50% of Armydocs on disabilitypension list - Times of India https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/50-of-army-docs-on-disability-pension-list/articleshowprint/70081454.cms 1/2 50% of Army docs on disability pension list TNN | Jul 5, 2019, 06.58 AM IST Printed from NEW DELHI: In recent years, the proportion of retiring army officers under “disability pension” has been almost one-third and even more significantly it is nearly half for doctors serving in the armed forces. There is a clear increase in the disability pension numbers since the shift to the “percentage system” that made the benefits a proportion of salary. This, said official sources, seemed to have “incentivised” claims for disability status with a skew in favour of senior officers, raising concerns over validity of claims. In contrast, the proportion of retiring junior commissioned officers with disability pensions is much lower at around 9%, said the sources, defending the government’s decision that disability pension of military personnel will be taxed with an exemption only for those “invalidated” due to injury in service. The government based its review on the concern that the disability pension, particularly after the shift to the percentage based system, was being gamed or misused. There has been a view that medical boards are susceptible to influence by senior officers and this has been further strengthened by the number of doctors in the disability category. The disability pension can be significantly higher than normal. An examination of the trend of retiring officers in disability bracket shows a jump in the last few years. The proportion of officers with disability benefits was around 20% or little more in the mid-2000s and has been rising since, though the increase is sharper in the recent past. The proportion seems much higher all through for doctors in medical services in the armed forces. The government’s decision, which has the support of the current service chiefs, set off a controversy with some retired personnel objecting to the move and there was a sharp reaction on social media. The government’s justification, put out on 7/5/2019 50% of Armydocs on disabilitypension list - Times of India https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/50-of-army-docs-on-disability-pension-list/articleshowprint/70081454.cms 2/2 finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Twitter handle, was also sharp. It said the government’s commitment to help personnel hurt in battle was being “exploited by unscrupulous personnel, who have gained from disability benefits provided by government to disabled soldiers”. The view in government is that the distinction between those who had to leave the service for disability reasons and others must be maintained to curtail the temptation to seek such status. The case of a former chief of army staff who developed a hearing impairment has been publicised, but there are many more that go unnoticed. A move to introduce a slab system has also been resisted in the past.
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