National Veteran Community Issues Forum
Reflections from the First Forum
Our inaugural forum exemplified the unity within the veteran and veteran family community, alongside the comprehensive support network of professionals dedicated to our well-being. The presence of the most senior leaders from the DVA was notable, although their premature departure hindered constructive engagement and we made no progress.
Going forward, it is imperative to ensure sustained attendance from key decision-makers to effectively address critical issues.
Given the unresolved matters from the previous month, we are committed to reengaging with the DVA to collaboratively address the following that were not resolved:
- Identifying and rectifying deficiencies in the business processes governing authorized GP assessments and the prompt payment of invoices, including ancillary services such as radiology, through proactive intervention by DVA's senior leadership.
- Exploring alternative approaches to ensure the continued acceptance of DVA cards and fee schedules by the medical profession, acknowledging the need for fair and equitable remuneration in line with industry standards.
In other words having no red in the flow chart diagram for invoice payment in the diagram to the left.
Click here to Register to Attend the National Veteran Issues Community Forum - 7 March 2024.
Click here to visit the Visit the National Register of Veteran Issues.
How to Eat an Elephant? In Bite Sized Chunks
The Elephant
We really need to address the elephant in the centre of the room and work with DVA to ensure that it does not weaken its ability to resolve issues so they can continuously improve. This cannot be done if the resources are spread so thin that DVA tries to eat the whole elephant of issues at once. It needs to take one bite and a time, and to consult veterans, because a public servant does not see a veteran issue as a veteran does. You cannot solve an issue if you do not understand it. DVA needs to focus on bite sized chunks of the elephant, with veterans, and other stakeholders and see then through to completion like each the random issues listed around the elephant to the right.
We do not think that DVA will participate in this next forum, so we will be addressing issues like:
- Offsetting. Why is it that a veteran can work for 40 years, and put money into DFRDB each pay, and then after a healthy discharge he gets sick and makes a claim and receives a payment for the injury but loses 100% of his DFRDB. This does not happen to civilians in Australia.
- The Douglas Case
- The acceptance of DVA cards
- The payment of invoices on time. We see many businesses that are up to $1m in arrears in terms of being paid by DVA, and some of this can be 60 days late. This will not attract people to support veterans.
- Plus, lots more listed in the National Register of Veteran Community Issues