HIGH PRIORITY

Disability Pension Payments

Arrest the erosion of the value of all levels of disability pension payments (general rate, intermediate rate, special (TPI) rate, EDA rate) and subsequent loss of earning/purchasing power caused by indexation methodology. Includes the abandonment of the split indexation of the Special (TPI) rate and catch-up payments where there has been financial detriment to veterans.

Children’s Health

Immediately commence a far- reaching and adequately funded study into the health of the children of Vietnam Veterans.

Mental Health

Provide better and simplified mental health assessment, treatment, and compensation regimes. Improve and simplify psychiatric condition acceptance procedures. Provide adequate funding to ensure eligible veterans have access to mental health professionals, mental health programs and facilities, including hospital beds.

Veteran Aged Care

Seek Government provided aged care facilities for veterans. Seek Government assistance with meeting the cost of entry into retirement village type accommodation.

Private Health Insurance for Carers

Given the Government’s current reluctance to budge on TPI payments and pharmaceuticals, we need to look for alternative ways of putting some value back into Veteran compensation payments.

Carers (whether in receipt of carers allowance or not) of Veterans to be recognized by Government as providing a valuable service which in fact saves the Government significant funds by keeping Veterans at home and out of medical facilities. We will argue that a Veteran needs to provide private health insurance in order to ensure that the carer can remain available, and that this is a heavy financial burden. By providing private health insurance the Government is taking out cheap insurance so that a carer will be able to get immediate medical attention if needed and thus the Veteran may not need to be hospitalised-thus saving costs for the provision of medical services.

 

MEDIUM PRIORITY

Medical and Dental Services

Ensure unrestricted access to medical, dental and allied services for entitled veterans. Adequately remunerate specialists thereby encouraging them to treat veterans. Extend gold card entitlements to spouses of gold card holders.

Pharmaceuticals

Provide free pharmaceuticals for entitled veterans.

Retrospective Awards

Conduct reviews into the lack of bravery awards made to Vietnam Conflict service personnel with the aim of retrospectively making appropriate awards, including allowing foreign awards to be recognized. Broaden the award of active service medals to include personnel who were engaged in certain logistic support and evacuation operations.

Rental Assistance

Current superannuation rules, increases in real estate prices and a tight rental market are all contributing to rising rental costs and a shortage of rental properties (some owners are selling their rental properties in order to take advantage of attractive super rules). Veterans in rental situations are under increasing pressure.
This matter has been raised with government before and rejected, however we must try again and look for a different approach.

Funeral Benefit

Increase the funeral benefit for all eligible veterans to at least $4000.

 

LOWER PRIORITY

Alternative Medicine and Health Services

Provide free access to alternative medicine and health services for gold card holders.

Legal Aid

Provide legal aid to Vietnam Veterans in all states through state legal aid commissions irrespective of the case.

Role of Carers

Give proper recognition to the role of carers of Vietnam Veterans. Provide funding and resources to allow access to community health facilities and adequate respite breaks.

WATCHING BRIEFS

Note: A “Watching Brief” provides for the re-visit of the matter should additional information become available or further action is required.

War Graves

Maintain as official war graves, the graves of all Vietnam Veterans who died on active service and are buried in Australia, irrespective of whether the funeral was conducted privately or with military honours.

Counselling Access

Remove age and time limits for access to VVCS counselling services for children of Vietnam Veterans and divorcees.

Voluntary Work

Acknowledge the value of TPI veterans undertaking voluntary work.

Medal Issue

Immediately improve and adequately resource the medal issuing authority in order to overcome long delays in delivering service medals to eligible personnel.

 

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