Australia Yearbook - 2001

Chapter 7—Income and welfare 277
Vocational rehabilitation services are available to
support those who are leaving the Australian
Defence Force, those at risk of losing
employment, and those who wish to return to the
workplace. Rehabilitation Allowance may be
available to people whose pension entitlement is
affected—the intention is that no financial loss
should occur for individuals taking up paid
employment. Safety net arrangements enable a
return to former pension status in the event that
employment cannot be sustained (this applies to
pensioners receiving above general rate levels of
Disability Pension or Service Pension through
invalidity).
With the transfer of the Rehabilitation General
Hospitals to the States, or their sale to the private
sector, all acute hospital care is now provided
through the Repatriation Private Patient Scheme.
This means that entitled beneficiaries can obtain
treatment at a public hospital as a Repatriation
private patient, in shared accommodation with a
doctor of their choice. According to medical
need, if treatment cannot be provided within a
reasonable time, the Department may approve
admission to a private hospital. The former
Repatriation hospitals will remain available for
treatment if beneficiaries choose to go there.
Following research showing the importance of
community care services for veterans and war
widow/ers, the Veterans’ Home Care program
was announced in the May 2000 Budget. From
January 2001, this new initiative will extend the
range of services provided to the veteran
community to include a wide range of home care
services. Veterans’ Home Care services will be
available to Australian veterans and war widow/ers
who are assessed as needing care to remain in
their homes. It is estimated that Veterans’ Home
Care will provide services to 50,000 veterans and
war widow/ers at a cost of $147m in a full year.
Veterans’ Home Care completes the range of
health and community care services available to
the veteran community. Net savings are expected
from the Veterans’ Home Care initiative due to
better health outcomes for veterans, reducing
avoidable illness, injury and associated health
costs. Better health will mean that veterans spend
less time in hospital and need fewer medications
and other high cost services. More importantly,
they will be able to lead fuller, more active lives.
Under arrangements with State Governments,
entitled persons requiring custodial psychiatric
care for a service-related disability are treated at
departmental expense in State psychiatric
hospitals.
Entitled persons may also be provided with
dental treatment through the Local Dental Officer
(LDO) Scheme, which comprised 6,825 LDOs at
1 June 1999. Optometrical services, including the
provision of spectacles, the services of allied
health professionals, as well as a comprehensive
range of aids, appliances and dressings, may be
provided to entitled persons.
In addition, entitled persons may be provided
with pharmaceuticals through the Repatriation
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Through the Repatriation Transport Scheme
entitled persons are eligible to receive transport
assistance when travelling to receive approved
medical treatment.
Vietnam Veterans’ Counselling
Service (VVCS)
The VVCS provides counselling to veterans of all
conflicts and their families, as well as working
with the ex-service community to promote
understanding and acceptance of veterans’
problems.
The VVCS is staffed by psychologists and social
workers who have specialised knowledge about
military service, particularly in Viet Nam, and its
impact on veterans and their families, especially
the impact of post-traumatic stress.
Access to counselling services for rural veterans
and their families was greatly improved with the
establishment of the Country Outreach Program in
1988, followed soon after by a toll-free 1800
telephone link to all VVCS centres. Recent service
enhancement initiatives include the creation of
group programs aimed at promoting better health
for veterans. Table 7.24 shows use of the VVCS.