Veterans who are medically discharged from the Australian Defence Force may receive Invalidity Benefits from their super scheme depending on extent of disability. However, Veteran Invalidity Benefits are not all taxed the same way.
Now is not the time to introduce legislation which entrenches different treatment and leaves some disabled veterans paying more tax on their invalidity benefits than others. The draft Treasury Laws Amendment Bill 2022: Taxation of Military Superannuation Benefits embeds different tax treatment regimes for veterans depending on when they started receiving payments and the scheme.
Three key ex-service organisations have called for non-liability health care (NLHC) for all Defence Reservists. The Defence Reserves Association (DRA), the Defence Force Welfare Association (DFWA), and the Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL) have written a joint letter to the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel, Matt Keogh, seeking his support for the extension of health care to all those serving in the reserve forces.
The Defence Force Welfare Association (DFWA) congratulates the Prime Minister on his decision to establish a Royal Commission into veteran suicide. It welcomed the Government’s recognition of not only the depth of feeling within the veteran community regarding such tragedies but also by all sides of politics within the confines of both Houses of the Parliament.
Some Veterans medically discharged from the ADF and receiving Invalidity Benefits from their military superannuation had some good news today, when Justice Logan handed down his decision at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in Brisbane.
The Defence Force Welfare Association welcomes the Prime Minister’s announcements to establish a National Independent Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention, and a Families Advocate within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
The Defence Force Welfare Association (DFWA) has become concerned at the recent increase in ill-considered and oft-times inaccurate criticism of DVA by some in the media and on social media platforms.
The Defence Force Welfare Association (DFWA) welcomes the Labor Opposition’s commitment announced today in a joint Media Alert of wide-ranging support to both the nation’s current serving ADF members and to those who once served, importantly, including their families.
Veterans medically discharged, including all those with mental health wounds and at risk of self-harm, can receive an Invalidity Benefit from their superannuation scheme. The Australian Tax Office (ATO) taxes these variable payments as ordinary income rather than at the lower rates that can be applied to superannuation fund disability benefits.
The Defence Force Welfare Association (DFWA) welcomes the Government’s announcement yesterday that it would finally commission an independent inquiry into the commutation arrangements of the Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits (DFRDB) superannuation scheme.