This project was commissioned to add to the field of research arising from the Mental Health in the Australian Defence Force: 2010 Australian Defence Force Mental Health Prevalence and Wellbeing Study (MHPWS).

One aim of the MHPWS was to refine methods for detecting mental health conditions in the Australian Defence Force population, including the use of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10).

This project explored further the potential for identifying specific K10 screening cut-offs to maximise early intervention, and K10 epidemiological cut-offs to accurately monitor prevalence of disorders over time, using Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) health survey data.

The purpose of this report is to collate evidence gleaned from the international research literature, as well as the personal experiences of claimants, family members, and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) personnel, in order to inform our understanding of the relationship between applying for compensation and adverse mental health outcomes.

The overall aim of this project was to compare the health and use of health services of women in their 70’s and 80’s who are DVA Gold Card holders, or wives of DVA Gold Card holders, with similarly aged women in the general community who have no connections with DVA. The Centre for Military and Veterans’ Health (CMVH) conducted this project, with the data sourced from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH) which includes a random sample of over 10,000 women born 1921-26.

Conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in 2002, this report summarises the results of a study which examined the characteristics and service profile of recipients of Community Aged Care Packages (CACPs) who held a DVA gold or white card and compared this group and those who did not have a DVA gold or white card. It is based on an analysis of data collected through a census of CACP care recipients.