DVA LogoAnnual Report 2005-2006

Developments in DVA

Service Delivery

As the number of World War II veterans and war widows/widowers falls, the Department’s workload is expected to decrease by between 30-50 per cent during the next 10 years. While the Department carries responsibility for the new Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Scheme and, from 2006-07, compensation arrangements for certain Australian Federal Police personnel with overseas service, this is not likely to offset the decline in World War II workload.

To meet these challenges and changing circumstances the Department conducted a review of its service delivery arrangements. The aim of the review was to develop options and strategies to enable DVA to match future resources to the expected decline in its workload, while maintaining the standard of service to which the veteran and defence force communities are accustomed.

During 2005-06, the Department moved to a new oneDVA structure based along functional lines. This has positioned DVA to adopt a consistent national approach for the delivery of services to veterans throughout Australia. Implementation of the new structure will not reduce access by the veteran community or lead to the closure of small state locations. 

Streamlined processes have already enabled improvements in claims processing in some areas and other business improvement process will be identified and implemented in the years ahead. The Department has purchased an integrated information and communications technology (ICT) application development framework (known as Cúram) that will facilitate the rebuilding of its ICT systems. The new framework will remove duplication and introduce further streamlining, making contact with the Department more convenient for the veteran community.  An improved Intranet on-line information service will better enable the Department’s staff to do their work.

Compensation and Support

The Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 is fully operational and delivering world class rehabilitation and compensation coverage for our men and women serving their nation both in Australia and in several operational areas around the world.

The Government agreed to provide a $20.8 million lump sum payment package to those who participated in F-111 Deseal/Reseal activities. The package was in response to the Study of Health Outcomes in Aircraft Maintenance Personnel (SHOAMP) and recognised that those personnel who participated in F-111 Deseal/Reseal work experienced a unique working environment. 

Under the scheme, ex gratia lump sum payments of $40 000 or $10 000 (depending upon the level of exposure) became available to F-111 Deseal/Reseal eligible participants. Approximately $20.3 million has been paid to 535 eligible personnel. These payments were in addition to any compensation available to personnel under statutory workers’ compensation schemes.

Following a review by the Department of Defence, Australian Defence Force personnel who served in Rwanda during 1994-96 had their service recognised as ‘warlike’ under the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986.  More than 630 personnel made a significant contribution to Operation Tamar, the United Nations Mission in Rwanda, during a time of brutal conflict. 

Significant 2006-07 budget initiatives relating to the new Policy and Development Division were additional funding of $20 million for strengthening and expanding access to the range of mental health care, counselling and support services and $24.4 million over four years to ensure continued access to high quality community nursing services for the veteran community.

Health

The Department undertook two major national procurement exercises during the year for health and related care services.

A nationwide Request for Tender for private hospital services was conducted in the second half of 2005‑06. The aim was to improve local access for members of the veteran community to high quality private hospital services, as well as extending services in metropolitan Perth and Brisbane following the expiry of long-term agreements with Ramsay Health Care for the Hollywood and Greenslopes Private Hospitals on 30 June 2006. As a result of the process, the number of contracted Tier 1 private hospitals around Australia has increased from 125 to 241. Every major private hospital in Brisbane and Perth has a Tier 1 contract and Darwin Private is now a Tier 1 provider. Rehabilitation, other sub and non-acute facilities and smaller regional hospitals have also become Tier 1 providers.  The Department has introduced an innovative incentives arrangement designed to improve the level of care and discharge arrangements for patients.

The community nursing program undertook a national tender process to ensure the continuation of quality services that assist veterans and war widows/widowers to remain independent in their own home for as long as appropriate and avoid untimely admission to hospital and aged care facilities. Community nursing providers from the public, not-for-profit and private sectors participated in the tender process, which resulted in 233 providers entering into a new contractual arrangement with the Department for services from 1 May 2006 to 30 June 2008.

Access Economics conducted a further review of the community nursing schedule of fees during 2005-06. This review built on Access Economics’ previous review of community nursing fees in 2004-05. The outcomes of the reviews assisted the Department in formulating a fee increase for DVA-contracted community nursing providers of 5.7 per cent from 1 October 2006, as announced in the 2006-07 Federal Budget.

Medicare Australia’s On-line Claiming Release 5 was successfully implemented in  October 2005. This allows for medical, pathology and a range of specialist claims to be transmitted and processed on-line. In addition, more than 71 per cent of DVA health providers are now being paid through electronic funds transfer. The on-line claiming and payment environment for health providers will lead to significant savings for the Department and providers as well as improving access to services for veterans.  

Rehabilitation

The year has been one of consolidation for rehabilitation activities in the Department. With the implementation of the oneDVA structure, the responsibility for all aspects of rehabilitation policy have been amalgamated in the Rehabilitation Policy Section within the Rehabilitation, Research and Development Group.

The major change has been the inclusion of policy development and review of the VEA-based Veterans’ Vocational Rehabilitation Scheme with the same roles for SRCA and MRCA based rehabilitation activities.  This amalgamation will strengthen DVA’s ability to simplify, streamline and standardise its approach to the delivery of rehabilitation services.

This consistency of approach is reflected in the use of the recently developed rehabilitation screening tool and the new standardised rehabilitation documents, used for individual rehabilitation assessments and plans, to be trialled for use in the second half of 2006.

Commemorations

The 60th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific and the end of World War II were marked by events throughout Australia and international ceremonies. The national Salute to Veterans in Canberra over the weekend of 13-15 August 2005 attracted 130 000 people to the Australian Defence Force and Australian War Memorial displays and activities, and the Australian Government thanked World War II veterans and their partners for their contribution to the nation at a reception at Parliament House as part of the weekend events. The special electorate grants program was strongly supported by Federal Members and, together with grants to capital city councils under the Saluting Their Service program, resulted in events to honour our World War II veterans in cities, regional centres and towns around the country.

The Department conducted commemorative missions to Hawaii, Papua New Guinea, Singapore and Hellfire Pass for representative veterans to take part in ceremonies to mark the end of World War II.

Some 260 000 surviving World War II Australian, British Commonwealth and allied veterans, widows and widowers were recognised personally with the commemorative medallion commissioned by the Government to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of  the war.

The major commemorative focus then moved to Gallipoli, the Vietnam War and the World War I battles of the Western Front. 

During 2005-06, the Department implemented new governance arrangements, including the establishment of the Commemorations and War Graves Division, Gallipoli Projects Section and position of Counsellor (Veterans’ Affairs) in the Australian Embassy in Turkey, to strengthen coordination and management of Anzac Day commemorations at Gallipoli and related issues. DVA was a key recipient of funding announced by the Government in December 2005 to support the bilateral relationship with Turkey.

The Anzac Day 2006 commemorations at Gallipoli were widely reported as dignified and informative. The Department contracted an event company to provide the infrastructure and develop an interpretive program that was shown overnight in the lead up to the Dawn Service.  A Request for Tender was issued in June 2006 for an event provider to fulfil these roles over the next four to five years.

In October 2005, the Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee into Matters relating to the Gallipoli Peninsula handed down its report. The majority and minority reports examined recent works undertaken in the Anzac area of the Gallipoli Peninsula and heritage issues.

Funding was announced in the 2006-07 Federal Budget to recognise the service of Vietnam veterans and commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan in August 2006. Funding was also committed over four years to mark the 90th anniversaries of Australia’s involvement in the World War I battles on the Western Front, which saw our greatest losses in wartime.

Sadly, in October 2005, Australia’s last World War I veteran to have seen active service, William Evan Allan of the Royal Australian Navy, died in Victoria at the age of 106.  Mr Allan received a state funeral.

The ACT Garden of Remembrance was officially opened in November 2005. More than 2 300 people attended the event to honour the memory of deceased veterans from the region. The Western Australian and Queensland Gardens of Remembrance were extended to meet future needs and work  commenced on the extension of the Launceston Garden of Remembrance.

The reconstruction of the 9th Australian Division Memorial at El Alamein was completed late in 2005 and rededicated by the Governor-General at a service on 30 April 2006, attended by four Australian veterans of that battle.

The Korean War on-line nominal roll of the more than 17 000 veterans who served in Australia’s armed forces in that conflict went live in July 2005. Together with the World War II nominal roll it provides recognition and an important community resource of our servicemen and women. The Vietnam War on-line nominal roll, being developed during 2006 and 2007, will add to these resources.

Defence Force Services

The Defence/DVA Links program remains a high priority within the Department.  The program will continue to map out the long-term course for DVA within the broader Defence portfolio.  The Defence/DVA Links Steering Committee, formerly the Defence/DVA Links Project Review Board, is concentrating on five high  priority areas over 2006 and 2007:

The Defence/DVA Links Steering Committee established  the Transition Management Working Group to identify current limitations or impediments for a member’s transition and the Electronic Data Transfer Working Group to focus on means of improving DVA process to determine eligibility and compensation claims. 

Defence and DVA are working on a business improvement project to improve DVA’s access to Defence’s hard copy service records.