NEW DELHI: The new rules governing disability pension for military personnel will safeguard the legitimate interests of people who acquire disabilities during service and prevent the misuse of liberal provisions, to run the armed forces efficiently, ensure battle readiness and encourage physical fitness across the board, chief of defence staff General Anil Chauhan said on Friday.
The revised policy, Entitlement Rules for Casualty Pension and Disability Compensation Awards to Armed Forces Personnel, 2023 and Guide to Medical Officers, will be applicable to personnel who retire after September 21, 2023. It does not introduce any change in the entitlement of those granted compensation for death or disability, and it will not alter the emoluments of war widows, family pensioners or veterans, the CDS said.
His comments came during a media briefing in South Block to clarify the entitlement rules against the backdrop of certain quarters of ex-servicemen questioning provisions related to the grant of disability pension, including its calculation, eligibility and diseases attributable to or aggravated by military service. To be sure, the norms for claiming disability pension have been tightened.
Those present at the briefing included Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Indian Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, Indian Army vice chief Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar and adjutant general Lieutenant General C Bansi Ponnappa.
Most of the concerns flagged by the veterans were addressed by a panel of senior officers led by Ponnappa on October 3, Chauhan said. Representatives of five ex-servicemen associations attended the meeting.
The government notified the new rules in September, five months after the Comptroller and Auditor General told the defence ministry to analyse the reasons for disability among soldiers following its finding that almost 40% of officers, and 18% of personnel below officer rank (PBOR) who retire every year are drawing disability pensions.
The previous rules were promulgated 15 years ago.
“The idea is not to save money for the government but to manage the armed forces cadre efficiently. What message do we send by having a large number of people in low medical category,” Chauhan said in response to a question on the CAG report. The national auditor examined disability pensions disbursed to personnel discharged from service during 2015-2020.
A medical downgrade following a disability entitles a soldier to better retirement benefits. On average for the same rank, a disability pension can be 20 to 50% more than a normal one and comes with tax exemption. The CAG report also flagged concerns about disability pensions being awarded on account of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
“Earlier there were incentives to claim disability pension. There was a time when only 3-5% claimed this pension but the CAG report put the figure at 40%. So many people can’t be disabled,” Chauhan said.
The rules have been revised to streamline the procedure for assessment and entitlement without any ambiguity to avoid litigation, the defence ministry said in a statement.
The revised policy will not put armed forces personnel at a disadvantage vis-a-vis their civilian counterparts, the CDS said.
The defence ministry has introduced a new concept of impairment relief, which has drawn some criticism as it doesn’t involve tax exemption.
“The disability element has been renamed as impairment relief in respect of only those personnel who are not invalidated out due to the nature of their disabilities and continue to serve till the term of their engagement. The change in nomenclature does not affect the nature of entitlement or quantum of emoluments,” Chauhan said.
Disability pension claims shot up in the years following the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission report in 2006 as it significantly enhanced benefits.
In December 2014, the military’s senior-most doctor said officers nearing retirement were abusing disability benefits for higher and tax-free pensions, flagging concerns about the trend of fit officers exploiting the welfare measure by getting themselves placed in the lower medical category.
“I would like to apprise you of an alarming trend evolving in the services, with regards to claims for disability pension being preferred by senior officers of the rank of lieutenant general and major general and their equivalent,” Lieutenant General BK Chopra, then director general, Armed Forces Medical Services, said in a letter to the defence secretary in December 2014.
“These senior officers, who have stayed in Shape-1 medical category throughout their career, suddenly present (themselves) with disease at the fag end of their service,” he said in the communication.
