DFWA advocates to improve the welfare and wellbeing of Defence members, veterans and their families.
Elections give the veteran community an opportunity to progress issues with all sides of politics. Our aim is to make certain issues visible and part of the discourse, in order to effect positive change for our community.
DFWA is currently reviewing its policy objectives and we would like your input. Our draft objectives are listed below.
Tell us what you think. Have we missed an important issue? What should our priority be? And, why?
Use the form below to let us know.
Consultation period closes 31 October 2021.
Draft Policy Objectives
DFRDB Commutation
There should be the immediate application of up-to-date life tables for calculating commutation and fortnightly payments for all current and new DFRDB superannuants; and rectification of the financial injustices caused by the application of out-dated life tables to superannuants.
Fair Indexation for all Military Superannuation Defined Benefit Pensions
The provisions of the Defence Force Retirement Benefits Fair Indexation Act should be extended to include all DFRDB, Military Super and ADF Cover pensions, including pensions paid to under 55-year-old superannuants, invalidity benefit pension recipients, and reversionary benefit pension recipients.
Remediate Repatriation Medical Fee Schedule
DVA clients should not need to rely on the good-will of health care providers, or to pay privately, to receive treatment for accepted conditions.
Fees paid to providers should not limit providers to take on DVA clients. Immediately remediate the Repatriation Medical Fee Schedule reduction resulting from the RMFS/Medicare freeze.
Improve DVA Claims Processing
Processing Timeframes
DVA should identify points of friction in claims processing that result in excessive delays, and appropriately resource mechanisms that address the cause.
DVA has identified “action required by the veteran” as primary cause of delays. DVA must develop and resource schemes that reduce the likelihood, impact, and length of such delays on claims.
Decision Transparency and Communication
DVA must communicate its determinations with sufficient information on their face to enable the veteran to assess whether the determination is correct.
Templated determinations must be designed in a veteran centric manner and should not require the veteran or their advocate to seek additional information from DVA.
Hearing Services
DVA should assume full and direct administration of the provision of hearing services to gold card and white card (accepted hearing condition) holders, including development and application of guidelines.
Guidelines should clearly recognise the UNMS principle, and should, once diagnosis and severity of loss have been accepted, prioritise satisfying lifestyle needs.
Inclusion of ‘No-Disadvantage’ Provision in the Military Covenant
The Australian Veterans’ Recognition (Putting Veterans and their Families First) Act be amended to include a provision that the Commonwealth acknowledges that veterans, or their families, will not be disadvantaged relative to any other section of the community
Feedback
Let us know what you think.