At Veterans For Veterans, our core mission is simple: to help veterans and military personnel live their best possible lives. One of the key ways we do that is by highlighting the support and help available to those who’ve served, including the benefits. We fully believe that veterans should know their worth and what they are entitled to, and benefits are one of the most important privileges available to ex-armed forces members.
Veterans’ benefits are a powerful resource, offering financial support and improving overall quality of life in many circumstances. But navigating them can be overwhelming, especially when there are so many different schemes and entitlements out there.
In this blog, we’ll explore some of the most useful and sometimes overlooked benefits available to veterans across the UK. Some of them may surprise you.
Just a quick note: we won’t be covering the War Pension Scheme (WPS) or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) in much detail, as we’ve already broken those down in detail in a previous post. Instead, we’ll focus on everyday benefits – the ones that can make a real difference, day to day.
The Veteran Card and Its Benefits
Arguably, the cornerstone of veterans’ benefits is the HM Armed Forces Veteran Card. Issued by the Ministry of Defence, this card not only serves as proof of service but also allows access to supportive services and unlocks key discounts and benefits.
Key benefits of the card include:
- Acts as proof of service.
- Enables access to support services such as housing and health services, and also employment initiatives.
- Acts as a form of voter ID. As of May 2025, polling stations in the UK will allow the veterans’ card as a form of ID at local elections.
- Allows quicker and easier access to a variety of services.
- Discounts, such as being able to apply for the Defence Discount Service card, and a Veterans’ Railcard.
- National insurance relief for employers in a veteran’s first civilian role.
You can apply for a Veteran Card directly for free through the UK Government website.
Defence Discount Service Card
As mentioned above, you can use the veterans’ ID card to apply for a Defence Discount Service card. This can be used to get discounts in more than 12,000 shops and restaurants, both online and on the high street, with brands such as Apple and Samsung being featured. You can register for free and start saving immediately, or you can register for the Defence Privilege Card, which costs £4.99 for a 5-year membership. This card can be physically used in stores, whereas the standard membership is just online.
Disabled Veteran Benefits
If you are a disabled vet, there are a multitude of benefits and schemes available. You can acquire financial assistance through schemes and benefits such as:
- Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
- Personal Independent Payment (PIP)
- Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP)
- Universal Credit
- Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP)
To break down some of these benefits, GIP is a monthly, tax-free payment that reflects the level of injury or disability you have. If you received a GIP at 50% or more, you may be eligible for AFIP. This is paid at the same rate as the enhanced rate of both components of personal independence payments.
Personal independence payments can help with extra living costs if you have a disability and a health condition that affects your ability to work, whereas universal credit generally helps with living costs and is available to those with disabilities and/or a health condition.
Additionally, the Royal British Legion can help you understand and claim disability benefits, as well as provide support with disputes around disability decisions.
Veteran Spouse Benefits
As veterans, we know how important it is to plan for our families’ future. For many, it’s who we fight for. So it would only seem logical that you want to know what kind of benefits or support you can expect for your spouse if you weren’t around to look after them.
In the UK, the spouses or civil partners of veterans or serving armed forces personnel may be eligible for a variety of benefits, including the War Widow(er) Pension, Survivor’s Pensions from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS), and support through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
Your spouse will be entitled to a War Widow(er) pension if you died as a result of service in the armed forces. The pension is based on your pay, and is payable for the rest of your spouse’s life.
Regarding the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS), your spouse will receive a survivor’s pension if you pass during service. If you were in receipt of your pensions at the time of your death, your spouse may receive a Short Term Family Pension and a Widow’s Pension. There may also be a lump sum payment, depending on the specific circumstances and the AFPS scheme you are part of.
Veteran Benefits for Assisted Living
For veterans in the UK, several housing and support options are available that you may not be aware of:
Veterans’ Nomination Scheme – Gives extra priority for social housing if you have an urgent need or meet certain criteria.
Royal British Legion Care Homes – Offering safe, purpose-built accommodation for eligible vets.
Royal British Legion Industries – They also run residential nursing homes if you need more support.
MOD Referral Scheme – The Ministry of Defence can refer ex-armed forces personnel in need of housing through this scheme.
Haig Housing Trust – This trust helps veterans find and maintain stable housing.
Veteran Education Benefits
For veterans who want to hit the books or just reintroduce themselves back into education, the good news is that there are a few different education benefits that may be able to help.
Funding for further and higher education is available for veterans through schemes like the Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC) and Publicly Funded Further and Higher Education, as well as various other scholarships and grants.
Veteran Railcard Benefits
As mentioned previously, you can use your Veterans’ Card to register for a Veterans’ Railcard. This enables you to get discounts on rail travel in England, Wales, and Scotland. The card costs £30 for a 1-year membership or £70 for 3 years.
Veterans’ Oyster Photocard
The Veteran Railcard isn’t the only discounted rail travel available to veterans. For those who live in, around or frequently visit the capital, you can apply for a Veterans’ Oyster photocard, which entitles you to discounted travel on London public transport services.
Veteran Dental Benefits
If you want to keep those pearly whites in check, there are some distinct dental benefits. You may be eligible for free or reimbursed NHS dental treatment if it’s related to an accepted disability for which you receive War Pension Scheme or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments.
You may also be entitled to free or reduced-cost dental treatment if you meet certain requirements, such as being from a low-income household or receiving other benefits.
Contact Veterans For Veterans and Learn How We Can Help
We hope you now have a greater idea of the benefits available for veterans in the UK. In case it wasn’t clear already, there is quite a lot of help and support available. Many schemes and benefits overlap. However, if you can utilise just some of these benefits, there is no doubt they can help offer you some vital support and make a real difference in your quality of life.
At Veterans For Veterans, we pride ourselves on helping ex-armed forces personnel live the best lives possible. We offer support for veterans, especially relating to making military claims. We specialise in NIHL and NFCI claims. If you think you may be eligible to make a claim, contact us today, and we are sure we can help and support you.