It still takes too long before veterans who have been injured during their broadcast receive compensation. The alarm has been raised about this for years. “Into and intriek,” says military lawyer Ferre van de Nadort from Beilen.
Four years ago, it was also ringed because the handling of compensation by the Ministry of Defense took too long. Yet not much has been improved in the meantime. That concluded the Court of Audit and veteran ombudsman last week.
“After ten years and after several reports, they do not yet have the matter in order, while it is clear that it is not right,” says Van de Nadort in the Radio Drenthe program Cassata. He assists a hundred veterans in the handling. “I think something is wrong with the department that does this. It just doesn’t have things in order. That has been the case for ten years.”
The hard conclusion of the report was no surprise for the veterans themselves, says Marijke Dekker of home base veterans in Eelde. Veterans live there with such serious problems that they can no longer function independently. “This report was also released a few years ago and to date they see little change. But they are happy that they are supported by the Ombudsman. The entire process is experienced by the veterans as a burdensome and emotionally difficult.”
According to the new report, the veterans often get in with injury in lengthy procedures, something that is often tiring for soldiers who suffer from a post -traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One of Van de Nadort’s clients has been in a process for compensation for eight years. The goal is to let such a process take no longer than two years. “This veteran already started the entire preliminary phase in 1993 to get recognition from PTSD. That file has been running for five years now at that department. This is purely the time that the defense needs to make an application to pay the compensation to which a veteran is entitled. “
But prior to the actual application, veterans have been in the misery for much longer, explains from the Nadort. “In this case it is someone who is finally in the gutter. He has been working for twenty years before he thinks at all: let me request compensation,” says Van de Nadort.
“People don’t seem to be able to determine any compensation for such a person within five years, let alone to give a substantial advance on that compensation, so that this man is out of financial need,” continues Van de Nadort. “He and his whole family live in pure poverty and in psychological need. This does something with your family, while this gentleman is a hero who served in Bosnia.”
That also applies to all veterans, says Van de Nadort. “It is always about soldiers who have experienced such serious, cruel things, who they can no longer process afterwards. As a result, entire families are on the cliffs. We are talking about that. There are no words for this. I think it is in and intestine And inhumane this is not how a government should function. “
Dekker from home base veterans also sees how former soldiers suffer from endless procedures. “A lot of distrust arises, also to the people around them. They feel that they are not being taken seriously and that they are not being listened to. For many veterans, the claim for damages is a conclusion of their period at Defense, to be how To be able to make a new start.
As a result, some of the veterans settle for less money. That is a bad thing, says Van de Nadort. “There is ‘profit’ for defense in as long as possible training of this process, so that someone ultimately agrees with everything. As long as he gets some money, so that he can continue with his life. Now I don’t say that Defense here willy and Managing on, but if you are responsible for this process, you must be really aware that the longer you wait to give money, the harder it makes the negotiations. “
According to Van de Nadort, something like that can easily be abused to allow people to accept compensation that is too low. “I find that very bad.”