VANZ News Issue 6
Case Manager Profile:
Dave Foley
Case Manager Dave Foley is relatively new to the Wellington VANZ office, having taken up the role in January this year, but he says 27 years in the NZ Army helps him relate to the160-plus veterans on his files.
Dave was in the Army Infantry and Medical Corps before spending 10 years at Defence Personnel Branch looking after superannuation policy and managing NZDF sport. In June this year he received his second Chief of Defence Force (CDF) Commendation for services to Defence Sport at the NZDF sports awards (pictured above). Dave is the only person to receive a CDF commendation twice.
Dave says that being an old soldier himself, he wanted to work with veterans. “The uniformed side of the Defence Force speak a special language, so I can converse with a veteran in a way that perhaps a ‘Civvie’ can’t. Often veterans can tell I have been in the military before I mention it.”
He describes his Case Manager role as being a bit like a broker: “A veteran will phone and say what their needs are. Once we identify their need, we secure a provider (for example, Greenacres for lawn mowing), get quotes and apply for funding, then raise a contract between the provider and VANZ. The whole thing is about taking the worry and stress off the veteran, to enable them to live a normal life as is possible”. Another aspect Dave is coming to grips with is managing War Disablement Pensions where he says seeing an application get accepted is hugely satisfying.
The past six months has obviously been a tough time for many veterans in Christchurch. “The earthquakes in Canterbury affected veterans hugely; I had someone on my books who lost his entire house at Mt Pleasant and for a while I spoke with that veteran daily”. says Dave. He is pleased to be providing a much appreciated service, “The rewarding thing for me is hearing from a happy veteran and the sense that you’ve achieved something for them.”