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Annual report home > Annual Report of the Department of Veterans' Affairs > Outcome 4–Service Delivery
Outcome 4–Service Delivery The needs of the veteran community are identified, they are well informed of community and specific services and they are able to access such services. This outcome is delivered through output: 4.1 Provide communication and community support and development services to providers and the veteran community, including veterans' local support groups. Description DVA serves a veteran community spread across the country, including more than 111 000 veterans and dependants who live in regional areas. The veteran community receives information and assistance primarily through a network of State and regional offices and contracted agents. The Department's web site is being used more frequently as a means by which members of the veteran and defence force communities access information about entitlements. The Department has an ongoing program to identify the needs of the veteran and defence force communities and works with them to develop appropriate options for the delivery of information and services. In keeping with its commitment to the innovative use of new technology, DVA utilises aspects of new technologies with which veterans feel comfortable and which will keep them up- to-date with their entitlements and programs. Specific service delivery improvements are managed by various work teams located across DVA's outcome structure. For example, the Disability Compensation Branch manages the Training and Information Program (TIP) and Building Excellence in Support and Training (BEST) initiatives, while the Health Division has primary carriage of initiatives assisting members of the veteran community living in rural and remote areas. Outcome summary—2002–03 in reviewWhile the service delivery environment of the Department was relatively stable during the year, several major projects were completed, including:
These projects have maintained and improved the service delivery of the Department and will affect arrangements for future years. Business priorities as outlined in the DVA 2002–03 Corporate PlanIdentifying service improvements through surveys and data modellingThe Department undertakes the Veterans' Satisfaction Survey to measure performance against the standards set out in the DVA Service Charter and to identify opportunities for service delivery improvement. From June 2003, surveys will be undertaken six-monthly and will include both qualitative and quantitative components. Improving capacity for e-business and Internet access to productsThe trial of the Networked Online Veterans Electronic Lodgement (NOVEL) project took place in Tasmania from 16 September 2002 to 31 January 2003. The trial allowed the secure electronic lodgement of claims over the Internet. Tasmanian veterans can continue to use this service while the trial outcome is being assessed. Improvements to the DVA web site were implemented, with increased compliance with metadata and accessibility requirements. Improving telephone servicesSuccessful introduction of national 13, 1300 and 1800 telephone numbers allowed office-specific telephone numbers to be decommissioned. Other major progress was achieved in infrastructure changes. The introduction of Internet Protocol telephony commenced during 2002–03 is expected to produce speedier and more efficient services in coming years. Evaluating and managing departmental and agency services in regional areasA new VAN office was opened in Tweed Heads. Contracts with Centrelink covering arrangements in NSW and Queensland were extended based on positive evaluation of the services provided at these sites. The Department also took advantage of opportunities for service delivery improvements in regional areas through new agency arrangements. New contracts were developed in regional Western Australia and Victoria and trial agency contracts were implemented in South Australia. Increasing awareness of DVA benefits and services among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communitiesActivities aimed at improved networking and liaison with indigenous veterans were undertaken Influencing other community agencies to improve services for veteran and defence force communitiesService delivery staff continued to promote veterans' needs at the local level through VAN and agency networks. The Department maintains a high level of contact with local service providers and local groups are encouraged to develop community facilities where these are required. Assistance may be facilitated through DVA or other community grants programs. Major projects and initiatives for 2002–03The change in veteran demographics in recent years has prompted the Department to implement a range of service delivery arrangements that are flexible and cost-effective. The regional agency program is now in its sixth year. While the priority for the program in 2002–03 was to maintain existing arrangements, a modest expansion occurred during the year, with new trial sites providing information and electronic access to DVA in South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. As foreshadowed in the 2001–02 Annual Report, a new VAN office was established at Tweed Heads in July 2002 in response to the increasing number of veterans settling on the far north coast of NSW and Queensland's Gold Coast. This office has proven to be popular among local veterans with the initial high enquiry rate of 50 per day settling back to around 35 per day by January 2003. Internet and telephone services have also been improved. Work on DVA's web site continues to encourage access by those with Internet connectivity. The high take-up rate of the new national telephone numbers has allowed office-specific numbers to be decommissioned and opened up opportunities to better deal with callers. The Department achieved a less than six per cent unanswered call rate over the year. DVA began upgrading to a standardised Internet Protocol (IP) telephony solution during the year. When fully operational, the new telephony will facilitate further improvements in the delivery of services. The trial of the NOVEL project in Tasmania allowed the electronic lodgement of certain claim forms and personal information over the Internet. The trial is an important element in the Department's implementation of the Government Online Strategy. The NOVEL service is still available to Tasmanian veterans while the trial outcome is assessed. The Department also gave special attention to the level of service provided to members of the defence force community. The February 2003 issue of the DVA Service Charter 2003–04 provided the opportunity to respond to the concerns of younger veterans and reinforce timeliness standards for the processing of MCRS claims. DVA's performance against Service Charter standards will continue to be measured through Veterans' Satisfaction Surveys. Social justice and equity issuesEnsuring access for all is an important part of the Department's vision 'to achieve excellence in service delivery'. DVA's programs have always been targeted to those with disabilities and the aged. During the year, State offices of the Department monitored the implementation of veterans' special needs status under the Aged Care Act 1997. Since 1999, the inclusion of younger clients of the Military Compensation and Rehabilitation Scheme in DVA's client population has meant a new focus on ensuring access to information and assistance for younger people with disabilities. The Department has been progressively improving its service delivery to these clients and will continue to monitor its performance. It is expected that the proportion of younger clients seeking departmental assistance will continue to rise. Information about DVA and its services is also available through DVA's web site which is being progressively updated to comply with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (1.0), which are specified by the National Office for the Information Economy (NOIE) as the preferred Government standard. The standard aims to make web pages more accessible to people in rural and remote areas, people with disabilities and those using older technology. The World War II Nominal Roll web site, implemented in November 2002, received a high AA accessibility rating. This rating means that the web site's design makes it accessible to visually impaired users and those with other disabilities. Rural and remote accessDVA locates full Veterans' Affairs Network offices in large regional centres. Where it is not cost effective to do so, veterans' access to information, services and community development is facilitated by local agency arrangements. For example, arrangements with the Queensland Government Agent Program provide access to DVA information for veterans in 68 rural and remote towns throughout Queensland. An agency arrangement with Centrelink on Tiwi Island provides access to the DVA network through that office and a regular visiting service to the Torres Strait and outer islands. A different arrangement has developed in Victoria. The Wimmera Veterans Support Network was opened in November 2002 following a series of meetings between the Department's local VAN office, ESOs, and State-based Community Enterprise Centre representatives. Veterans and war widows now have access to local ESO pension and welfare officers at 10 Community Enterprise Centres in the Wimmera area at allocated times. The Department provides training for ESO pension and welfare officers through the TIP and BEST programs and Community Enterprise Centre staff have become familiar with DVA issues. Additionally, each State office has a program of country outreach visits aimed at providing information and assistance to veterans and their dependants about pensions and other benefits. For example, in NSW more than 11 000 veterans had contact with DVA during the year through outreach activities including interviews, information sessions and aged care or retirement expos. The veteran and defence force communities in regional areas can also telephone DVA using toll-free and local-call-rate telephone numbers, or obtain information via the web site. Together, these arrangements provide flexible and convenient access to DVA services for those in rural and remote areas. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander veteransThe Department continues to work with members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to ensure that indigenous veterans and their families are aware of and accessing their full entitlements. Various activities were directed towards indigenous veterans at the State and regional levels. For example, in March 2003 the Department distributed information at the Elders Camp in East Gippsland, reaching approximately 130 members of the Aboriginal community from across Victoria. The Western Australian office commenced a project to establish contact with indigenous veterans through local community channels and to provide them with information on DVA services and benefits and with an identifiable departmental contact person. DVA representatives in Tasmania presented information about veterans' entitlements to the Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Health organisations. In NSW, nine indigenous veterans attended the Pensions Officer TIP course. Services for special groupsThe Australian repatriation system provides pensions, health care and other forms of assistance to eligible members of the veteran and defence force communities. The majority of beneficiaries are Australian or British. Only a limited number of Commonwealth and Allied veterans and some dependants are from non-English-speaking backgrounds. This means that only a very small number of the Department's beneficiaries face barriers to services because of their race, language or culture. People with disabilitiesThe Department's policies and practices take into account the physical, mental and social well-being of the veteran community. The DVA Corporate Plan and Service Charter set out the Department's commitment to ensuring access and a level of service for members of the veteran and defence force communities, including people with disabilities. All DVA offices are maintained in accordance with accommodation standards that take into account client access considerations, particularly access for those with a disability. DVA provides publications through its web site while the web site accessibility policy and supporting guidelines for DVA's web authors aim to continually improve accessibility to this resource for people with disabilities. Under the Australian Government Disability Strategy's Performance Reporting Framework, the Department performs all five roles specified in the framework (Policy Adviser, Regulator, Purchaser, Provider and Employer). Each role covers access to services by the veteran community. Appendix H reports on the Department's current level of performance against the Commonwealth Disability Strategy's Performance Reporting Framework under the DVA and OAWG Disability Action Plan 2002–03.
(Total Price of Outputs and Administered Expenses)
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