GovWire

On 2 March 2023, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Office for Veterans Affairs (OVA) jointly commissioned an Independent Review of UK Government welfare services for veterans. The review was to investigate the role, scope and breadth of UK Government welfare provision for veterans, including by the MOD under the Veterans UK banner.

The review encompasses the MODs Veterans Welfare Services, Defence Transition Services, Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans, the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees and the Ilford Park Polish Home; as well as the Northern Ireland Veterans Support Office, and the governments role in the Veterans Gateway. It has identified several recommendations to improve welfare provision for veterans across a variety of channels. This is the first time these have been considered in the round since the launch of the Strategy for our veterans and corresponding Veterans Strategy Action Plan, and the creation of the OVA.

The review has been led by a Senior Civil Servant, with the Independent Veterans Advisor and other key stakeholders providing advice.

Government is grateful for the considerable amount of work that has gone into the report. The MOD and OVA, along with other stakeholders, will consider the recommendations of the report in full. The governments response will be published later in the year.