It has been one year since the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence launched its Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS) for LGBTQ+ veterans who were discriminated against during the military’s ban on homosexuality. FRS has now paid out millions in reparations, but the new Minister for Veterans, Louise Sandher-Jones (Labour), is urging more to come forward as the applications slow.

“Reaching every eligible veteran remains our most significant challenge,” Sandher-Jones said in a statement. “We are working to connect with the community – individuals who may have understandable reasons to be cautious about engaging with Defence communications. Many carry the weight of past mistreatment, and rebuilding that trust takes consistent effort across multiple channels, from traditional media to working closely with veteran organizations, NHS partners, and veteran employers.”

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When Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour government came to power in July 2024, Alistair Carns was appointed as Veterans Minister, but was replaced by Sandher-Jones when he became the Minister for the Armed Forces. Sandher-Jones took over the office in September this year and is a veteran herself, having served in Afghanistan.

The U.K. government is currently in the process of acknowledging the damage that was done by the past LGBTQ+ ban in the military and the discrimination that has been a part of the armed forces. The late Lord Etherton organized the LGBT Veterans Independent Review, commonly called the Etherton Review, which highlighted the horrific conditions that LGBTQ+ military personnel faced under the ban, which was lifted in 2000.

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In 2023, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak publicly apologized for the ban. Earlier this year, King Charles III attended the unveiling of the U.K.’s first memorial to LGBTQ+ veterans, which also emphasized the struggles caused by the ban and the investigations LGBTQ+ people were subjected to. Both of these and the reparations from the FRS are part of a list of 49 recommendations from the Etherton Review that the government has committed to completing.

The Financial Recognition Scheme launched on December 13, 2024. Since then, it has received 1,312 applications, 983 of which have been processed with decisions issued. Each application in the scheme is eligible for up to £70,000 ($95,000), and the program has now paid out over £32 million (over $43 million). Those include Discharged/Dismissed Payments (DD), Impact Payments (IP), and applications for both.

The FRS program has not been without challenge or controversy. LGBTQ+ veteran advocacy group Fighting with Pride has been heavily involved in the process and holding the government accountable. That has included highlighting the extremely slow pace of applications early on and speaking up for veterans who have had old wounds reopened by going through the application, only to wait months with no response.

However, that appears to be changing. Fighting with Pride (FWP) noted in May that from over 1,000 applications, only 24 had been processed and paid. By October (shortly after Sandher-Jones took on her new role), FWP issued an update stating that, of the 1,212 applications at the time, decisions had been made in 323 of the 924 DD claims and 147 of the 956 IP claims. By their November update, applications had risen only to 1,263, with decisions in 548 of the 952 DD claims and 248 in the 1002 IP claims, since April.

Sandher-Jones has acknowledged the issues with the system and noted that records have been hard to track down, and it has been a long time since that ban was lifted.

“I want to be candid about the challenges we have faced with the Financial Recognition Scheme,” she said. “Processing applications takes time because we are committed to getting every decision right. I understand the frustration expressed by veterans and organizations like Fighting with Pride, who rightly champion those affected. Their advocacy is important, and we are listening.”

The stark increase in decisions made suggests that the government is working to meet demands for faster processing times. However, the new challenge becomes getting more LGBTQ+ veterans who were affected to apply. The FRS program is set to close on December 13, 2026, so it is vital that veterans apply before that date.

While it is impossible to know the true numbers of veterans who might have been affected by the ban and discrimination in the military, Fighting With Pride has estimated that the number could be around 5,000. Along with the impending closing date, the advanced age and military-related health conditions of many of these veterans mean time is of the essence.

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