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The Partners of Veterans Association of Australia Inc.
ARBN 105 524 972 ABN 95 105 524 972
Patron: Her Excellency Lady Cosgrove
Postal Address: Mobile: 0416 036 302
PO Box 3494 E-Mail:
TUGGERAH NSW 2259 Website:
27 October 2017
Our Association makes the following suggestions that may require an addition and/or change to Legislation:
Veterans Children Education Scheme for 16-19 year old students;
The original intent of the VCES legislation was to provide an additional element of compensation to an eligible DVA client family / children; recognising the additional financial burden that a TPI/SRDP client has with” dependent children who are more vulnerable than the average”.
In order to maintain the original intent VCES should always be an over the general community payment for all dependant students regardless of the child’s age.
Veteran Parents who receive an income support payment are able to receive Family Tax Benefit Part A from Centrelink in addition to VCES up to the age of 16 yrs.
Currently VCES for these dependent 13 to 15 year old children is $55 which is paid to the parent and is not taxable.
Veteran Parents of a child 16 to 17 receive $243.40 from VCES.
This payment even though it is paid to the parent,is taxable to the dependent child and is $5.54 more than the general community rate paid by Centrelink which is $237.86 and non- taxable.
VCES for 18 and over is $292.70 (taxable to the child) which is $54.84 more than the Centrelink payment of $237.86 which is non- taxable.
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Removal of the two year time barrier for discharged Australian Defence members to make application for the Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme; a scheme administered by DVA on behalf of Defence:
After transitioning out of the ADF there is more than enough pressure put upon the member in regard to health issues, employment, re-adjustment to civilian life and relationship issues, not to mention the need to save for a deposit for a home.In the case ofmany these issues are too great to consider purchasing a home,why place another burden on that person?
Certainly there are ADF members who will be able to cope with this situation but just as certain there would be many more who would find it difficult.This two year time limit is a burden that needs to be removed as in previous years no such limitation was placed upon our servicemen or women who in particular had qualifying service.
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Partners and Primary Carers of disabled Veterans to be included in the Veterans Entitlement Act (VEA); Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act(DRCA) and the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act (MRCA)
For over 100 years the Australian Military have been involved in Wars and Conflicts. Wounded men in body and mind return to their families and are then cared for by either their partner or parent. Government are free with their rhetoric on support for the veteran and their family but in actual fact there is very little support for the one constant caring factor in a disabled veteran’s life; his/her partner or parent.
Either of these people are in many cases the primary carer for a disabled veteran; a disability incurred by the veteran’s service to his/her country.
While the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) offers excellent assistance to those veterans with accepted disabilities the toll taken on their Primary Carer can often be very different.
Taken from the DVA website:
WHO WE SUPPORT
Through the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, DVA supports:
• veterans, war widows and widowers
• serving and former defence force members
• eligible Australian Federal Police members with overseas service
• Australian participants in British nuclear tests in Australia, and
• their dependants and carers by providing assistance.
HOW WE SUPPORT YOU
We support you to maintain physical, mental and financial well-being and quality of life by:
• delivering health care and rehabilitation services emphasising wellness and self sufficiency
• providing compensation and income support, and
• providing information and advice about our services.
We acknowledge and commemorate those who served Australia by recognising their service and sacrifice through official commemorations.
Photographs and advertisements for the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) and DVA invariably feature Families with their Veteran,intimating that DVA support those who care for a disabled
veteran when in fact any support is provided in the home by the primary carer who often has the family to care for as well as being employed to supplement the family income.
Government sponsored and other studies over the past fifteen or more years show that returning traumatised war veterans can adversely affect the health of their partner. There is plenty of good evidence for this as below :
(Alessi, Ray, Ray, & Stewart, 2001; Arzi, Solomon, & Dekel, 2000; Kiecolt-Glaser, McGuire, Robles, & Glaser, 2002; G.V. MacDonell, Bhullar, & Thorsteinsson, 2016; G. V. MacDonell, Marsh, Hine, & Bhullar, 2010; G. V. MacDonell, Thorsteinsson, Bhullar, & Hine, 2014; Maloney, 1988; Outram, Hansen, MacDonell, Cockburn, & Adams, 2009; Riggs, Byrn, Weathers, & Litz, 1998; Zarrabi et al., 2008).
The partners of Australian combat veterans are at an increased risk of experiencing mentalhealth problems, according to new research by the University of New England. Mental Health as we are all aware, affects lifestyle choices and physical illness.
Dr Gail MacDonell, Dr Navjot Bhullar and Associate Professor EinarThorsteinsson from the School of Behavioural, Cognitive and Social Sciences, found that there was a link between the number of deployments and the depression, stress and anxiety in partners of certain military personnel.
“We examined depression, anxiety, and stress in the partners, based on the theory that multiple deployments tend to lead to higher rates and severity of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and subsequently the higher the severity of PTSD in the Veteran the poorer the psychosocial functioning of the partner. We also found in this study that military lifestyle could itself produce negative outcomes for the partners,” said Dr MacDonell.
The study involved 360 female partners of Australian veterans from various conflicts including World War II, the Gulf War,Vietnam, East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Separation, unpredictable duty hours, frequent relocations and single parenting are just a few stressors that face partners of veterans on a regular basis. Attempting to build a career while being a partner of a veteran is difficult, with some suggesting that existing gender inequality in the workplace gives partners a dual disadvantage.”
Dr MacDonell says there is a growing interest in understanding the relationship betweenveterans’ deployment stressors and exposure to combat and their partners’ risk for mental health problems.
“Previous research suggests that the partners of combat veterans have a significantly higher risk of developing psychosocial problems as a result of living and caring for their ex-service partners, particularly those with PTSD.”
It also investigated the degree of psychological distress in partners of veterans serving in three different military services; those who have left the military, current serving Special Air Services Regiment (SASR), and currently serving military who are partners of non-SASR veterans.
The partners of Australian combat veterans reported significantly greater symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress than the comparative Australian population norms.
“For some non-SASR partners they can be relocated every two to three years from one side of Australia to another and have to form new relationships and support systems after each move. Constant relocation combined with multiple deployments may lead to higher levels of stress.
“Lessons and protective factors can be learnt from groups within the current military as to what may assist partners/primary carers and families to maintain a better level of psychosocial health.”
Logic would tell us that to have better outcomes for Military personnel would be very much dependent upon having their support system (mainly intimate other and parents) who have a healthy well-being, psychologically and physically.
Previous research has shown that the longer the partner is caring for a veteran the more exhausted the partner becomes (G. V. MacDonell et al., 2010). This has grave implications for years to come, given the health budget in the future.
And, in this confusion and horror Partners/Carers are providing a service that would otherwise be the expensive obligation of the Government.
Whilst the VVCS is available to veterans’ spouses and families, fairness demands that those partners/primary carers suffering ill-health as a result of caring for a mentally or physically ill veteran should be given more help to maintain their own health.
Legislative Change Suggestions from the Partners of Veterans Association of Australia.
The major obstacle to providing that help, is that all eligibility flows from the veteran to the partner.
Partners/Primary carersof disabled veteransare not eligible forhealth treatment in particular for stress related conditions.
A change in legislation would be needed to make such Partners/Primary Carers eligible in their own right for assistance.
One possibility would be to give the Partners/Primary Carer free medical treatment through a coloured card denoting their role as a Carer of a Disabled Veteran.
Another would be to attach the Partner/Primary carer to the Veterans Gold card for any such treatment.
Perhaps any attachment could be as generous as the Gold Card or as minimal as the ‘non-liability White Card’
Another possibility would be to give the VVCS the power to be able to refer spouses for free treatment to specialists for acute mental health issues.
Narelle Bromhead
President
Heather Evans
Vice President
References
Alessi, M. W., Ray, J. W., Ray, G. E., & Stewart, S. J. (2001). Personality and Pyschopatholgy Profiles of Veterans' Wives: Measuring Distress Using the MMPI-2. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57(12), 1535-1542. doi:10.1002/jclp.1115
Arzi, N. B., Solomon, Z., & Dekel, R. (2000). Secondary traumatization among wives of PTSD and post concussion casualties. Distress, caregiver burden and psychological seperation. Brain Injury, 14, 725-736.
Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., McGuire, L., Robles, T. F., & Glaser, R. (2002). Psychoneuroimmunology: Psychological influences in immune function and health. Journal of Consulting and Clincal Psychology, 70(3), 537-547.
MacDonell, G. V., Bhullar, N., & Thorsteinsson, E. (2016). Depression, anxiety, and stress in partners of Australian combat veterans and military personnel: a comparison with Australian population norms. PeerJ, 4:e2373.
MacDonell, G. V., Marsh, N. V., Hine, D. W., & Bhullar, N. (2010). The development and psychometric evaluation of a measure to assess distress in partners of Australian combat veterans. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 44, 839-845. doi:10.3109/00048674.2010.488214
MacDonell, G. V., Thorsteinsson, E. B., Bhullar, N., & Hine, D. W. (2014). Psychosocial functioning of partners of Australian military veterans: The roles of veterans' PTSD Levels and partners' caregiving distress. Australian Psychologist, 49(305-312).
Maloney, L. J. (1988). Posttraumatic stresses on women partners of Vietnam Veterans. Smith College Studies School of Social Work, 58(2), 122-143.
Outram, S., Hansen, V., MacDonell, G., Cockburn, J., & Adams, J. (2009). Still living in a war zone: Perceived health and wellbeing of partners of Vietnam veterans attending partners’ support groups in NSW, Australia. Australian Psychologist, 44(2), 128-135. doi:10.1080/00050060802630353
Riggs, D. S., Byrn, A., Weathers, F. W., & Litz, B. T. (1998). The quality of the intimate relationships of male Vietnam veterans: problems assoicated with postraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress(11), 87-101.
Zarrabi, H., Najafi, K., Shirazi, H., Farahi, H., Nazifi, F., & Tadrisi, M. (2008). The impact of posttraumatic stress disorder on partners of Iranian veterans. Acta Medica Iranica, 46(2), 120-124