The Mirror has a story about an infantry soldier who was medically discharged from the Army for service-induced hearing loss. He has received other benefits to which he was entitled, but now his application for compensation under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme has been refused by the SPVA - because the service-induced hearing loss is assessed at less than 20%.

When the 20% threshold was imposed by the Ministry of Defence in the 1990's under the old War Pensions scheme, the justification was that compensation should be targeted more at those with the most serious injuries. The new Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), for injuries on or after 6 April 2005, is thankfully more generous than the old scheme but the 20% hearing loss theshold remains.

The ruling remains controversial, because 20% hearing loss is enough to get in the way of your work, domestic and social activities on every single day of life.

But actually discharging a soldier for service-induced hearing loss, and then dismissing his injury claim as in effect trivial, is straight from the pages of Catch-22. It's time to have another look at this ruling.

BAFF has uncovered an astonishing error in recent reporting about the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS).

Both the Daily Telegraph and the BBC have claimed that 36,000 new claims were registered in one year 2013-14, an extraordinary figure which would certainly suggest a high level of abuse, and go a long way to explain the "serious delays" in processing such claims.

But that figure is completely wrong.

While we are in no doubt that the mistake was honestly made, we have not seen any attempt to correct it, and we are appalled that it has given encouragement to a whispering campaign aimed at reducing the cost of the AFCS.

The Department of Work and Pensions has confirmed that the review of bereavement benefits announced by the Minister for Welfare Reform on 12 Dec does NOT affect payments to service widows or widowers under the War Pensions Scheme or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

In yet another sign that BFG really is closing down, this year's performance of Cinderella could be the last annual panto in Rheindahlen. The Panto Cinderella will be at The Liitle Theatre, JHQ on 19th-22nd January and 26th-28th January. Tickets cost €8, on sale at The Little Theatre. ForcesNews reports (12 Jan):

Interviewed on the BBC's Good Morning Wales programme about reported delays in processing claims under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), BAFF Chairman Douglas Young criticised the excuse that such delays were "partly down to the compensation culture". While we know that many claimants have managed their own claims successfully, Young queried why injured personnel should not be allowed to seek specialist advice and assistance from the Royal British Legion or others in complex cases. He commented in the interview that the excuse "made a nonsense of the Armed Forces Covenant".

Members of the armed forces can be at a disadvantage when they need to borrow after they return from overseas or leave the services, because their itinerant lifestyle and lack of credit history can ruin their chances.

Your borrowing needs in future years could include buying a car, obtaining a mortgage to buy a family home, or even starting your own business.

According to the credit reporting company Experian Interactive:

Your credit status is based on a host of factors, from a track record of repaying what you owe to being on the electoral register.

If you don’t meet the normal criteria because of a military career, you could find it difficult to get credit or have to pay higher interest because lenders don’t know whether you’ll be reliable.

Fortunately, according to an article on MoneyExpert.com, there are a number of things which you can do to improve your credit score:

The Ministry of Defence has announced that British troops are to get pelvic protection to protect them from roadside bombs. The special anti-blast underwear consists of a three layered system of clothing and armour, which also includes special armoured trousers. Nearly 350 British troops have been killed in Afghanistan and many more have been injured, often by IED blasts. 

BritishForcesNews reports (16 Dec).

Personnel who wish to appeal have 30 calendar days (not working days) from the date of their notification letter to submit a written appeal through the appropriate channels. BAFF understands that:

Service children who face regular moves from home and school can suffer high levels of anxiety and stress, especially when their parents deploy to armed conflicts overseas, according to a report by Oftsed, the the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills in England.

The British Armed Forces Federation AGM on 28 September 2013 endorsed the Federation's published plan for its considered neutral/impartial approach to the 18 Sep 2014 Referendum on Scotland's constitutional future.