Complaints procedure

You can make a complaint about any aspect of the service you’ve received when making your War Pension or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme claim.


Complaints Procedure

You will need to tell us what happened, when it happened, how it affected you and what you want to happen to put things right.

You cannot make a complaint to challenge a claim outcome decision where you have been given a right to appeal. Details of what you can do if you disagree with a decision are provided within your decision notification letter.

If you have any questions about a decision made, you should contact us using the details provided on your decision letter. You can ask to speak to a caseworker who can explain the decision in more detail.

How to make an appeal if you disagree with a claim decision.

Overview

A complaint is defined as any expression of dissatisfaction about the service provided which is not resolved by operational staff as normal business.

We cannot investigate complaints:

  • about government policy or law
  • that have already been investigated or are currently being investigated by the Pensions or Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
  • that are, or have been, subject to legal proceedings, including legal settlements
  • about a decision made under the War Pension or Armed Forces Compensation Schemes where there is a right of appeal.
  • About matters which are already subject to appeal and awaiting hearing by the War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Tribunal

We have a two-stage complaint process. At Stage one, you will receive a response to your complaint from the Head of the Complaint Resolution Team.

You can escalate to Stage two if you feel your Stage one response did not fully answer your complaint. At Stage two, you will receive a response from the Head of Armed Forces and Veterans Services.

Our Complaint Customer Journey Map explains how we look at complaints. You can view this via:

War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Complaints Customer Journey (PDF, 417 KB, 1 page)

War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Complaints Customer Journey - Accessible Version (MS Word Document, 41.8 KB)

How to complain

If you’d like to complain about any aspect of the service, you’ve received when making your War Pension or Armed Forces Compensation claim, you can do this by completing the claim form online.

If you require help completing this form, you can contact our Helpline for advice:

Veterans UK helpline

Email: veterans-uk@mod.gov.uk Freephone (UK only): 0808 1914 2 18
Telephone (overseas): +44 1253 866 043

Veterans UK
Norcross
Thornton-Cleveleys
Lancashire
FY5 3WP

A hard copy complaint application form is available if you are unable to make your complaint online. To request this, email DBS-AFV-ComplaintResolution-Team@mod.gov.uk.

If you wish to supply additional documents to support your online complaint, please email these to DBS-AFV-ComplaintResolution-Team@mod.gov.uk.

or you can send by post to:

Complaint Resolution Team
Armed Forces and Veterans
Norcross
Thornton-Cleveleys
Lancashire
FY5 3WP

For detailed guidance and frequently asked questions on the War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Complaint Process, a factsheet is available:

War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Complaints Process (PDF, 207 KB, 4 pages)

War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Complaints Process - Accessible Version (ODT, 29.1 KB)

What happens next

When you submit your complaint form, it is sent to the Complaint Resolution Team. They will contact you by telephone within three working days to see if they can resolve your complaint. You will be asked to give your permission for this when you complete the form.

The Complaint Resolution Team may suggest you speak with a Subject Matter Expert and arrange this for you. If your complaint cannot be resolved via telephone discussion, the Complaint Resolution Team will undertake investigation and respond, by email or letter, within 20 working days of the date you submitted your application.

You can opt to receive text message updates by completing this section of the complaint application form. We will let you know how your complaint investigation is progressing and when you should receive a full, written response.

If you’re not satisfied

If you are not satisfied that the Stage one complaint response has answered your complaint, you can request escalation to Stage two by completing the online complaint application form.

A hard copy complaint application form is available if you are unable to make your complaint online. To request this, email DBS-AFV-ComplaintResolution-Team@mod.gov.uk.

To escalate a complaint to Stage two, you must complete the application form within 28 days of receiving your Stage one response email or letter. You must tell us:

  • Your Stage one complaint response reference number
  • Why your Stage one complaint response did not answer your complaint
  • What you want us to do to put things right

If your Stage one complaint response letter answered part of your complaint, you should clearly state which parts of your complaint you want us to look at again and why.

If you want us to look at a complaint again and it is more than 28 days since we sent you a Stage one complaint response letter, please contact DBS-AFV-ComplaintResolution-Team@mod.gov.uk. to explain what you wish us to look at and why you did not contact us sooner.

At Stage two, we will review your Stage one complaint and undertake further investigation. We will contact you by telephone to discuss if you have given us your permission. You will receive a response from the Head of Armed Forces and Veterans Services within 20 working days from the date you submitted your Stage two application.

If you opt to receive text message updates when you request to escalate your complaint to Stage two, we will let you know how your further complaint investigation is progressing and when you should receive a full, written response.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

If you have completed Stages one and two of our complaints process and you are not happy with how we’ve dealt with your complaint, you can ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to review your complaint. You are required to submit a complaint to the Ombudsman via your local MP’s office.

​The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman can look at complaints and disputes which concern the administration and or management of the Armed Forces Compensation and War Pension Schemes.

The Ombudsman service is impartial. It makes final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by the NHS, government departments and some other public organisations. Their service is free for everyone. You can take a complaint to the Ombudsman or call 0345 015 4033.

​ ​You should normally complain to the Ombudsman within a year of when you first became aware of the problem. If it was more than a year ago they may still be able to help you, if there were good reasons for the delay.

​Full details of what the Ombudsman can look at and how to contact them are available on their website.

Complaints procedure – Armed Forces Pension Scheme

Armed Forces Pension members have the right to raise a complaint using the Internal Dispute Resolution Procedures (IDRP) process if they disagree with a decision or action taken by the scheme administrator. The single stage process will look at all aspects of the complaint along with any additional evidence or information provided.

For detailed guidance and frequently asked questions on the process, an IDRP factsheet is available:

Internal Dispute Resolution Procedures factsheet (PDF, 138 KB, 4 pages)

Internal Dispute Resolution Procedures - Accessible Version (ODT, 27.8 KB)

If you’d like to complain about any aspect of service you’ve received in relation to your armed forces pension claims, you can contact:

Joint Personnel Administration Centre

Email: DBS-PensionsHelp@dbspv.mod.uk Freephone (UK only): 0800 085 3600
Telephone (overseas): +44 141 224 3600

JPAC
Mail Point 480
Kentigern House
65 Brown Street
Glasgow
G2 8EX

You can contact us by phone, by email or by post. When you contact us, please tell us:

  • your National Insurance number, service or member number
  • your full name, address and contact numbers
  • what you are complaining about
  • what happened, when it happened and how it affected you
  • what you want to happen to put things right.

If you are emailing us please do not include your National Insurance number or service number, we will call you back to obtain this.

The Pensions Ombudsman

The Pensions Ombudsman can help if you are not satisfied with the handling of an Armed Forces Pension application. They are impartial, so will look at the facts of your case without taking sides.