Veterans to benefit from new rail card as Minister says former service personnel are not 'mad, bad and sad'
A veterans’ travel card giving former service personnel a discount on rail fares has been launched by the government.
The new railcard, available from Armistice Day this year, will be made available to nearly a million former military servicemen and women.
Honouring a manifesto pledge, the announcement forms part of the Government’s Veterans Strategy, also being launched today.
The strategy, coordinated by the recently-established Office for Veterans Affairs (OVA), sets out support available for those who served, in areas including employment and skills, health and wellbeing, finance, and housing.
Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden said he was pleased the OVA and Department for Transport had delivered the railcard.
“Our new action plan will help to make the UK the best place in the world for veterans," he said.
"The Office for Veterans’ Affairs will drive the plan from the heart of government, working to help veterans on jobs, housing and health, through better data and a more joined up approach."
The Veterans Railcard, which will cost £21 when launched on November 11, rising to £30 after an initial period, will allow the 830,000 eligible veterans a third off their fares.
The announcement comes as a new survey shows 19 per cent of British adults believe that in order to be classified as a veteran, service personnel must have been wounded during their time in the Services.
In the survey of 1001 British adults for The Veterans Work Consortium, a group consisting of Deloitte, the Forces in Mind Trust and the Officers' Association, a quarter of respondents thought the term 'veteran' only applied to military leavers over the age of 65.
Forces in Mind Trust's Director of Programmes, Thomas McBarnet said: "These findings show clearly that there is public misperception and misunderstanding about veterans that we need to work together to address".
Minister for Defence People and Veterans Johnny Mercer said: "The perception that veterans are 'mad, sad and bad' is wrong and outdated.
"As a former Army officer and serving Defence Minister, I have met and worked with hundreds of veterans throughout my career and their drive, skills and confidence are second to none.
"We must all do more to challenge the negative stereotypes surrounding veterans and recognise the enormous value they can add to society."
