Completed forms should be submitted via email, by postal delivery or via your Union representative.  

The form contains basic information (work history, union membership, disease information) and, as required by the General Data Protection Regulations, provides consent to obtain and process any data to assess the claim.

The information provided on the form, includng the disease stated, will be used in the assessment of your claim.  If possible, provide any documentation relating to your diagnosis, from the consultant or GP, as this will greatly assist the process.  For cataract claims, specific diagnosis is required as not all cataracts are eligible.  For people making a claim for a deceased relative, a copy of the death certificate would also aid the process.

The Scheme should be informed of any changes which may occur during the assessment process, such as development of an additional disease or change of contact information.

The Scheme works by using a Claimants radiation dose record to assess the probability that the disease diagnosed may have been caused by their occupational dose exposure.  This is known as Causation Probability (CP) and is depicted as a percentage. (Note - Claimants dose records are compiled according to protocols agreed by the Employers and the Unions)

If the CP is below 5% Causation the Claimant is informed that the claim has failed and no further action is taken (it should be recognised that, for a case to be successful through the courts/legal system, a causation probability of 50% must be proven).

If the CP is higher than 5% but below 20% Causation, again, the Claimant is informed that the claim has failed however additional action is taken to gather evidence to support any future 'Retrospection' reviews.  Further information on retrospection is provided below.  The additional evidence gathered consists of the following:

• The Union is contacted to confirm claimants membership, either current or at time of employment/exposure (this is not required if the request is initially submitted via the Union or the Claimant was an MOD or HM Service Personnel employee).
• The scheme obtains medical diagnosis. We will either contact the Consultant direct requesting a Certificate of Diagnosis, or will contact the Company Medical Officer of the respective employer to obtain required certification
• The medical diagnosis is coded: The Certificate of Diagnosis is classified against the International Statistical Classification of Disease (ICD) by the former Independent Assessor from the North West Cancer Intelligence Service (NWCIS)

If the case has a causation probability of 20% or more, it is deemed to have passed the criteria for payment, subject to confirmation of the dose assessment and the Union's agreement.

Payment

Cases which pass the payment criteria proceed to a stage known as "quantum". This is where the employers' and the unions' legal representatives negotiate the value of the settlement. To do this, they use the same procedures that would be used if a claim had been successful in court. The value of "quantum" will vary with each case depending on the actual loss (in terms of earnings and pension) suffered by the claimant and will also include sums for pain and suffering, loss of amenity and number of dependants. Once quantum is agreed, the level of payment awarded to a claimant (or estate if deceased) is determined by the causation probability calculated in their case.

Cases with a causation probability between:

• 20% and 29.9% receive quarter of the quantum value.
• 30% and 39.9% receive half of the quantum value.
• 40% and 49.9% receive three-quarters of the quantum value.
• 50% and over   receive full quantum value.

Each year an Annual Statement is approved by the Scheme Council which includes a paragraph updating the number of claims and payments made this can be found here

Record Retention

The Scheme operates a 30 year retention period.  On reaching 30 years from the year a claim was registered, case data is anonymised and claimant records destroyed.  Anonymised data is retained to support trending and analysis.  Further information on Claimants rights are detailed in the Schemes privacy statement provided in the claim form.

Retrospection

Where claims are within the 30 year limitation period and a change in science indicates that a previous assessment may attain greater than 20% causation or an increase in payment, claimants are contacted by the scheme and offered the opportunity to have their claim reviewed.  This is referred to as 'Retrospection'.  Claims with less that 5% Causation are highly unlikely to alter, hence no further evidence is obtained.