Veterans' Affairs

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

The Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) provides information on pension types and rates, health care, housing, counselling services and other veterans' information including Military Compensation and Rehabilitation Service and Veterans' Affairs Network (VAN).
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Phone numbers:
General Inquiry line 133 254 - connects callers to their nearest DVA state office.
1800 555 254 - connects non-metropolitan callers to their nearest DVA state office.
1300 13 1945 - connects interstate callers to any DVA state office using voice prompts.
VAN 1300 55 1918 - connects callers to their nearest VAN office.

Veterans’ family health

Reaserch is now underway into the health of Australia’s veteran community, helping identify health problems that may have occurred as a result of service in Vietnam.

Family members of Vietnam Veterans, their neices, nephews, partners, step children, etc are being urged to sign up for the Vietnam Veterans Family study, as scientific validity relies on adequate registration numbers. Particpants will be split into two key groups, those who served in Vietnam, and those who didn’t. Invitaion are being sent to around 20,000 servicemen of the Vietnam era and with the program’s budget at $11.5million, the study promises to be one of the most significant ever carried out in this demographic.

The study is expected to be completed by 2016 although reulsts will be made available throughout the course of the study.

You can find out more or register by emailing , calling 1800 502 302 or visiting www.dva.gov.au

Counselling

The Vietnam Veterans Counselling Service (VVCS) is a specialsed, free, confidential Australia-wide service for Australian veterans of all conflicts and peacekeeping operations and their families. VVCS staff are professionally qualified with skills in working with life problems faced by veterans and their families. They can also provide a wide range of programs and treatment for war and service related mental health conditions. VVCS is available 24 hours, phone 1800 011 046

Also available for counselling 24 hours is Lifeline, phone:13 11 14

Defence Service Homes (DSH)

For information on the Defence Service Homes Subsidised Home Loan Scheme and the Defence Service Homes Insurance Scheme which are available to eligible veterans and war widow(er)s, go to the DVA fact sheets and look under DSH in the Keyword Index.
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DVA Facts

DVA Facts has information on the various benefits and services provided by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Veterans' Review Board (VRB) and the Vietnam Veterans' Counselling Service (VVCS). There are fact sheets on many matters, indexed by topic and by keyword so if you can't find the information you want from the DVA site menus, try the fact sheets.
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DVA Forms

An online system which allows forms used by DVA to be printed or viewed on screen. The site allow searching for a form by topic, keyword or form number.
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GARP

'Guide to the Assessment of Rates of veterans' Pensions (GARP)' is applied to assess the extent of incapacity from war-caused or defence-caused injury or disease.
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Gold Card

WW2 veterans aged 70 and over with qualifying service are entitled to a Gold Card - 'Repatriation Health Card For All Conditions.' All other Australian Defence Force veterans with qualifying service over the age of 70 are eligible for the Gold Card from 1 July 2002. The Gold Card gives the holder access to the full range of Repatriation health care benefits. The holder is eligible for treatment for all health conditions irrespective of whether they are war-caused or not. The Gold Card may also be issued to War Widows/Widowers and eligible dependants of a deceased veteran, whose death has been accepted as war-caused. Find out more about the Gold Card including eligibility from the DVA Facts HSV60.
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Find out how to apply for a Gold Card:
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Phone 133 254, or for non-metropolitan callers 1800 555 254

Health Care

For Veterans' Health Care matters including treatment, health programs, health promotions, housing, Veteran and carer community support programs, and counselling.
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Veterans’ Vocational Rehabilitation Scheme (VVRS)

VVRS operated by the Department of Veterans' Affairs helps eligible veterans, with or without a disability, who need special assistance to obtain or hold suitable paid employment. The scheme is free to eligible veterans. The scheme can also assist those veterans who currently receive a T&PI pension, an Intermediate Rate of pension (able to work part time or half time), or an Invalidity Service Pension, and want to return to paid work or increase their hours of paid employment, without losing their pension entitlements.
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Veterans’ Review Board

An independent statutory body which is part of the Australian repatriation determining system. The VRB reviews individual decisions of the Repatriation Commission affecting certain pensions and benefits for Australian veterans and their dependants. More information from DVA Facts.
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Veterans’ Information Service

On behalf of DVA, Centrelink provides a Veterans' Information Service and a Community Support Service in selected Centrelink Customers Service Centres to help veterans.
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Veterans’ Housing

Information on activities in Housing and Aged Care support for veterans and their dependants in their homes, in the community or in residential care. Includes information on the Defence Service Homes Scheme and insurance, Home Support Loan, Home Maintenance Helpline (property maintenance advice and referral to tradespeople) and HomeFront (a falls and accident prevention programme).
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For The Helpline and HomeFront you can phone (Freecall) 1800 80 1945. 

Veterans’ Home Care

The Veterans' Home Care Program is to help veterans and war widows/widowers remain in their own homes for longer. It includes domestic assistance, personal care, home and garden maintenance, and respite care. This DVA site covers eligibility for home care and other related information.
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Veterans’ Children Education Scheme (VCES)

The VCES provides guidance, counselling and financial assistance to certain students up to 25 years of age to help them achieve their full potential in education or career training. All T&PIs, war widows and those on the extreme disablement adjustment (EDA) rate who have children who are attending school, TAFE or university are eligible for assistance from the VCES regardless of their income, assets or children's income. Veteran grandparents with custody or grandchildren students who are eligible should also make application for assistance under VCES. For more information see DVA Fact Sheet or contact your local VAN office.
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Veterans’ Affairs Financial Information Service (VAFIS)

Free, independent information about financial investments - for example, what is available and how your investments and assets affect your pension. You can call at DVA offices or you can be met in your home. To arrange an appointment, contact your nearest DVA office. Centrelink runs a similar Financial Information Service which is also free to DVA pensioners.
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Veterans’ Affairs Network (VAN)

VAN provides the local point of contact between veterans and DVA. For a list of local offices:
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Phone 1300 55 1918

Vietnam Veterans’ Children Support Program (VVCSP)

This program helps the families of Vietnam veterans with the medical costs of their children suffering from spina bifida mainfesta and cleft lip/palate. The program was developed by the Department of Health and Ageing, in consultation with DVA, and is administered by the Health Insurance Commission. For details of eligibility and assistance available:
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Phone VVCSP coordinator 1800 550 504

Service/Personnel Records

Information on sources for an individual's service or personnel records for World War I, World War II or post World War II veterans is available from DVA's 'How to find a Digger' page, including a link to WW2 Nominal Roll. The site can also direct you to sources about service medals as well as to The Office of Australian War Graves (OWAG) and to the Australian War Memorial (AWM).
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The Right Mix - Your Health and Alcohol

Thinking of doing something about your drinking? Or are you concerned about a family member or mate? This DVA site will enable you to help yourself, help your partner, help a mate or help a client/patient. There is a self assessment questionnaire, resources and links, where to find help, and other information.
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Rehabilitation Appliances Program

The Rehabilitation Appliances Program (RAP) assists eligible veterans, war widows and widowers and dependants to be as independent and self-reliant as possible. Quality aids and appliances may help minimise the impact of disabilities and assist individuals to care for themselves and undertake daily activities. More information on the Fact Sheet HSV 107.
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Publications

In addition to the fact sheets (see DVA Facts above) DVA has quite a number of useful publications such as, in the health field, the Carers Booklet, Back to Basics
(handy hints for carers to help prevent back injuries) and fitness advice. These publications can be downloaded or are free of charge to veterans, war widows/widowers and their carers from DVA State and VAN Offices.
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PTSD

The Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health (ACPMH) of the University of Melbourne aims to achieve significant improvements in the recognition, prevention, and treatment of mental health problems in past and present members of the Australian Defence Force and other defined Australian populations. ACPMH and the Australian Defence Force has a Memorandum of Understanding which includes these key areas:

• Provision of specialist advice on issues relating to posttraumatic mental health
• Specialist advice on mental health issues relating to the transition of personnel from the ADF to DVA
• Assisting in the development and implementation of ADF services for posttraumatic mental health conditions
• Training and educating ADF health personnel in the area of traumatic stress
• Providing specialist advice on research
• Facilitating links with key international military mental health and traumatic stress experts.

Pension Guide

You and Your Pension is a guide for service pensioners and for war widows and widowers who receive the income support supplement.
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ELMNet is the DVA Eligibility Module on the Internet. This module is a guide to veterans, their partners, and Ex-Service Organisations in investigating possible eligibility for DVA pensions and benefits, and how to obtain them.
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Pensions

Age Pension age for social security purposes is 65 years for men. For women the qualifying age for Age Pension varies in accordance with the date of birth as shown in the table below.

The qualifying age for male veterans with qualifying service and a service pension is 60. For female veterans the pension age is being raised by six months every two years so that by 1 July 2013, female and male pension ages will be the same; see the table below.

For detailed information about pension types, rates, allowances, policy and other information.
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For other general information about the Service Pension and Income Support Supplement see the fact sheet.
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Veterans’ Associations

Further assistance and information is available from national associations.
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