If Danish soldiers get mental or physical injury during deployment of a UN mission, they can seek compensation from the united nations.
But several veterans are waiting for years to get their case handled.
the Extra Leaf has been in contact with several war veterans who feel forgotten by the Defense and the UN, because they did not hear anything relating to their case.
One of them is Morten Bille. He was released on team 3 and team 4 Ex-Yugoslavia and in the Balkans in the early 1990s. During the last deployment in the fall of 1993, he stepped on a land mine and got blown to the feet in pieces, and he has after returning home diagnosed with PTSD.
My case was sent to the united nations in 2017, and since then I have heard nothing. I have no idea even whether it truly is sent of the place, says Morten Bille, which means the long wait and the lack of clarification as ‘a very bad combination with PTSD’.
Carsten Lykke Hansen was released as a part of the Danish contribution to the UN missions in Ex-Yugoslavia and in the Balkans. He is awaiting soon the fourth year, the response from the united nations and the Defence in relation to compensation. Photo: Jan Summer.
The hills war veteran from the Ex-Yugoslavia and the Balkans, Carsten Lykke Hansen, up on.
– I do not feel that there is a skid. My case is just waiting. They say in FPS (Defence Personalestyrelse, ed.), that they are awaiting response from the UN, but in my opinion it does not seem as if they ever move something, say ‘Happiness’, who in January also have been waiting four years on a clarification.
the 48-year-old Carsten Lykke Hansen has – as all the other approved applicants – only been through the Danish system and received recognition for his PTSD as an injury at work and received a compensation for it.
Regardless of whether the damage, which soldiers incur during UN missions, physical or psychological, can seek compensation. Photo: Jan Summer.
at the same time, he has been granted early retirement pension because he has been declared incapacitated and have a méngrad of 25 percent and a erhvevsevnetab of 95%.
Yet the UN-compensation is important for him.
– It is not about the money. For they’re not going to make me rich. It’s all about, that I am entitled to compensation, and I believe that I have earned them. It is the last sentence, which I would very much like to have set.
– the united nations must recognize the things that I – or we – drags around on, after having been issued for them.
Close to Carsten waiting for compensation: Paralyzed by PTSD from the war
Facts about the united nations-erstatningerne:
Veterans who have been injured during a UN mission, can apply for compensation.
– the application deadline is four months after the damage arose. The united nations can dispense with this – particularly at the psychological damage.
– It is the UN that decides the cases for compensation.
– the UN-the compensation shall be determined on the basis of méngrad.
– A méngrad of 100 percent represents 70,000 dollars.
– Since the 2015 has the department of defense Work – and Erstatningskontor (FAEK) provided support to the drafting of the vets ‘ applications.
Source: Defence Personalestyrelse.
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In spite of many submissions to the Defence Personalestyrelse (FPS), it has not been possible for the Extra Magazine to obtain an accurate number of cases, that just now is waiting in the UN system, just as we do not know where many decisions are taken – and with what result.
In a speech from august 2017, said the then Defence minister, Claus Hjort Frederiksen, however, that at the time was ‘more than 230 cases, which must be sent to the UN.
the defense minister also explained at the time, to FPS in January 2016, transmitted to the three test cases on the recognition of PTSD to the united nations.
‘the Treatment of the cases are pulled out (…) But I have been informed that the united nations now is in dealing with the three test cases. It is my expectation that they will soon be resolved’.
– of course, It is too bad that the UN, not from the beginning have been able to deal with cases of PTSD, said the Deer then and justified the slowness of the process with the ‘lack of guidelines’.
Among Danish veterans, there is great enthusiasm for the possibility of obtaining compensation for the injury, Danish soldiers take with them home from missions for the united nations. Both physical and psychological.
There is also enthusiasm for that Defense helps veterans with the proceedings, translation of documents and the sending of the case to the united nations.
But then stops the excitement also.
– the System is so sluggish, that some soldiers and their families all drop it and get on with their lives. It is simply too grueling for them to go in uafklarethed, says Niels Hartvig Andersen, who is chairman of the Danish Veterans.
– If people were not sick and tired in advance, then they would be it now. It is people who already are in great imbalance, so should have it here on top.
– Therefore it is extremely important that we get a shorter processing time, believes Niels Hartvig Andersen, who believes that both the Defense and the UN to delay the proceedings, but that the longest wait time occurs in the UN system.
the Danish UN missions right now:
Mali:
Denmark’s contribution to MINUSMA consists pt. a staff officers. The aim of the mission is to stabilise the situation in the inhabited areas, implement transitionskøreplanen, support electoral processes and to ensure the protection of civilians.
Middle east:
Denmark has continuously been engaged in the mission from the start (resolution, 1948). Today, Denmark has 11 employees, which is to monitor peace agreements between Israel and its neighbouring countries – primarily Lebanon and Syria.
South:
Denmark has continuously been engaged in the mission from the start (resolution from 2011). Today, Denmark has 13 staff located in Juba, where they support the work to protect the civilian population.
North and south Korea:
the Purpose of the UNCMAC is to monitor the ceasefire agreement between north Korea and south Korea. Since 2009, there have been danes in the mission, where two Danish officers in carrying out tasks, respectively missionshovedkvarteret in Seoul and around the demilitarized zone between north Korea and south Korea. UNCMAC is not a decidedly UN peacekeeping mission as it is a amerikanskledet mission with a mandate from the UN.
Source: the state department’s list of ongoing UN missions with the Danish military participation pr. February 2018.
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