Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of recognition and compensation of chronic pain as a distinct medical condition as part of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and War Pension Scheme.

The Department has assessed that both the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and the War Pension Scheme provide for pain and suffering as part of a holistic assessment of service-attributable injury or illness.

In most cases, chronic pain is not treated as a standalone condition. Under both Schemes, chronic pain is generally considered an expected effect of a primary injury and is included in the overall award. However, where there is a distinct and separately diagnosable chronic pain condition, such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, this may be considered on its own merits.

The Independent Medical Expert Group (IMEG) is currently considering concerns that chronic pain may not always be adequately captured under the AFCS. IMEG is examining the evidence base and how the functional impact of chronic pain is reflected within existing compensation arrangements.