Indemnity pensions

The indemnity pension is a compensation awarded to soldiers due to an industrial accident or professional disease.

Who is entitled to an indemnity pension?

Soldiers, former soldiers, conscripts and former State Police.
The next of kin of the victim in case of a decease: the spouse and/or:
- the children;
- the parents (father and mother);
- the grandparents;
- the persons who raised the victim;
- the brothers and sisters.

How do I apply for an indemnity pension?

You can apply by means of the form Application indemnity pension:

Fill in the form, attach the original medical certificates that support your application, and send these documents by registered letter to: Federal Pensions Service - Indemnity Pensions - Tour du Midi - Europaesplanade 1 - 1060 Brussels.

A social worker of the National defence's social service can assist you with your application:

What happens after my application?

Step 1: the Pensions Service checks whether your application is admissible

We check whether:

your application was sent by registered letter;
you attached the required original documents.

If your application is not admissible, we will inform you by registered letter.

If your application is admissible:

we will send you a questionnaire, which you should fill in and return to us as soon as possible;
we will pass your file on to the Committee's secretariat to have the file put together.

Attention: Only injuries that are clearly and identically stated on both your application form and the medical certificate will be included in the investigation by the reporting commissioner.

Step 2: putting the file together

The Committee's secretariat will complete your file. It can request documents to do so:

from the Ministry of National Defence (for example the medical file, the accident file, ...);
from the parties concerned: for example the local police (official accident report), your hierarchical superior in connection to the circumstances of the accident, ...;
from you as the applicant (for example additional medical certificates, witness testimony, ...).

You also have the right to deposit additional documents during the entire procedure to complete your file.

Step 3: handling of the file by the Forensic Medicine Service (FMS)

Once the file has been put together, we transfer it to the Commissioner Reporter, who then starts the investigation.

The Commissioner Reporter:

determines whether the file has to be transferred to the FMS to investigate whether the accident or illness is due to the service and to determine the degree of disability;
will inform you if your file is transferred.

The FMS:

will summon you to a medical examination. If you have questions about this examination, please contact the FMS by using the contact details mentioned in the letter;
will determine your degree of disability;
will send you a copy of the record of the medical assessment (conclusions of the medical examination);
will return your file to the Committee's secretariat.

The Committee's secretariat receives the file and then transfers it to the Commissioner Reporter, who draws up an advice on which the Committee can base a decision.

Attention: Only injuries that are clearly and identically stated on both your application form and the medical certificate will be included in the investigation by the reporting commissioner.

Step 4: Committee for Indemnity pensions session

At least 30 days before the session, we will send you a convocation notice, along with a copy of the Commissioner Reporter's advice.

You may appear in person, alone or accompanied by another person, or be represented (by a doctor, lawyer, union representative, ...).

Step 5: Decision

After the session, the Committee will send you the decision as soon as possible by registered letter.
Once the period for appeal has passed, the Committee will also send:
- a copy of the decision to the Minister for National Defence;
- the file to the Pensions Service for the potential payment of the indemnity pension.

If the degree of disability amounts to at least 10%, a new investigation to determine the degree of chronic disability will be held after five years.

The duration of the procedure depends on the complexity of the application, the number of applications and the reaction time of the several parties involved.

How much will I receive and when will I receive it?

You will receive a fixed compensation that will depend on the awarded degree of disability. This compensation covers the physical, material and non-material damages.

The law provides that a payment can only be made if the total degree of invalidity amounts to at least 10%.

If you are entitled to an indemnity pension, it will be made payable 60 days after the decision.

What should I do if my health deteriorates?

If your recognised condition deteriorates, you can file an application due to deterioration at any time:

The application is investigated by the technical office, which will then pass the assignment on to the FMS. Once the technical office has received the record of the medical assessment, it will publish a Ministerial Order, unless the procedure is treated by the Committee for Indemnity pensions.

The previously awarded total degree of invalidity will only be adapted if the new total degree of invalidity is at least 5% higher than the previous degree of invalidity.