QUICK ANSWER
RAF personnel and veterans who developed post-traumatic stress disorder from operational deployments, aircraft accidents, casualty evacuation or serious training incidents can claim compensation where the Ministry of Defence negligently failed to prevent, detect or treat it. Severe PTSD attracts £73,050–£122,850 under the Judicial College Guidelines. Civil claims cover service from 15 May 1987, with a time limit of 3 years from your date of knowledge under the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 — and delayed-onset PTSD diagnosed years after discharge is still claimable. Scottish Claims Helpline works on a no win no fee basis — complete the short form for a free assessment.
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Living With PTSD After RAF Service? You Could Be Owed Thousands.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a recognised psychiatric injury, not a weakness. Flashbacks, nightmares, being constantly on edge, avoiding anything that brings the memories back, anger that arrives from nowhere, feeling cut off from the people closest to you — for many RAF veterans, this is daily life long after the uniform comes off. Because the injury is invisible, many assume they have nothing to claim for. They are wrong.
PTSD is a compensable injury under Scottish law. RAF service exposes far more than aircrew to trauma — medics and casualty evacuation crews, the RAF Regiment on force protection and ground combat duties, crash and incident responders, and remotely piloted aircraft crews exposed day after day to graphic imagery. The courts confirmed in the PTSD group litigation, Multiple Claimants v Ministry of Defence [2003], that while the MoD is not liable for what the enemy did in the heat of combat, it can be liable for negligent failures around it — failing to spot the warning signs, failing to diagnose or treat PTSD, or serious failures in training and support.
Do these sound familiar?
- Flashbacks, intrusive memories or nightmares about what happened
- Feeling constantly on edge, jumpy or unable to relax
- Avoiding places, sounds, crowds or conversations that bring it back
- Anger, irritability or feeling emotionally numb and cut off
- It started during or after your service and never went away
If several of these sound familiar, speak to your GP about support — and it costs nothing to find out whether you can claim.
Scottish Claims Helpline handles RAF PTSD claims across Scotland on a no win no fee basis. Civil claims against the MoD cover service from 15 May 1987 onwards under the Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Act 1987, and run separately from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and War Pension Scheme — though any AFCS award for the same injury is taken into account so you are not compensated twice.
How Much Could You Receive?
| Severity | Typical Award |
|---|
| Severe PTSD (permanent effects, unable to work or function as before) | £73,050 - £122,850 |
| Moderately severe PTSD (significant disability for the foreseeable future) | £28,250 - £73,050 |
| Moderate PTSD (largely recovered, remaining effects not grossly disabling) | £9,980 - £28,250 |
| Less severe PTSD (virtually full recovery within 1-2 years) | £4,820 - £9,980 |
Based on Judicial College Guidelines for general damages (pain, suffering and loss of amenity).
That’s not all. Most claimants also receive special damages on top of the figures above — the cost of trauma-focused therapy such as CBT and EMDR, medication, care and support from family, and lost earnings where PTSD ended an RAF career early or affected your ability to work after discharge. Where a medical discharge cut short your service, the career and pension impact can form a substantial part of the claim.
Who Can Claim?
Any serving or former member of the Royal Air Force — regular or reserve, aircrew or ground trades, including the RAF Regiment, medical and casualty evacuation personnel and remotely piloted aircraft crews — whose PTSD arose from service from 15 May 1987 onwards and involved a negligent failure by the MoD can bring a civil claim. That includes personnel traumatised by aircraft accidents, casualty handling and non-combat incidents where combat immunity does not apply at all. Discharge or retirement does not prevent a claim, and because delayed-onset PTSD is well recognised, a diagnosis years after leaving the RAF can still be within the time limit.
RAF PTSD Claims — Frequently Asked Questions
Severe PTSD attracts £73,050–£122,850 under the Judicial College Guidelines, with moderately severe PTSD at £28,250–£73,050 and moderate PTSD at £9,980–£28,250. Special damages for therapy, medication, lost earnings and the impact of a medical discharge are paid on top, and a civil claim against the Ministry of Defence runs separately from any Armed Forces Compensation Scheme award.
Yes, in the right circumstances. The MoD is not liable for injuries caused by the enemy in the heat of combat itself, but the courts confirmed in the PTSD group litigation, Multiple Claimants v Ministry of Defence [2003], that it can be liable for negligent failures around it — in particular failing to detect, diagnose or treat PTSD when the signs were there, and failures in training, systems or support. Many successful RAF PTSD claims are about what happened after the trauma, not the trauma itself.
Common causes include operational deployments, aircraft crashes and serious ground incidents, casualty evacuation and medical roles, force protection and ground combat duties, handling casualties and bodies, and serious training accidents. Remotely piloted aircraft crews exposed to repeated graphic imagery are also a recognised group. PTSD can develop soon after a single event or emerge months or years later — delayed-onset PTSD is well recognised and is still claimable.
Civil claims against the MoD cover service from 15 May 1987 onwards, when the Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Act 1987 removed Crown immunity. For earlier service the War Pension Scheme remains available, and where a negligent failure to diagnose or treat your PTSD continued after May 1987, that later failure may itself be claimable. If you are unsure what qualifies, do not rule yourself out — the assessment is free.
3 years from your date of knowledge under the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 — not from the date of the traumatic event. The date of knowledge is usually when a GP, psychiatrist or psychologist first diagnoses PTSD and links it to your service, so veterans diagnosed long after leaving the RAF can still bring a claim. Contact us as soon as possible so the time limit does not pass.
A report from a consultant psychiatrist or clinical psychologist diagnosing PTSD and linking it to your service is the key evidence, usually alongside your service and medical records, deployment history, and any occupational health or welfare records showing what the RAF knew. Your solicitor arranges the psychiatric assessment as part of a no win no fee claim.
How Do I Start My Claim?
It takes 2 minutes. Fill in our short form and one of our specialist Scottish solicitors will call you back at a time that suits. They will listen to what happened, tell you straight away if you have a claim, and explain exactly how much you could receive — all completely free, in confidence, and with no obligation. If you decide to go ahead, everything is handled for you on a no win no fee basis from start to finish. You pay nothing unless you win.
Could You Be Owed Compensation?
Check My Eligibility
A solicitor will call you back. Free, no obligation.
About this page: Written by
David Gildea, Scottish Claims Helpline. Last reviewed: August 2026. Scottish Claims Helpline is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (
FRN 830381).