Last updated 26th August 2025. Like any other employer, the armed forces have a duty of care, in certain situations, to keep their staff safe. That’s why we have made this guide to army injury claims. We’ll examine important topics such as eligibility, time limits and how compensation amounts are calculated in personal injury claims.

We have also included a compensation table to help illustrate how claims can be valued. If you were injured while working for the British Army, Royal Navy, or the Royal Air Force or while conducting work for any branch of the armed forces, Legal Expert is here to help you make an armed forces injury claim.

Our final section provided a brief rundown of the No Win No Fee contract offered by our solicitors, with particular reference to how you can benefit when instructing a legal representative under such an agreement.

To find out more about seeking army injury compensation or claiming against any branch of the military, contact our advisors today. As well as providing further guidance, our team can assess the validity of your potential claim free of charge.

Get in touch via:

• Phone on 0800 073 8804.
• The live chat function on your screen.
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Select A Section

1. What Is A Military Or Armed Forces Accident?
2. What To Do If You Have Been Involved In A Military Or Armed Forces Accident
3. Army Injury Claims Time Limits
4. What Is The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS)?
5. What Can Be Claimed For After A Military Or Armed Forces Accident?
6. Military Compensation Payouts
7. What Is The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS)?
8. How Can Legal Expert Help With Army Injury Claims?
9. No Win No Fee Military or Armed Forces Accident Solicitors

What Is A Military Or Armed Forces Accident?

All employers have a duty of care to uphold toward their employees. As mentioned, this is to take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure the health and safety of their employees in the workplace. This is under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

However, you would not be able to claim for every instance of injury whilst working for the armed forces. You would only be able to claim if you could prove that they breached the duty of care they owe you, and you were harmed as a direct result.

Combat Immunity

In some instances, this duty of care does not apply. Whilst in the field, combat immunity means the Crown does not have a duty of care towards its personnel. However, employer mistakes during the preparation of battle, such as faulty equipment or inadequate training, would still be considered a breach of duty of care.

What To Do If You Have Been Involved In A Military Or Armed Forces Accident?

If you have been in an accident, your health should be your top priority. We recommend seeking medical attention as soon as you can. Not only is it beneficial to receive any diagnoses and treatments, but any medical records could be used as evidence for a claim.

Once you have received medical attention, if you are considering making a claim, we would advise collecting as much relevant evidence as possible. You will need proof that you were injured and that it was due to a breach of duty of care. This is an important part of the army injury claims process.

Every claim is unique, and the evidence that will work best for you will depend on your specific circumstances. However, some types of evidence that could be useful include:

• Photos of the area in which you sustained your injury; these could show any hazards. Pictures of your injury may also be helpful.
• The contact details of any possible witnesses. A solicitor can take a statement from them at a later point.
• Medical records. A medical statement that accurately explains the injury and the pain you may be feeling after sustaining your injury can be very helpful in assessing what you could be owed in compensation.
• Personal notes. Any notes you can make about the accident, what occurred and how it affected you, could be useful.
• Any follow-up information regarding your condition, such as the time and date of visits to doctors and the noticing of any new symptoms.

You are not required to have a solicitor to help you make a claim. However, a solicitor could guide you through the process of collecting evidence and also arrange an independent medical appointment for you. To find out more about the benefits of working with a solicitor for army injury claims, get in touch with our advisors at any point.

Army Injury Claims Time Limits

If you are eligible to make a claim for compensation whilst working for the army, you must make it within the limitation period set out in the Limitations Act 1980. Under this legislation, you typically have 3 years to make a claim for negligence.

However, there are exceptions where the time limit is frozen.

For example, it is possible to join the army at 16. If someone under the age of 18 is injured due to negligence, they would be unable to represent themselves in a claim. A litigation friend would be able to represent them at any point before their 18th birthday. Once they turn 18, they will have 3 years to start a claim if one has not already been filed.

If someone lacks the mental capacity to claim, a litigation friend can also represent them. If they ever recovered mental capacity, they would be subject to the 3-year time limit.

To find out if you’re still within your time limit to claim, get in touch with our advisors at any point. They can answer any questions you may have about starting the army injury claims process.

What Is The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS)?

The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) is a government scheme that’s managed by Veterans UK. The scheme’s purpose is to provide military compensation to those who’ve sustained an injury or illness whilst working for any of the UK’s armed forces from the 6th April 2005 onwards. 

This is a ‘no-fault’ scheme, meaning that if compensation is awarded, liability doesn’t need to be proven and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) won’t accept any fault for the injuries or illnesses claimed.

Army injury claims made via the AFCS must be made within 7 years of the incident date. However, if you were unaware that you sustained an injury or illness until after 7 years (for example, you have a disease that developed later on in life caused by being in the service), you can still claim. In these circumstances, the time limit is 3 years, running from the date you became aware of your injury or illness. 

Additionally, those who have suffered an injury or illness while working for the armed forces before April 6, 2005, can be compensated under the War Pension Scheme (WPS). 

You can also make a military injury claim against the MOD, in addition to a claim through the AFCS. So, you can still contact us for advice on claiming army injury compensation with our specialist solicitors.

What Can Be Claimed For After a Military or Armed Forces Accident?

You may be wondering what your military compensation could include if you can successfully claim. In this section, we examine the various types of damages that may be included.

General Damages

This is compensation for the pain and suffering you have experienced as a direct result of your injury. This is always awarded in a successful claim. It can also include the mental and emotional damage you may be suffering as a result of your injury.

For example, you could potentially claim for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. If you had suffered a psychological injury as a result of a physical injury, these would be compensated for in the same claim. However, it is possible to claim for a psychological injury without having suffered a physical one.

General damages can also include compensation for loss of amenity. This means any loss of enjoyment you have experienced as a result of your injury. For instance, if you enjoyed jogging but are now unable to do so due to a broken leg, you could claim that you are no longer able to participate in this activity.

Special Damages

In some cases, you may have also suffered financial loss as a result of your injury. Special damages aim to recompense these losses. For example, you could potentially claim for:

• Care costs – this includes any help you may have needed following the accident or still require long after the accident. For example, if you have needed help around the house, assistance in going outdoors, or someone to feed and bathe you.
• Loss of earnings – you may have lost out on money if you were unable to work due to your injury. This can also include lost pension contributions, missed bonuses and calculable future loss of earnings
• Travel expenses – for example, if you sustained an injury and had to take a taxi to the hospital, this is a cost that can be reimbursed. This could also include any bus and train tickets and fuel costs.
• Medical expenses – if you had to pay for any treatment or medication following your accident, you could claim back the costs. This includes physiotherapy, as well as any potential private healthcare treatments you received.

In order to claim special damages, you will need to provide evidence of your losses. This could include:

• Receipts
• Invoices
• Payslips
• Bank statements

For an evaluation of your claim, get in touch with our advisors. They can provide a free claim assessment and let you know what could be included in your case.

Military Compensation Payouts

This section includes compensation brackets taken from the Judicial College Guidelines. Legal professionals use this document to help calculate general damages for claims, as it pairs those brackets with various injuries.

However, the brackets shown in the table below are not guaranteed. Every claim is assessed according to the individual circumstances, so your compensation could look different to the amounts shown. We’d also like to emphasise that the first bullet point was not taken from the JCG.

Compensation Amounts

• Multiple very severe injuries, as well as significant financial losses such as lost pay, care costs and medical expenses, could result in a compensation figure of £500,000 or up.
• The total loss of natural bowel function could be compensated up to £183,190.
• The worst case of chest injury, where one lung has been removed and/or serious heart damage, can be valued from £122,850 to £183,190.
• Serious damage to both hands, resulting in a significant loss of function, could result in a payment of between £68,070 and £103,200.
• A chest injury that causes damage to the lungs and some continuing disability could result in a compensation amount of £38,210 to £66,920.
• The above-knee amputation of one leg could receive a compensation figure of between £127,930 and £167,760.
• Very serious leg injuries that cause permanent mobility issues and serious deformity could be valued from £66,920 to £109,290.
• Less severe elbow injuries that do not require major surgery but still cause functional impairment could be awarded between £19,100 and £39,070 in compensation.
• Modest ankle injuries, such as minor fractures, sprains and ligament damage, could be valued at up to £16,770.

For an accurate assessment of how much you could claim in military compensation, get in touch with our advisors at any time.

How Can Legal Expert Help With Army Injury Claims?

Legal Expert can help with army injury claims by offering a tailored service designed to fit the specific needs of every client. Our collective decades of experience have taught us that every claim, and therefore every claimant, is different, and we make sure that, whatever your circumstances, our solicitors can accommodate you.

Here are just a few of the services we can offer and ways we can support your claim:

• Ensuring you receive rehabilitation, counselling, specialist referral or any other medical treatment you might require.
• Organising an independent medical assessment to determine precisely what harm has been caused.
• Assisting you with evidence collection.
• Using that evidence to calculate a fair and accurate military injury compensation figure.
• Helping you understand exactly what is happening with your claim by keeping you informed of all developments, explaining any technical jargon and communicating with the defendants on your behalf.
• Negotiating a final settlement amount and representing you at any dispute resolution sessions.

We’d like to emphasise that the majority of military injury claims can be settled via negotiations and discussions, but if your case does go to court, we’ve got your back every step of the way. So, you can have peace of mind that they will always be there to advocate on your behalf, whether you were injured as a regular soldier, army reservist, or sailor.

To find out more about army injury compensation, and to see what our dedicated personal injury solicitors can do for you, get in touch with us today using the details given below.

No Win No Fee Military or Armed Forces Accident Solicitors 

If you are eligible to make a claim, you could work with a solicitor on a No Win No Fee basis. Our solicitors offer a specific type of No Win No Fee arrangement, referred to as a Conditional Fee Agreement. It ensures our clients can get excellent legal representation without the added worry of mounting solicitor fees. In short, that means you:

• Wouldn’t be expected to pay for ongoing solicitor fees
• Aren’t required to pay a solicitor’s fee if your claim fails
• Won’t face solicitor service fees at any point during the claim itself

You will only be expected to pay your solicitor a success fee for their services if you win. This is a small portion of your compensation, and the percentage that can be taken is legally capped.

All of our solicitors can offer their services on this basis. To find out more about the benefits of working with our solicitors for army injury claims, get in touch at any time.

Call for Free Advice and To Start a Claim

You can reach out to us for a free consultation at any time. Our advisors can tell you if you have an eligible claim and inform you of how much compensation you could potentially be owed. If you do get in touch, there are no requirements to use our services; however, you could be connected to one of our expert solicitors if you are interested. To get in touch:

• Call 0800 073 8804
• Use our live chat box below
• Contact us online and someone will call you back at a time that suits you

Helpful Links

Here are some helpful links:

• Get an overview of work-related illness claims
• Read about abdominal injury compensation claims
• See our compensation calculator

Thank you for reading our guide to army injury claims.