The Department for Veterans' Affairs (DVA) advises that you may be eligible for compensation payments if you have sustained physical or psychological impairment or incapacity related to your defence service.
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If you are a dependant of a current or former ADF member who has died as a result of their defence service you may also be eligible for compensation. DVA further details that compensation paid for service-related injury, disease or death may include: Disability pension; Permanent impairment payment; Incapacity payments; War widow(er)'s pension; Wholly dependant partner payment; Eligible Young Person payment; Orphan's pension; and Prisoner of War payments.
The first hurdle is determining if you may be eligible for compensation and, if you are, you must then step through what can be a very complicated process. Negotiating the process on your own can be a daunting task and, if you get it wrong you may find you do not end up with compensation you may well be entitled to. This is where a Compensation Advocate can help.
Some may also be known as Pensions Advocates or Pensions Officers. To achieve quality and consistency Compensation Advocates are now trained through The Advocacy Training and Development Program (ATDP). This program has been developed as a partnership between DVA, ex-service organisations and the Department of Defence. The vision of the ATDP is to train and develop selected practitioners to provide high quality advocacy services to current and former Australian Defence Force members and their dependants, covering rehabilitation, compensation, appeals and welfare.
One such Compensation Advocate in the Nambucca Valley is Mrs Anne Bax. A trained Compensation Advocate like Anne can negotiate the process with you and, in some cases, for you, and can alleviate much of the complication and stress associated in dealing with Government bureaucracy.
Anne will speak to ex-Service men and women irrespective of their age or the amount of time they spent in uniform if they consider they may have a case for compensation. With your approval a Compensation Advocate can, on your behalf, interact with doctors, DVA and the Army, Navy or Air Force. Anne advises the process of seeking compensation can be a long one.
Anne warns that some injuries have time limitations on them for the purpose of claims and recommends younger veterans who have had an injury in the services should seek a doctors diagnosis in case the injury causes problems later in life.
Anne sees herself as a part of the network of those, such as the RSL Sub Branches and other ex-service organisations helping veterans and their families on the Mid North Coast. Anne Bax is a selfless lady who's husband, Gary, a man who spent many years on Royal Australian Navy Submarines and surface fleets, passed away due to illness caused by his time in the service. Anne was helped greatly by the ex-service community in the Nambucca Valley after Gary passed away and sees the volunteer work she does as a Pensions Advocate as a way of giving back to the community that embraced her.
Do you consider you or someone you are close to may have a claim for compensation due to their time in the Armed Services?
Anne can be located in the pensions office of the Nambucca Heads RSL Sub Branch, situated on the first floor of the Nambucca Heads RSL Club Ltd, each Monday morning from 10am - 12pm however you should ring and make an appointment first. You can contact Anne on 0420 549 931. She is also at the Veterans Centre Mid North Coast, located at 4 Scarba Street, Coffs Harbour, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, call Anne on 02 6651 4129 or contact your local RSL Sub Branch to put you in contact with Anne or another Compensation Officer.
About the author: Mick Birtles is a recently retired Army Officer now living in Nambucca Heads. During his 36-year career, Birtles served in Bougainville, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for command and leadership. Here he shares his interest in the welfare and well-being of veterans on the Mid North Coast.
More from Mick Birtles: Ex-defence to film extras, a niche for veterans to reconnect after service