Veterans' Affairs New Zealand

Address:

PO Box 5146
Wellington 6145

Contact:

P: 0800 483 8372
F: 04 495 2080

E-mail:

veterans@xtra.co.nz

Briefing to the Incoming Minister

Key Policy Issues

Key Points

  • Year of the Veteran
    • 2006 has been declared the Year of the Veteran.
    • The proposed theme for the 'Year of the Veteran' is 'honouring the veterans in your community'.
    • It is proposed that a ministerial working group be established to coordinate activities for the Year of the Veteran.
  • Veterans Health Care
    • Veterans in receipt of a War Disablement Pension receive fully funded primary and secondary health care for recognised disabilities.
    • In 1999 the RNZRSA proposed a Veterans Health Card that would give the equivalent of a private health insurance for veterans.
    • This proposal was not advanced as the view was that the proposal was not viable within the New Zealand health system in the long term.
  • Surviving Spouse Pension
    • The RNZRSA has sought a change to the qualifying criteria for a Surviving Spouse Pension.
    • It is estimated that this change would require an increase of $3.5 million in the estimated expenditure on War Disablement Pensions.
  • War Veterans Homes
    • The RNZRSA is seeking a yearly allocation of $200,000 per year for the veterans homes owned and operated by the Ranfurly, Rannerdale and Montecillo Trusts.
    • All three homes have received one off government funding of $0.400 million each.
    • The Rannerdale Trust have received a loan of $0.225 million.
    • The Montecillo Trust have received loans totalling $2.725 million.
  • Review of the War Pensions Act
    • A review of the legislation needs to be undertaken.
  • Anzac Day at Gallipoli
    • This year's commemoration at Gallipoli gave rise to a number of issues.
    • A bilateral Australia/New Zealand interdepartmental steering group has been established to oversee the commemoration.
    • The current level of resourcing of this event will need to be increased.

Year of the Veteran

At the RNZRSA Council meeting in July 2005, an announcement was made that 2006 would be the Year of the Veteran. The proposed theme for the ‘Year of the Veteran’ is ‘honouring the veterans in your community’.
The aim would be to develop a programme around significant events such as Anzac Day, the commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the battle of the Somme and Armistice Day with events in local communities co-ordinated to ensure that they occur throughout the year. These activities could include the collection of oral histories of veterans, concerts, exhibitions, living history events where veterans are invited into schools and other events in local communities to celebrate the veterans in their community.

The RNZRSA has suggested that a commemorative stamp be produced to mark the year.

The proposal is to establish a ministerial working group involving officials from Veterans' Affairs New Zealand, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, the New Zealand Defence Force, the Department of Internal Affairs and representatives of the RNZRSA and Local Government New Zealand to co-ordinate activity.

An initial meeting has been held with John Campbell the National President of the RNZRSA. Mr Campbell indicated that as the ‘Year of the Veteran’ coincides with the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the RNZRSA, that RNZRSA is keen to integrate some of the activities planned for its 90th anniversary into the programme for the ‘Year of the Veteran’.

Veterans' Health Card

The RNZRSA has put forward two proposals for health cards for veterans.

RNZRSA Gold Card Proposal

In 1999 the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association (RNZRSA) put a proposal to the government for a veterans’ health card, similar to the Australian veterans’ Gold Card. The Australian veterans’ health card is based on a private insurance scheme for veterans and is funded by the Australian Government and covers all health care costs

The RNZRSA’s identified target group is veterans who are entitled to receive NZ Superannuation and those who are entitled to receive a War Disablement Pension of not less than 50%. The proposal was silent on what veterans who are under the proposed qualifying age group or disability level would receive.

This proposal was costed in 2001 by the Ministry of Health who estimated the total cost of the proposal at $322 million. The Ministry of Health estimated that, at the time the costing was done, the veteran population, as specified in the RNZRSA proposal, consumed $263.4 million in primary care, secondary care and disability support services from the public health sector leaving a requirement for an additional $58.6 million from Government to support the proposal. The RNZRSA proposal also included an extension of the Veterans’ Health Card to widows/widowers and eligible dependants. The size of this group is difficult to define, and difficult to cost.

This proposal was not advanced as the view was that the proposal was not viable within the New Zealand health system in the long term.

Health Card Proposal 2005

The RNZRSA has proposed a health card for veterans that gives:

  • A further 10% reduction for routine visits to PHOs; and
  • free ambulance services; and
  • priority on waiting lists where the veteran’s assessment classification is similar to others on the waiting list.

Current Entitlements

Currently all veterans in receipt of a War Disablement Pension receive a treatment card that gives them access to fully funded primary and secondary health care for accepted disabilities. This covers GP visits; specialist visits; prescription costs; private hospital care if the need is urgent and where public hospitals care is not available; treatment from a variety of providers and appliances or equipment needed to overcome disability and enhance quality of life.

The current expenditure on health and disability services, for accepted disabilities is expected to reach $13.9 million in the 2005/06 financial year.

In addition, veterans in receipt of a Veteran’s Pension have an automatic entitlement to a Community Services Card without the need to meet income and asset test requirements.

Ambulance Services

The Ministry of Health advise that ambulance travel for an accident, or within 24 hours of an accident, is fully funded by ACC and is free to patients everywhere in New Zealand. When ambulance travel is used for non-emergency or non-accident related transport (e.g. transport from home to a hospital appointment), then the ambulance service providers are able to charge patients a co-payment or part charge.

If Ambulance travel was associated with treatment for an accepted disability then the cost of travel would be met through the war pensions system.

Priority Treatment in the Public Health System

The proposal that veterans should receive priority on waiting lists is similar to the system run in the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom NHS hospitals and providers are expected to, in circumstances where all clinical factors of a case are similar, give priority to veterans.

Surviving Spouse Pension

The RNZRSA has sought the reduction in the level of War Disablement Pension percentage required before a Surviving Spouse/Partner gains eligibility for a Surviving Spouse Pension from 70% to 50%.

Eligibility for a Surviving Spouse/Partner Pension is legislatively set and can be granted if:

  • the death of the late veteran was deemed to be attributable to his service as a member of the Forces; or
  • the veteran was in receipt of a permanent War Disablement Pension of 70% or more at the time of death; or
  • it is deemed, on the basis of a posthumous review, that the veteran could have received a permanent pension of 70% or more had he or she not died.

The Surviving Spouse Pension is based on a War Widows Pension. The purpose of the pension was to provide on going financial support for the surviving spouse/partner when the veteran died.

The figure of 70% dates from the 1940’s and reflects the fact that the intent was to ensure the payment of the Surviving Spouse/Partner Pension in a situation where the veteran had a severe level of disability that had the potential to lead to death as a result of the veteran’s service.

The Surviving Spouse Pension is tax free and is paid in addition to other entitlements such as New Zealand Superannuation.

It is estimated that this change would require an increase of $3.5 million in the estimated expenditure on War Disablement Pensions.

Veterans' Homes

The RNZRSA is seeking a yearly allocation of $200,000 per year for the veterans homes owned and operated by the Ranfurly, Rannerdale and Montecillo Trusts.

In 2002, at the request of the Patriotic and Canteen Funds Board, the government assisted the devolution to charitable trusts of the war veterans’ homes that were owned and operated by the Board. The government provided funding of $0.400 million to each of the local trusts that took responsibility for the homes. The Levin Trust was unwilling to accept the liabilities of the Levin home and the Patriotic and Canteen Funds Board sold the home to Presbyterian Support Central. The government also provided funding of $0.150 million to the Patriotic and Canteen Funds Board to cover the employee entitlement liabilities incurred as a result of the sale of the Levin home.

In 2004 the Rannerdale Trust, the owners and operators of the Rannerdale War Veterans Home, received a loan of $0.225 million from government to cover the cost of deferred maintenance at the Rannerdale Home. In 2004 the Montecillo Trust, the owners and operators of the Montecillo Veterans’ Home and Hospital, received a loan of $0.225 million from government to assist with the fundraising for the redevelopment of the Montecillo Veterans’ Home and Hospital on a new site. In August 2005 the Montecillo Trust received a loan of $2.5 million from government to make up the shortfall in the funding required for the redevelopment of the Montecillo Veterans’ Home and Hospital at a new site.

The three loans have been made on the basis that they will be repaid when there are no longer any World War ll veterans resident in the homes, or in the event that the homes are sold or transferred from the ownership of the individual trusts. Interest is being charged at the capital charge rate and is to be rolled up and paid on repayment of the principal.

Since the announcement of the $2.5 million loan to the Montecillo Trust, both the Ranfurly and Rannerdale Trusts have indicated that they are undertaking redevelopment programmes and will be approaching the government over funding for those programmes.

The homes are eligible for, and receive, government funding to the homes through the Ministry of Health.

Review of the War Pensions Act 1954

The current Act was designed for servicemen returning from a number of years service in World War ll, whereas the current context is shorter deployments to a variety of different locations as part of a variety of different types of operations.

The current legislation was written with a focus on physical injuries, whereas the impact of operational deployments since Vietnam has been psychological and environmental, as well as physical.

A review of the legislation needs to be undertaken to ensure that the coverage available to veterans is applicable to all groups of veterans.

Anzac Day at Gallipoli

This year's commemoration at Gallipoli gave rise to a number of issues relating to the format of the service, crowd numbers, transport, security, roading and general infrastructure. A bilateral Australia/New Zealand interdepartmental steering group has been established to oversee the commemoration, to ensure that the views of both governments are reflected and that events are managed successfully in liaison with the Turkish authorities.

The approach being taken is to work in a cooperative and consultative way to ensure that both the New Zealand and Australian Governments expectations in respect to the Anzac Day commemorations held on the Gallipoli Peninsula are met. In order to ensure that New Zealand is seen as a partner, and that our views are implemented accordingly, the current level of resourcing of this event will need to be increased.

Vietnam Veterans Working Group

In February 2005 an Agent Orange joint working group was established in order to further consider issues raised in dialogue with Vietnam veterans and the RNZRSA. The group is chaired by former State Services Commissioner, Michael Wintringham. Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand is not involved in this group.

 

This page was last reviewed 12 February, 2010 and is current.
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