Artificial Intelligence (AI) Transparency Statement

This statement sets out the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, including Open Arms, the Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency, Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission, Repatriation Medical Authority (referred to as “DVA” here as they share common ICT systems and infrastructure) approach to the safe, responsible and ethical adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in accordance with the Digital Transformation Agency’s (DTA) Policy for the responsible use of AI in government.

Our Approach to AI

DVA is modernising its technology systems to ensure veterans and their families receive timely, accessible and high‑quality services. This includes exploring opportunities to improve and streamline services through the safe and transparent adoption of AI technologies.

DVA does not and will not use AI to make decisions. DVA use of AI guiding principle is ‘Human at the helm’ - AI must have appropriate human oversight. Approved AI tools support staff but do not replace human responsibility, judgement or decision-making.

The DVA AI Transparency Statement will be updated as additional AI solutions are implemented.

We recognise that AI is a rapidly evolving technology with the potential to enhance operations and service delivery. We will engage with AI carefully, transparently, and in ways that build trust across the veteran community and our workforce.

Robust AI Governance

DVA’s AI Policy sets out principles, risk‑management approaches and approval processes to guide AI investigation, evaluation and implementation. Our governance approach aligns with Australian Government policies, frameworks and industry best practice.

All DVA staff undertake mandatory training on AI fundamentals, privacy and data protection.

Under the DTA Policy for the Responsible use of AI in Government, DVA ensures that AI use:

• is appropriately governed, with arrangements that evolve as technology and policy mature
• is intentional, safe, responsible, and promotes accountability and transparency
• is monitored for effectiveness, supported by appropriate governance and assurance controls and managed to protect the veteran community against potential negative impacts
• maintains stakeholder trust, particularly within the veteran community

DVA has established an AI Advisory Board, comprising government representatives, technical experts and a representative from veterans’ organisations, to support consultation, safety and oversight of AI initiatives and this transparency statement.

Consultation with the Veteran Community

DVA is committed to transparent engagement with the veteran community about how AI is considered and used. We communicate information and engage with the community through the following channels and forums:

• DVA website
• Social media
• Vetaffairs
• Defence publications and transition seminars
• Advocacy Training and Development Program (ATDP) newsroom articles  
• Deputy Commissioner mailing lists (State Ex Service Organisations (ESOs) and fee-for-service advocates)  
• National Consultation Framework (National ESOs) comprising  
  • Ex-Service Organisation Round Table (ESORT)  
  • Female Veterans and Veterans’ Families Policy Forum  
  • National Aged and Community Care Forum (NACCF)
  • Operational Working Party (OWP)
  • Younger Veterans - Contemporary Needs Forum (YVF).

This engagement ensures that AI initiatives reflect community expectations and contribute to improved outcomes and services for veterans and their families.

Adoption of AI in DVA

DVA adopts the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) definition of AI.

An AI system is a machine-based system that, for explicit or implicit objectives, infers, from the input it receives, how to generate outputs such as predictions, content, recommendations, or decisions that can influence physical or virtual environments. Different AI systems vary in their autonomy and adaptiveness after deployment.

Currently, DVA’s AI use falls within the following domains and usage patterns under the classification system for AI use:

• Domains: service delivery, policy and legal, and corporate and enabling.
• Usage patterns: Analytics for insights, and workplace productivity.

DVA will continue to review these technologies to ensure they remain suitable for the purposes outlined in this Statement with DVA’s governance, assurance and human oversight arrangements. 

DVA currently has AI technology deployed to support:

• Data analysis and horizon scanning, including statistical modelling and machine-learning algorithms that support analysis and planning.
• Writing clarity and productivity, including spelling, grammar and punctuation tools available through Microsoft products.
• Research, idea generation and drafting support, including Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, with DVA-specific safeguards to ensure no DVA data is shared with public large language models.
• Professional productivity within Microsoft 365, including the licensed version of Microsoft 365 Copilot, consistent with other Commonwealth agencies. Microsoft 365 operates in a closed, secure environment, with data hosted in Australia and not used to train public AI models.
• Website search, through AI-assisted search that can only access published information.
• Claims triage and processing support, including Microsoft AI Builder to identify and extract relevant information from emails. Staff remain responsible for reviewing outputs and making decisions.
• Claims analysis support, including Semantic Text Analysis, an advanced form of keyword matching, to interpret unstructured MyService text responses submitted by clients. Staff remain responsible for analysis and decisions about claim outcomes.
• AI tool development and service improvement, using GovAI platform capabilities to help DVA build, test and use AI tools to improve productivity, review processes and improve service delivery.
• Policy and procedural search, through DVA OneChat, a DVA-built AI-assisted tool that helps staff locate official DVA policy and procedural information from multiple sources. It does not access veteran records or personal data and does not make decisions or recommendations.
• Australian Government information search, through GovAI Chat (Beta), which helps staff search and access publicly available Australian Government information from a single AI-assisted interface.
• Consultation and feedback analysis, through DVA’s online consultation platform, Converlens, which includes AI-assisted tools to help authorised staff summarise feedback, identify common themes and analyse survey and consultation responses. AI-generated outputs support analysis and reporting and are reviewed by DVA staff before being relied on.

These AI tools support staff but do not replace human responsibility, judgement or decision-making.

DVA expects the technology that supports our digital ecosystem to continue evolving and with AI playing an increasing role in enhancing digital capabilities, efficiency and service delivery.

DVA continues to pilot a prototype AI-assisted Claims Document Reader tool, developed by DVA within the GovAI Platform. The GovAI Platform, provided by the Department of Finance, provides access to a range of third-party AI models and tools. DVA uses the GovAI Platform to support the development and deployment of the Claims Document Reader tool. The tool helps staff identify, organise and review relevant information contained within claim documents, supporting more timely and consistent claims processing while retaining human oversight. 

The pilot supported by RSL Queensland uses an informed client consent model to ensure participants understand the purpose of the tool, what claims information may be used during the pilot and how AI-enabled technologies may interact with information. The pilot is testing the suitability of the tool to assist staff in processing claims. The tool does not provide guidance on what a claims decision should be, make decisions or determine claim outcomes. Delegates continue to assess the evidence directly and make decisions, based on their assessment of all the material before them and not solely on information organised by the tool. Responsibility for all claims decisions remain with trained delegates.

More information on the DVA AI Claims Document Reader Pilot is available on the DVA website.

Simpler forms of basic computer validation and task automation

As the community would expect, DVA computer systems also support employees and decision-makers with basic validation and task management, which can include some basic automation. These types of activities are governed by other arrangements and are outside the scope of the Policy for the responsible use of AI in government.

DVA does make use of basic computer-assisted task management to support the efficiency of its service delivery and decision-making processes in line with general principles of administrative decision-making. 

Compliance

As part of our adoption of AI technology, DVA ensures compliance with relevant legislation, including the Archives Act 1983 (Cth), Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth), and the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), DVA’s Privacy Policy, and compliance with relevant Veterans’ Affairs law. 

For more information about the laws relevant to support for veterans and their families, please visit the DVA website. For additional detail about all legislation administered by the department, please visit the Federal Register of Legislation. 

Review and Contact

DVA meets mandatory requirements of the Policy for the responsible use of AI in government and has designated an AI Accountable Official (October 2024). DVA has also appointed a Chief AI Officer (February 2026).

For enquiries about the DVA AI Transparency Statement or about our adoption and usage of AI, please contact us at AI@dva.gov.au.