Officer rank and those who said they served below Officer rank were related to the proportions selecting alcohol support services and confirmed housing (Officers were more than 3.5 times less likely to select either type of support services than veterans who had served below Officer rank (1.1% compared with 4.2% for alcohol support services and 6.8% compared with 25.2% for confirmed housing).

Figure 10: Veterans of other ranks were more likely to have said all options would have improved their transition than those of Officer ranks

Weighted percentage of veterans by what they felt would have improved their transition by rank. Veterans’ Survey 2022, UK.

Source: The Veterans’ Survey 2022 from the Office for National Statistics

Notes:

Blank responses to this question were removed from this analysis because of high levels of uncertainty.

Proportions may not sum to 100.

Experience of operations

The experience of a veteran during service was also associated with how prepared a veteran felt for life after service. Veterans who had been deployed and said that they had witnessed or took part in operations against enemy forces were more likely to feel unprepared or very unprepared than those who said they had not (38.9% compared with 29.6%). Across the UK, veterans who witnessed or took part in operations against enemy forces were more likely to say all of the suggested types of information, advice or guidance would have improved transition to civilian life than those that did not. However, the largest percentage differences related to proportions selecting alcohol support services (4.3% compared with 1.8%) and mental health services (19.1% compared with 9.6%).

Perceived experience of bullying, discrimination and harassment

Whether a veteran said they experienced bullying, discrimination, or harassment or sexual harassment during their service was also associated with how prepared or unprepared a veteran felt.

Veterans who said they were subject to bullying during service were more likely than those who did not to have felt very unprepared or unprepared (48.3% compared with 27.4%). Veterans who said they were subject to discrimination and veterans who said they were subject to harassment or sexual harassment during their service were also more likely to have felt unprepared than those who did not.

Figure 11: Veterans who said they had been subject to bullying, discrimination or harassment during their service were less likely to have felt prepared for life after service than those who had not

Weighted percentage of veterans who felt prepared for life after service by whether a veteran experienced either bullying, discrimination or harassment during their service. Veterans’ Survey 2022, UK.

Source: The Veterans’ Survey 2022 from the Office for National Statistics

Notes:

Blank responses to this question were removed from this analysis and answers of ‘Prefer not to say’ are presented in data tables but removed from this chart because of high levels of uncertainty.

Proportions may not sum to 100.

Veterans who said they were subject to bullying during service were more likely to have said each of the suggested types of information, advice or guidance would have improved transition to civilian life than those who did not. One of the most notable differences related to the proportion who said mental health services would have improved transition to civilian life, the proportion of those who said they were subject to bullying and said this would have helped (24.7%) was over double than the proportion of those who said they were not subject to bullying (9.9%). There were very similar findings when comparing veterans who said they were subject to discrimination during service with those that did not (29.4% compared with 11.2%) and when comparing veterans who said they were subject to harassment or sexual harassment during service with those who were not (29.5% compared with 12.8%).

Question 6

What service and support would have been helpful for veterans that they felt was currently lacking

Accepted Answer

Veterans were also asked a more generic question about services and support: ’Can you tell us what service and support would have been helpful for you that is currently lacking?’ This question asked for free text qualitative responses and respondents could have responded in relation to their needs at any stage of life, not just at the stage of transition.

In order to report on the themes identified by responses to this question, we removed all blank responses to this question (leaving 15,515 responses) and have selected a random sample of around 65% of responses for the respondents to the veterans’ survey. Some of the free written responses stated that the respondent did not have an answer or did not know. Once these were cleaned, we were left with 7,893 responses to the question. These have been classified into the high-level themes. Below we discuss the most prevalent themes contained within these data. Each response could be classified to multiple themes where applicable. Content analysis of these responses is unweighted.

None

This theme applied to a third of written responses (33.2%) and reflected veteran responses that there was nothing they could think of that was lacking or that no service and support would have been helpful that was lacking, or that they did not feel that they need any services or support at all.

A further sub theme was identified because some veterans specifically said none in the context of it being too late for them now and went on to state that they could have done with help (22.0 % of those who said none).

I am now living as a civilian and seek advice/help from normal government agencies when and if needed.

I have no suggestions for current service leavers as things have improved immensely. Things were very different when I was discharged.

None, everything is great.

Health

This was a broad high-level category that encompassed many aspects of support for veteran health and was referenced to some degree in just over 20% of veteran responses. There were specific references to different elements of health and a number of sub-themes were identified. Among those who talked about health services being lacking for them over 4 in 10 (41.6%) spoke about mental health services in particular, over a third (34.5%) spoke about specific issues with the NHS (specifically issues in transitioning to civilian medical care) and 16.7% spoke about dentist services. Other sub-themes contained within the theme of health included statements about a lack of health services available in relation to support for injuries or wellness issues that veterans felt had been a direct result of their service (12.2%). There was also specific mention of veterans needing support for hearing loss (6.1%), disability (5.1%), War Pension (4.1%) and of a need for continuity of care via better access to service medical records (2.6%).

Health sub-themes

Within the theme of health, multiple sub-themes were included in given responses. The NHS was often referred to in relation to access to services, (with some veterans saying there was a large time lapse between leaving the UK armed forces and succeeding in registering with an NHS dentist or doctor). Veterans also spoke about resorting to registering with an NHS service that was not very local to them owing to availability. The NHS was also discussed in terms of waiting times, lack of understanding or implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant and Duty of Due Regard (veterans felt their GPs and dentists were not aware of or recording their veteran status). Mental health was also often linked in comments about the NHS with many veterans saying the support available on the NHS and waiting times, combined with a lack of understanding by NHS professionals about military experiences and operations, made treatment of conditions such as Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder less effective. Similar feedback was given about hearing loss and the inability of the NHS to provide support for these veterans with many having to privately fund their hearing aids. Many veterans felt that owing to the service-related nature of many of their health issues and to their service more generally, there should be a way to fast track or prioritise services for veterans or specific veteran medical services should be provided. Treatment for deterioration of health conditions over time, which were due to a veteran’s role in service was also something veterans said was lacking. Disability, War Pension, service injury compensation and access to accurate medical records were also referenced by many.

Quicker support for people who are medically discharged or ill through their service. Most GPs don’t know anything about the Forces Covenant and it’s frustrating having to show them the information they should already know.

Help to find GPs and NHS dentists when you leave you have no idea how difficult this can be. Transfer of medical records from military to civilian GP just hasn’t happened.

I have typical wear and tear conditions: Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) and occasional back spasms. There is no support for these conditions. NIHL is a problem because it typically falls below the threshold for hearing loss defined by the MoD (Vets UK) and so there is no help. After leaving the armed forces, you realise that your hearing threshold is worse than the average civilian and with age your hearing deteriorates to a much poorer state more quickly. Occasional muscular skeletal problems, like back spasms, are not recognised or considered and therefore you have to seek help from an overworked NHS, that can’t provide physiotherapy in a prompt and effective manner. When I had my last back spasm, I spent 3 days in bed waiting for it to pass, I was offered a telephone consultation with a physio in 8 weeks’ time!

As a proud veteran I struggled asking for help. I suffered from PTSD and extreme depression. I did not know where to find help. It took me 12 months to get an appointment to see a mental health professional just to be told I needed help and then had to wait 24 months before I was given 6 hour long sessions to help diagnose the issues I had.

Signposting and co-ordination of veteran services

Just under 1 in 10 responses analysed mentioned something relating to this theme (8.2%). Many veterans said the main thing lacking for them was knowledge of what was already available. There were many references about veterans being confused about existing services and offers. This theme included references to veterans themselves not knowing what was available and in relation to providers of veteran services also not knowing what other services were available or what they offered. This theme also included references of a need for less fragmentation and better co-ordination of existing services (provided by both government and charities) and many responses suggested a ‘one-stop-shop’ for veterans was needed. Improved communication about what was already available (often in the form of centralised newsletters or websites or an assigned point of contact that could act as a navigator) was also mentioned.

My observation is there is no overarching governance of services available for veterans. Makes it very confusing and actual dilutes all the good work that organisations are trying to do. There also appears so much duplication of offerings. I don’t believe one size fits all, so you need options. At the moment though it appears like a spaghetti junction of offerings. Not helpful for someone leaving, especially if you lack digital skills or need support in finding who is available to help you.

A combined national database for all military charities and veteran support. This will be a one-stop-shop and allow individuals to be signposted to their requirements.

Coordinators. It’s taken 7 years of crisis and getting passed from pillar to post and having to find help myself.

Better support and advice in understanding what options are available to us as veterans, for example I only found out about the veterans’ railcard by accident, there needs to be greater publicity around these types of things.

A newsletter which could be a quarterly to update all veterans on all help, support, groups available and POC’s. Which could show what they have all achieved and what they are hoping to achieve in the next quarter. Maybe this would keep all veterans informed. The newsletter could be e- mailed or posted just like pension update we all get, or it could be part of that.

Careers services

Among the responses from veterans, 5.7% mentioned careers services being lacking in some form or another. Veterans said that they did not find the support they had received sufficient. This was sometimes owing to timeliness (veterans said they did not have the opportunity to engage fully with the support prior to leaving or they said the support should be for a longer period post transition, with some saying the support should be continuous). This theme also included references in relation to the quality of the career transition support veterans felt they received (some veterans felt they were pigeonholed into certain types of careers based on pre-conceptions about their likely skill sets). There were also many suggestions of what veterans felt would help more. Some examples include better links with veteran friendly employers, better communication by the government with employers to dispel preconceptions of veterans that they felt could sometimes hinder them, mentors with a military background that have built successful careers following their transition, workshops and careers fairs with veteran friendly employers, job placements prior to leaving and ongoing time unlimited veteran careers networks. Networking, interviewing and CV writing skills were also referred to.

Employment help, more help gaining work placements, A bigger range of courses to be made available through ELCAS, not everyone wants to pursue HE, project management, be a plumber or a locksmith!

I also found the service stereotyped the serviceman telling me about security guard jobs which from some training or discussion on the ‘informal culture’ of the civilian workplace (especially the private sector) may have been useful.

I now own a business and have for 20 years. When I left my confidence wasn’t the best set up for civilian life. I found that I undervalued my army experience and went for jobs like security or driving. It was only when I hit a job in sales my confidence grew, and I was able to set up on my own. I still have friends that were a WO2 in the army and now are drivers.

Housing

This is a broad theme that covers any mentions of improved support in relation to finding housing both in terms of veterans being provided with better information, more timely information and also in relation to actual prioritisation of housing services and provision of veteran specific schemes. This was referenced in 5.6% of responses. Often veterans will have just stated ‘Housing’. Where further context was given, it often related to support of those who were leaving the UK armed forces and trying to secure accommodation whilst also seeking a job and that the two were difficult simultaneously. Some referenced a need for confirmed housing upon leaving the UK armed forces for an interim period while a veteran found work. There were calls for more support in supplying both information about and the actual provision of social, council or affordable housing for veterans. Some veterans said they feel they should be supported to get on the property ladder (help to buy and shared ownership schemes for veterans were referenced). More transparency on assistance with housing for veterans and their families, was referenced, including better protection from bad landlords, and better provision for people living in unsuitable accommodation. Many veterans also said more needs to be done to support homeless veterans.

Support with getting housing. Given prices and upfront costs as well as credit checks and the need for stable employment it is difficult for veterans, particularly if in service housing, to get both a job and a house at the same time when leaving. You almost can’t risk leaving.

Housing advice was lacking when I was leaving. I was told that time spent in barracks and married quarters would count as time on a council housing list, but on leaving my council said it wasn’t and I was put to the bottom of the list and informed I was low priority.

I am one of the lucky ones. I think far more needs to be done to help the homeless veterans currently living on our streets.

Finance

This theme encompasses all mentions of financial advice and assistance, it was often referenced alongside housing, education, disability or pension themes. This theme was referenced by 5.2% of the veteran responses explored and includes mentions of a need to improve overall financial literacy training as part of transition out of the UK armed forces. This included references to understanding pitfalls of borrowing, planning, saving, mortgages, tax (there were specific references to self-employment as well) and financial planning for retirement. This also encompassed help with understanding and accessing the benefits system as well as actual funding and grants. Funding or grants were specifically mentioned in relation to training and retraining or education and housing but also in relation to assistance with necessary purchases owing to health related issued (hearing aids, mobility scooters, home modifications) and general help with the cost of living.

Direct information on where to start looking. Information on what is available. When I became disabled, I was not told what help I could get, either financially or physically.

A way of finding out or to help apply for benefits I could be entitled to. Someone who understands the extra needs of a veteran.

Financial advice on leaving the services and the pitfalls of easy credit.

Financial training that covers your current financial situation and what to expect when leaving.

Pension

Veterans also mentioned pensions and pension advice or pension provision (theme contained in 4.5% of responses analysed). One of the most common references to pensions, related to veterans wanting to receive better information about their service pension so they can better understand and plan for their future. Veterans said they felt they were provided with little or no information or that the information they were provided with was difficult to understand. Some veterans mentioned that they needed a subscription to enable them to receive more timely pension information and others suggested free access to a pension society would be beneficial. Other references within this category related to specific groups of veterans having concerns about pension provision. Veterans who served prior to 1975 said they felt they should be entitled to a pension. There were specific references to unequal Gurkha pensions, difficult, complex or negative processes involved in applying for a War Pension and a need for clarity over the provision of widow’s pensions.

Advice on pensions separate from Armed Forces Pension Society which requires a subscription.

Pensions are like a well-kept secret. From my understanding they do not make it easy to get a projection of my preserved pension which I can claim at age 60.

Receiving pension information in plain English.

Correcting the injustice of having served 10 years in the colours and 2 years in reserve but having no pension because I left before 1975.

Current and regular updates on pension support for my wife if I predecease her.

A more honest approach to veterans needs within War Pensions and benefits. As a Northern Ireland veteran, things are difficult for us here, veterans cannot openly claim for what they should get. War Pensions caused me a severe amount of compounded stress and re-traumatised my problems.

I’m an ex-Gurkha pensioner and my current pension is not equal with an ex-British pensioner in the same rank, so politely I would like to request an increase to our (Gurkhas) pension. Thank you.

Veteran identification

The need for veteran identification was alluded to in 4.7% of responses analysed in some form. This was often referenced in relation to veterans stating that they were still awaiting a Veteran ID card. Many veterans simply stated ‘Veterans ID card’. Where further context was provided, this theme was often referenced in conjunction with the question of when they might receive this. This theme was also often mentioned in conjunction with other themes. Veterans said that if they were better able to prove their status it would assist them in relation to some of the health themes (particularly GP and dentist registration via the NHS) or that it would assist them in accessing rewards and benefits such as discounted travel passes or access to military sports facilities. This theme was also often mentioned in conjunction with a need for better awareness of the Armed Forces Covenant with veterans feeling identification of some sort would aid this.

I know plans are in place to issue veterans ID cards, it would help to accelerate this process so that available discounts from retail outlets or businesses will be more readily available for veterans and make it easier to prove military service and discourage cases of stolen valour.

Sort out the roll-out of the Veterans’ ID card. Without it, it is very difficult to access other benefits such as Veterans’ rail cards. Who still has their discharge papers after 30 years?

The issue of the long-awaited Veterans ID card that seems to have come to a halt for veterans who left service many years ago.

Cultural and more general transition

This theme came up in relation to more general elements of transition and was present in around 2.8% of responses analysed. Veterans tended to speak in more general terms about finding the transition to civilian culture difficult, pointing to the need for more support or coaching in relation to some of the less tangible elements of transition, or they spoke about elements of transition not contained within the themes.

Possibly how to transition to civilian life when I did. How to let go and move on in life from such an influential institution.

I think becoming a civilian. Language used and fitting in. I purposely avoided anything military (no Babcock / bae) etc. and the world is very different. Even to banter etc. I often feel I do not fit in.

More of an understanding on how to communicate with civilians as in they don’t like talking about wages and the civilian world has a different mentality.

Themes that were often mentioned in conjunction with the above included:

the need for a wider understanding, promotion and enforcement of the Armed Forces Covenant and Duty of Due Regard
check-in opportunities for veterans at periodic intervals to assess how they are coping and advice on suitable support
networking opportunities
continued connection to the UK armed forces, both on an individual level and in terms of receiving certain types of support from veterans who understand and through charities being more joined up with the armed forces
local services and more to be made available locally – this was referenced by many veterans but also particularly by the Northern Ireland contingent who referenced fewer services being available to them and the need for local and discrete support
recognition of veterans, including through better awareness of and better provision of suitable discounts or perks such as the travel pass (often also referenced in relation to provision of ID cards) – there were also references to veterans feeling the support available was below the level of assistance offered in the United States

Other themes present in the responses but with a lesser prominence which may be explored in future publications included, education (qualifications and transferable qualifications in particular), services to address loneliness and promote community engagement, legal support for veterans, more female orientated support services, as well as veteran specific services or support addressing social care, ageing and retirement, addiction and self-employment. There were references to family support, schools, family mental health and health and generic family support. It is likely future analysis aimed at particular groups of veterans will look further into this qualitative data.

Question 7

Future publications

Accepted Answer

Further findings from the Veterans’ Survey 2022 will be published throughout 2024 and will include themed analysis covering topics such as the housing and income and health and well-being of UK armed forces veterans.

Question 8

Data

Accepted Answer

Preparedness to leave the UK armed forces, weighted estimates, Veterans’ Survey 2022, UK
Dataset | Released on 22 August 2024

Preparedness for life after service in the UK armed forces by personal and service-related characteristics, weighted estimates, Veterans’ Survey 2022, UK

Keywords: transition, training, qualifications, health, housing

Question 9

Glossary

Accepted Answer

Confidence intervals

Veterans’ Survey 2022 estimates are presented in our data with 95% confidence intervals. At the 95% confidence level, over many repeats of a survey under the same conditions, one would expect that the confidence interval would contain the true population value 95 times out of 100. Confidence intervals presented are based on complex standard errors (CSEs) around estimates, which reflect the design effects calculated for England and Wales Veterans’ Survey 2022 data as outlined in Veterans’ Survey 2022 methodology.

Disability

People who assessed their day-to-day activities as limited by long-term physical or mental health conditions or illnesses are considered disabled. This definition of a disabled person meets the harmonised standard for measuring disability and is in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Experience of deployment

Respondents that were completing the survey on their own behalf (without assistance) were asked ‘During your service did you deploy on an Operational Deployment (named operations)?’

All respondents who said they were deployed on an Operational Deployment (named operation) were also asked: ‘Did you witness or take part in operations against enemy forces?’