The 20!5-'J,6FederalBudget continues
the Government'scommitment to
recognisethe unique nature of military
service,providing $f2.1 billion to the
Department of Veterans'Affairs (DVA).
This wilt support around 316,000DVA
clients (veteransand dependants).
fh. funding comprises$0.Sbillion for
income support and compensation;
$s.s billion for health services;and
$gA.Zmillion for War Gravesand
Commemorations,including Anzac
Centenarycommemorations.
Commemorations
I
Recognisingthe unique nature of
military senrice
Maintaining existing pension indexation
arrangements for all veterans. Consistent with
the Government'spre-election commitment to
index DefenceForceRetirement Benefit (DFRB)
and DefenceForceRetirement and Death Benefit
(DFRDB)payments to military superannuants
aged 55 by the best of three indices (Consumer
PriceIndex (CPI),Pensionerand BeneficiaryLiving
Cost Index (PBLCI),
and Male Total AverageWeekly
Earnings (MTAWE)),the Government will continue
to index seryicepensions,war widows pensions,
income support supplement,veteran disability
pensions (including the SpecialRate or Totally and
PermanentlyIncapacitated(TPI)pension),wholly
dependentpartner payment and specialrate
disability pension, against the best of these indices.
Social Security Assets Test - Rebalance assets test
thresholds and taper rate. This measure will see
the assetstest thresholds increase,enabling clients
to hold more assetsbefore their income support
payments are affected.In addition, the assetstest
taper rate will increasefrom $1.50to $:.00 for every
$1,000of assetsin excessof the assetsthreshold.
Increased Number of GaseGoordinators.An
additional $10 million will provide for an increasein
the number of casecoordinatorsto assistincreasing
numbers of veteranswith complex needs.This will
help veterans to more quickly accessthe treatment,
rehabilitation and other support servicesthey
require,improving outcomes over the longer term.
Division of Department of Veterans' Affairs
Enhancing the Veterans' Vocational Rehabilitation
Scheme.The Governmentwill invest $700,000
to improve the Scheme,encouragingworkforce
participation and providing better outcomes for
veterans through a whole-of-personapproachto
rehabilitation.
Military Rehabilitation and CompensationAct
2004 (MRGA)- single appeal path. The MRCA
appealsprocesswill be aligned with the Veterans'
EntitlementsAct 1,986(VEA)process for claimants
who have a primary decisionmade on or after
1 January 2016.
Establishing a stand-alone Safety, Rehabilitation
and Gompensation Act for former Australian
Defence Force personnel. The Government will
excise Part XI of the Safety,Rehabilitationand
Act 1,988(SRCA)to establish a standCompensation
alone Act for former Australian DefenceForce
personnei.
Safety,Rehabilitation and CompensationAct 1988
reforms - calculating permanent impairment
and the maximum payable. Eligible DVA clients
wiil benefit from a proposedincreaseto the
maximum statutory PermanentImpairment
(PI)compensationpayableunder the SRCAto
$350,000.The increasewill apply to new injuries
sustained after the commencement of the Safety,
Rehabilitation and CompensationAmendment
(Improving the Comcare Scheme)Bill 2015,which
are related to serviceprior to l July 2004.
Safety,Rehabilitationand CompensationAct 1988
reforms - multiple injuries arising out of the one
event. This initiative will allow multiple conditions
that arise from a single event to be combined and
treated as a single injury to meet the minimum
threshold for PI lump sum compensationunder
the SRCA.As a result, more DVA clients are likely
to receivePI compensation.
Ongoing Restoration of Funding for Building
Excellence in Support and Ttaining (BEST)
Programme. Consistent with the Government's
pre-election commitment, the Governmentwill
permanently re-instate the $1 million a year,
which was cut by the former government, to the
BESTprogramme.This funding enablesex-service
organisationsto continue to provide support and
resourcesto pensions and welfare officers and
advocates.
Keeping veterans and their families
healthy
Extension of Trial for In-Home Telehealth for
Veterans.An additional $g.z million will extend
the exisiting trial for in-home telehealth for
veteransby a further l-8 months. The triai is
assessinghome-basedmonitoring of DVApatients
as a safe,effective and efficient complement
to general practitioner (GP)consuitations.This
initiative potentially provides an opportunity to
support patients longer in their own homes and
delay their entry into residentiai care.
Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
(RPBS)- new listings and price amendments.
This initiative allows for new and amended listings
to be made to the RPBS,such as the listing of
a genericmedicine for osteoporosisor to cover
the changesto prices of products used to dress
wounds or treat intractable rhinitis.
Expansion of the Rehabilitation Appliances
Program (RAP)to Enhance the Delivery of Falls
Prevention ltems. RAPenhancements include
severalfalls prevention items in the Scheduleand
removal of duplication acrosssimilar activities.
The expansionof the RAPScheduleensuresthat
it continues to be appropriate and effectivein
meeting the clinical needs of eligible veterans
in the community. rhis initiative was previously
reported in the 201,4-15Additional Estimates
Statements.
DVA commemorative initiatives - Anzac
Centenary
Anzac Centenary Prograrn20lbl8 - additional
funding. $gs.s million will allow up to 10
additional commemorative servicesto be held
at national memorials in Australia, for example
for the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, and
the 75th anniversariesof the Fail of Singapore
and compietion of the Thai-Burma Railway.it
will also provide for additional international
commemorative servicesat Lone Pine,Fromelles
PolygonWood,Be'erSheva,and Le
and Pozieres,
Hamel.
official Histories. Funding of $8.7 million wili
allow the Australian War Memorial to produce an
officiai history of Australia'sinvolvement in lraq,
Afghanistan and EastTimor.
Sir John Monash Gentre - Villers-Bretonneux,
France.This $99.5million project is being funded
with $gA.Omillion from the Department of Defence
and $10.9million from DVA.The Centre will tell
the story of the 290,000Australians who served
on the Western Front in the First World War and is
scheduledto open beforeAnzac Day 2018.