Today The Hon Matt Keogh MP, the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel announced the commencement of public consultation on a Pathway to simplify veteran compensation and rehabilitation legislation.
This action is being taken as a response to Recommendation 1 of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide Interim Report – that there is an urgent need to simplify the existing veteran compensation and rehabilitation legislation.
The proposed pathway to simplify the legislation is available on the DVA website here.
The proposed pathway seeks to reform more than a century of veterans’ entitlement legislation, providing veterans the support they not only need, but deserve.
The Pathway for consultation anticipates:
- New claims under existing schemes will cease after a transition period, from which point all new veteran claims will be dealt with under an improved Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act (MRCA) as the sole ongoing Act. The MRCA currently services the majority of claims.
- All benefits under existing schemes will continue unaffected, with only new claims or claims relating to deteriorated conditions to instead be covered by the single ongoing Act.
The consultation process will inform the way forward for government to simplify veterans’ legislation.