Veterans Vocational Rehabilitation Scheme (VVRS)

Veterans' Vocational Rehabilitation Scheme (VVRS)

On this page:

Are you a veteran and
A free and voluntary Scheme with No Penalties
How can we help?
How the Scheme can affect your pension
Disability Pensions
How the Scheme worked for a veteran on a Special Rate Pensions
Invalidity Service Pension
Withdrawal from the Scheme
More Information
Other assistance

Are you a veteran and

about to leave the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with eligible service, including peacekeeping deployments, and consider you need special assistance to move into civilian employment?
want to increase your hours of paid employment?
want to return to paid work?
feel at risk of losing your job?
finding it increasingly difficult to keep up the hours you are working?

The Veterans' Vocational Rehabilitation Scheme (VVRS) operated by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA), helps eligible veterans, with or without a disability, who need special assistance to obtain or hold suitable paid employment.

The Scheme can also assist those veterans who currently receive:

and want to return to paid work or increase their hours of paid employment, without losing their pension entitlements.

A free and voluntary Scheme with No Penalties

The Scheme is FREE for eligible veterans. Participation in the Scheme is VOLUNTARY. And there are NO PENALTIES for an inability to complete a program.

How can we help?

A range of VVRS services can help you find or keep a job. Services may include:

a professional vocational assessment to determine opportunities;
advice on job seeking;
assistance with updating or upgrading your skills, for instance, helping you to get recognition for your on-the-job training where this is essential for gaining or keeping employment;
advice and support if your job is at risk; and
assistance with finding work.

Some examples of how the Scheme can help eligible veterans:

if you are not working as a result of disabilities, whether accepted by DVA or not, but believe you could work again and want to look for a job, the Scheme can help you with assessing and updating your skills, job-seeking procedures and interview skills;
if you are having trouble coping at work but do not want to leave the paid workforce, the Scheme can help you manage the situation or help you examine other employment options;
if you are leaving the ADF and experiencing difficulty in moving to civilian employment, the Scheme can help with special assistance to find suitable employment;
if you can't find suitable employment with your current skills, the Scheme may help you obtain the skills needed for civilian employment, including training or educational assistance.

How the Scheme can affect your pension

If you currently receive a DVA pension and find work through the Scheme, you will not receive less income than you would have without that employment.

The Scheme provides a safety net for veterans receiving pensions from DVA. The safety net applies to veterans being paid the Special Rate (T&PI), Intermediate Rate and Invalidity Service Pension.

There are two guarantees:

If paid work ceases at any time or for any reason, including retrenchment, retirement, or ill health, Special Rate or Intermediate Rate pensions are restored in full automatically. Invalidity Service Pension restoration is subject to the income and assets tests.
A veteran's income (from disability pension and earnings) will never be less than the disability pension that would otherwise be payable.

Disability Pensions

Veterans receiving a Disability Pension between 10-100% of the General Rate will continue to receive the full pension payment even if they obtain employment.

Special and Intermediate Rate pensions are paid because of an inability to work and will be affected. However, if we vary your pension when you find paid work, that will not change your T&PI status. This means that if you have a Gold Card it will never be lost because of a return to work.

If employment is obtained as a result of the Scheme, veterans on Special and Intermediate rates of disability pension will have the rate adjusted. For the first two years of employment, the adjustment will provide the veteran with 100% of the General Rate, plus half of the difference between the General Rate and the Special or Intermediate Rates, whichever the veteran was originally receiving. Over the next five years, these pensions are gradually reduced to 100% of the General Rate.

The adjustment applies for the initial two-year period after gaining employment, and is then gradually tapered over the next five years. After seven years the adjusted portion is no longer payable. Regardless of how much you earn, you will continue to receive a pension at 100% of the General Rate. However, if you leave the workforce, your Special Rate pension or Intermediate Rate pension is restored in full.

How the Scheme worked for a veteran on a Special Rate Pension

John was in receipt of a Special Rate Pension. He found employment using his skills as an electrician, undertaking small appliance repair. He applied and was accepted onto the VVRS, commencing work shortly after. His Special Rate Pension was reduced to 100% of the General Rate plus half the difference between the Special and General Rates. He has now been in this employment for 12 months, and his rehabilitation program has been finalised. His pension rate remains the same, irrespective of the amount of money he earns in the first two years. There is no further reduction of his pension rate in the first two years, no matter how much money he earns. A gradual taper of his Disability Pension begins after two years of continuous employment for a further period of five years. After a period of seven years continuous employment, John will receive a disability pension equal to 100% of the general rate. There will be no further reduction in the rate of his pension.

John intends to retire in eight years time. When he retires, he simply needs to advise DVA in writing of his decision to retire and his Special Rate Pension will be reinstated.

Invalidity Service Pension

In the first two years of employment, 50% of the veteran's gross earnings from employment is taken into account for the income and assets tests for the Invalidity Service Pension. In the following five years, the other 50% of gross earnings from employment is progressively taken into account. Most veterans will keep all ancillary benefits (eg, Gold Card) they were eligible for before entering the Scheme. Veterans who receive a disability pension of less than 50% General Rate and whose Invalidity Service Pension Rate falls below the treatment benefit limit will lose Gold Card. Pensioner Concession Card eligibility, telephone allowance, and remote area allowance will eventually be lost if service pension ceases to be payable.

Withdrawal from the Scheme

Veterans withdrawing from the workforce for any reason, including normal retirement, will return to the rate of disability pension applicable prior to participation in the Scheme. Special or Intermediate Rate pensions will be restored. Eligibility for the Invalidity Service Pension will be retained for seven years while participating in the Scheme. After that time, any re-application for Invalidity Service Pension must be assessed according to the eligibility criteria which apply to applications made after 1 January 2000. If withdrawing from the Scheme any time during the seven years, you will be subject to the normal income and assets tests.

Every veteran will have different circumstances. Please discuss your details with your local DVA/VVRS representative.

More information

Contact your nearest Department of Veterans' Affairs office using the telephone numbers listed below or visit the Department's Internet home page: www.dva.gov.au

For information on VVRS contact
DVA State offices 133 254
Country residents 1800 555 254
Interstate dialing1300 13 1945
DVA website www.dva.gov.au

Other assistance

Veterans injured or ill as a consequence of ADF service may be entitled to vocational rehabilitation and compensation from the Military Compensation and Rehabilitation Service (MCRS).

To qualify under the MCRS you must have a disability accepted as resulting from your service. The MCRS applies to:

all members of the permanent Defence Force;
all members of the Reserve Force;
cadets and officers and instructors of cadets; and
other people declared in writing by the Minister, who:
- hold an honorary rank in the Defence Force; or
- are members of philanthropic organisations that provide services to the Defence Force; or
- are undertaking Career Transition Training under an arrangement made by the Defence Force.

ADF members receiving Career Transition benefits may also be entitled to access the Veterans' Vocational Rehabilitation Scheme.

For further information contact the MCRS help line on 1300 550 461.

Quotes from Veterans who have used the VVRS ....

"The VVRS set me on the right track"

"Without the support of the Scheme I wouldn't have had the motivation to keep looking for work"

"My case manager assessed my abilities and assisted me with pain management.......allowing me to work again"

"The DVA people were always very helpful, enthusiastic and supportive - nothing was ever too much trouble for them"

Feedback on the Veterans' Vocational Rehabilitation Scheme.

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