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Outcome 1—Compensation

Consultation with ex-service organisations and veterans

During 2001–02, the Department continued its practice of close consultation with ex-service organisations about current policies and procedures relating to claims for pensions and allowances by veterans and their dependants. A number of forums operated including:

• the Operational Working Party (OWP) which comprises representatives from all ESOs. The OWP provides feedback to the Department on issues relating to claims and appeals processing;
• the State Claims Workshops which provide a useful opportunity for discussion and, where appropriate, remedies for ESO concerns with policy and procedural matters. Senior departmental officers, and on occasion, members of the Repatriation Commission, participate in the workshops;
• a Working Group comprising DVA and Department of Defence officials and ESO representatives has been established to consider detailed aspects of the Government’s proposed new Military Compensation Scheme;
• consultative forums in association with the various heath and mortality studies, including the formation of a consultative forum consisting of ESO representatives and senior departmental officers, consider issues relating to the Department’s cancer and mortality study of Australian participants in the British atomic testing program;
• the Electronic Interface Working Party, which kept ESO members up-to-date on developments in the Department’s use of electronic tools during the year; and
• a National Forum of ESO representatives which met in August 2001 to discuss a wide range of strategic and policy issues. Frequent opportunities for interaction on these issues exist at courses organised through the Training and Information Program (TIP) (see page 109).

In February 2002, the Government announced an independent Review of Veterans’ Entitlements. The Review committee has received more than 2500 submissions from ex-service organisations and individuals and is due to report in November 2002.

Senior departmental officers met with ESO representatives during 2001–02 to discuss the issue of a one-off compensation payment to POWs of Korea and Europe.

Internet access to DVA information services

DVA provides a range of fact sheets and claim forms online for downloading and printing. The system is available to staff and agencies such as Centrelink that provide information services to the veteran community on behalf of DVA, particularly in regional and remote areas.

The Department’s Eligibility Module on the Internet (ELMNet) is an interactive system that enables users to enter responses to a series of logically arranged questions and to then receive advice on a wide range of DVA benefits based on the responses to these questions. Users can also access relevant application forms for these benefits via the system.

Provision of information

DVA provides major ESOs with up-to-date information on the Compensation Claims Processing System research library and the general research library on CD-ROM.

These libraries include information on the claims processing systems, statements of principles, pensions and allowances, military history and departmental procedures and instructions. This technical information and knowledge is useful to ESO pension officers and advocates in assisting veterans and their families in the preparation of their claims.

The Consolidated Library of Information and Knowledge is a repository of legislative, policy, reference, historical (military and Repatriation Commission), health and procedural material. It is made available to ESOs and veterans in CD-ROM format.

In 2001, Internet access was introduced using the DVA website www.dva.gov.au.

Rights of appeal

One of the key strategies of the Department is to ensure eligible veterans and dependants receive their lawful entitlements in a fair, consistent and timely manner. Decisions by the Repatriation Commission or its delegates about pensions and other benefits may be appealed to independent review bodies. On compensation matters, appeals can be made to the Veterans’ Review Board and then to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT). There are further rights of appeal to the courts on questions of law.

Appeals on income support and housing assistance matters can be made direct to the AAT and then to the courts. When a person is dissatisfied with an outcome of a decision concerning pensions and other benefits, the Department is required to provide information about the decision, setting out findings on material questions of facts and providing a reference to the evidence on which the decision was made and the reasons for the decision. This provides a fair and equitable process for determining claims and appeals for pensions and other benefits provided by the Department.

Under section 31 of the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986, the Commission has the power to review its own decisions. This process is an effective mechanism for the resolution of applications for review and in reducing time to process them.

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