An RAF veteran living in Wrexham is throwing his support behind a campaign to remove barriers to financial support for veterans. 

The UK’s leading Armed Forces and veterans’ charity, Help for Heroes, says it is looking to put pressure on the government to remove unfair barriers to financial support for veterans, including amputees and those suffering from chronic pain.   

Help for Heroes is rallying the public to sign its open petition with the aim of receiving 100,000 signatures which if successful would require the issue to be considered for debate in Parliament; and Mike Jones, aged 55, is hoping his story will persuade local people to add their signatures. 

Mike has been living with debilitating chronic pain following a number of accidents and injuries during his 13 years of service, including a road traffic accident, which has now left him trapped in his own home. 

Mike was medically discharged in 1999, but his condition has become more severe since 2012. He said: “My lower spine has disintegrated and I’m on a daily regime of medication to try and cope with the pain. 

"I also suffer from PTSD as a result of my service, which has led to depression, anxiety and IBS. I experience chronic pain all day, every day and on-top of this I get break-through pain, which can be described as excruciating spikes in pain. I’ve got a wheelchair thanks to Help for Heroes, but my condition means I’m unable to go out unaided.” 

If the campaign is successful, veterans would receive the compensation and financial support they deserve.

It would prevent the exclusion of those living with chronic pain due to their service and end multiple assessments for amputees who often must re-prove their entitlement every two years to qualify for benefits. 

Help for Heroes believes the Ministry of Defence is currently out of step with medical guidance and that too many veterans are having to fight the system to get the compensation and financial support they deserve – often while battling physical or mental illness and injuries from service.  

The petition is also calling for an end to compensation being classed as income when considering benefits and pensions.  

Alexandra Lovett, lead occupational therapist at Help for Heroes, said: “We believe chronic pain should be recognised more widely, and with greater transparency, by the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. It would simplify the process for veterans where potential compensation routes may already exist.  We believe the system fails to adequately consider the lifelong and extensive impact of this condition on a significant proportion of veterans.”    

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Mike receives support from a dedicated Help the Heroes clinical advisor Helen Neve who works with veterans across the Welsh region, and supports him with medical appointments, joins up all the different aspects of his care, acts as a sounding board and helps him to think about how to overcome challenges.

He added: “If our campaign is successful, it will really help other people like me. For me, it would mean that I could pay for some additional support on a daily basis, so that I can get out of my home. Being restricted so much isn’t helping with my mental health and is probably making things worse for my pain management.” 

A UK Government spokesperson said: “We hugely value our service personnel and veterans and owe a debt of gratitude to all those who serve.

“Service personnel and veterans who have suffered ill health due to service from 6 April 2005 can apply for no-fault compensation under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

“Armed Forces Compensation Payments and War Pensions are not taken into account when calculating Universal Credit and attract a disregard of £10 a week in Pension Credit.”