How do those who have served deserve to be treated? Military veterans in the UK social security system

Martin, Philip; Scullion, Lisa; Young, David; Pardoe, Joe; Hynes, Celia; Jones, Katy

Abstract

Military service has often been a basis for civilian welfare entitlements. If mass wartime service justified collective provision, (Titmuss, 2018) it is now suggested professional militaries have been co-opted to support reformed welfare models in which entitlement is increasingly conditional on individuals’ commitment, discipline, and responsibility (Cowen 2008). ‘Forces Covenants’ which explicitly connect the dedication and contribution of service to state assistance, symbolically re-enforce this shift. The UK state operates a highly conditional civilian social security system, as well as an active Armed Forces Covenant agenda. This article assesses the extent to which UK veterans who also claimed social security benefits support or reject the principles of conditionality. It contends military service continues to inform values they believe civilian services should follow. While some align with conditional ideas of entitlement, others are at odds. This analysis adds to understandings of contemporary welfare and the role of military identities after service.

Citation

Martin, P., Scullion, L., Young, D., Pardoe, J., Hynes, C., & Jones, K. (in press). How do those who have served deserve to be treated? Military veterans in the UK social security system. Armed Forces and Society,

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 31, 2024
• Deposit Date: Sep 3, 2024
• Print ISSN: 0095-327X
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: veterans, UK, social security, welfare conditionality, identity, public policy
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/AFS