Potential issues for reservists

Not being re-employed following a deployment

If you aren’t re-employed, you can apply to a tribunal. Write to the tribunal if, after telling your employer you’re returning to work and: 

  • you don’t hear back from them 
  • they won’t re-employ you 
  • they offer you a job you’re not happy with. 

A tribunal can instruct your former employer to re-employ you or award you financial compensation. 

Contact details

Employment Tribunal Service (England, Scotland and Wales) 
3rd Floor 
Alexandra House 
14-22 The Parsonage 
Manchester 
M3 2JA 

Telephone: 0161 833 6316 

 

Rights and responsibilities for reservists and employers 

Further help is also available from the  Defence Relationship Management  and through the Unit’s ROSO (Regimental Operational Support Officer). 

 

Medical issues arising from training, or deployment 

You may experience physical, injuries as a result of training exercises or deployment. Whilst these will be addressed by the Combat Medics and/or  Defence Medical Services  (DMS) whilst in Service, there may be complications after. You are entitled to access healthcare in these circumstances from either, or both the  DMS  and the  NHS  – depending on the nature of the injury and available resources. 

 

Mental health 

The Ministry of Defence has launched the  defence people mental health and wellbeing strategy . It provides a renewed focus on promotion of mental health wellbeing and the prevention of mental ill health for serving personnel, veterans, families and MOD civil servants. 

If you have returned from operations since 1 January 2003, you qualify for enhanced support for mental health problems through the  Reserves Mental Health Programme. 

If eligible, you will be offered a mental health assessment. This will be conducted at The Reserves Training and Mobilisation Centre by appropriately qualified members of the DMS. If appropriate and required, you will be offered out-patient treatment by the DMS via the  MOD’s community mental health department. 

 

Life-changing injury and its impact on accommodation needs 

Social rented housing 

Part 6 of the Housing Act 1996  regulates the allocation of social rented housing by local authorities. The regulations ensure that, where local housing authorities decide to use a local connection requirement as a qualification criterion, they must not apply it to current or former Reservists who are suffering from a serious injury, illness, or disability which is wholly or partly attributable to their Service, so as to disqualify them from an allocation of social housing. 

 

Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) 

Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs)  are grants provided by a local authority to help meet the cost of adapting a property for the needs of a disabled person. They are normally used for adaptations to enable: 

  • easier access to, from and around the property and ensuring the property and garden is safe for the disabled person to use 
  • providing or adaptation of a room in which there is a lavatory, bath or shower, and wash-hand basin for the disabled person to use 
  • easier access to a room used or that can be used as a bedroom.