Managing illness or injury as a veteran
Find out what support options are available if you're a veteran with an illness or injury.
Talk to your GP
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Tell your GP you’ve served in the armed forces. It doesn’t matter how long you served or when you left the armed forces.
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Ask for the term ‘military veteran’ to be recorded in your patient record. This will help your GP to better understand any military-related health conditions you may have and ensure you are referred, where appropriate, to dedicated health and well-being services for veterans.
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Give your GP any paperwork and medical records from your military medical centre. This helps to ensure your military health record transfers to your NHS record.
If you don’t have a GP
If you don’t have a GP, it’s important to register with one as soon as possible. They should be your first point of contact for managing your health as a veteran. Don’t leave this until you urgently need to see a doctor. If you have a family, it’s important they register with a GP too.
- Find a GP practice in England
- Find a GP practice in Wales
- Find a GP practice in Scotland
- Find a GP practice in Northern Ireland
Specialist healthcare support for veterans
You may be entitled to specialist healthcare support. Find support in your area:
- Specialist healthcare for veterans in England
- Specialist healthcare for veterans in Wales
- Specialist healthcare for veterans in Scotland
- Specialist healthcare for veterans in Northern Ireland
If you’re unhappy with healthcare support
If you’re unhappy with the service you receive, talk to your GP or contact the relevant ombudsman in your region:
- Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in England
- Public Services Ombudsman in Wales
- Public Services Ombudsman in Scotland
- Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in Northern Ireland
If your injury or illness is due to armed forces service
If you have an injury, illness or medical disorder caused or made worse by UK armed forces service, you may be entitled to claim for injury received while serving.
If you need to be medically discharged
Medical discharge varies depending on the service that you belong to.
If you are, or have been, injured or sick during service, you can go before a medical board to have your medical grading assessed. This may not necessarily lead to medical discharge.
A medical board will assess your physical and mental capacity and can make a recommendation regarding discharge. An occupational health team makes the final decision if a patient will be medically discharged.
Benefits you can get
Depending on the length of your service, your pension scheme and the severity of your injuries, you may receive terminal benefits. This is a benefit paid to you upon discharge.
For more information, contact the Ministry of Defence Joint Personnel Enquiry Centre:
Ministry of Defence
Joint Personnel Enquiry Centre
Telephone: 0800 085 3600
Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm
You can also find out about managing disability as a veteran.