Submitted by admin on April 23, 2009 - 00:00
Pensions and Allowances for Disabled Members
Disablement Qualification. Disablement must be attributable to or aggravated by service, although a disability occurring overseas during service in connection with any war or emergency is accepted as attributable to service. There is no grant of pension in respect of any disability due to wilful misconduct. When deciding a claim for disablement pension, the War Pensions Board is required to give the claimant the full benefit of all presumptions in his favour, and to draw all reasonable inferences in his favour from evidence and medical opinions submitted to the Board. Pensions payable for certain specific disabilities are assessed as a percentage of the full pension payable for total disablement. For other disabilities the rate of pension is fixed by the Board having regard to the medical evidence. The following schedule sets out the relevant disabilities and percentages:
| Nature of Disability | Per Cent of Full Pension Payable |
| Total blindness | 100 |
| Incurable insanity | 100 |
| Very severe facial disfigurement | 100 |
| Lower limb amputation through hip joint | 100 |
| Lower limb amputation through upper third of thigh (if without useful stump) | 100 |
| Upper limb amputation (where an artificial arm cannot be fitted with retention of elbow joint function) | 100 |
| Lower limb amputation through upper third of thigh (if with useful stump) | 90 |
| Permanent loss of speech | 90 |
| Lower limb amputation through knee joint or middle or lower third thigh | 85 |
| Total deafness | 85 |
| Upper limb amputation (where an artificial arm can be fitted with retention of elbow joint function), but not beyond all the metacarpo-phalangeal joints | 80 |
| Severe facial disfigurement | 80 |
| Lower limb amputation, but not beyond the tarsometatarsal joint | 75 |
| Loss of one eye | 50 |
| Loss of four fingers | 50 |
| Loss of three fingers | 40 |
| Loss of thumb | 40 |
| Loss of two fingers | 25 |
| Loss of index finger of either hand | 20 |
For total disablement, the rate of pension is currently £5 5s. a week, the rate being proportionately less for degrees of disablement less than total disablement. A member suffering from total blindness, two or more serious disabilities, or a single severe disability, may be granted additional pension up to £3 3s. a week, making a total disablement pension entitlement of £8 8s. a week.
