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  • Get support
    The support you may be able to get depends on your circumstances.
    Currently serving
    While serving, the NZDF will take care of your health and wellbeing issues. If you have qualifying service, we may be able to provide you with home help. Register now with Veterans’ Affairs, and when you need some support, we’ll be ready to help you.
    Ex-serving
    We can provide you with health, rehabilitation and financial support if you have a condition related to your service. We can also provide home help assistance and financial support for you to commemorate your service.
    Family and whānau
    How we can support you, your family and whānau.
    Non-military personnel
    Non-military personnel can have Qualifying Operational Service in certain circumstances.
    Entitlements, services, and support
    Eligibility for these entitlements, services, and support will depend on your own circumstances.
  • Remembrance
    We're proud to honour the service of the veteran community.
    Services Cemeteries and plaques and headstones
    We help look after Services Cemeteries. We're also able to contribute towards plaques and headstones.
    Commemorative funding
    There are two types of financial contributions available from the Commemorative Fund.
    Medals and service records
    The NZ Defence Force's Personnel Archives and Medals team ​administer medals and hold most New Zealand military service records.
    ​When someone dies
    We may be able to provide support when someone who had Qualifying Service dies.
    Your family's military history
    Learning more about your family's military history is a great way to honour their service.
    Certificate of Appreciation and Veterans' Pins
    The Certificate of Appreciation and Veteran's Pin recognise operational service.
    NZ Post Stamps
    This series of stamps explores the stories of 6 veterans deployed after 1995. You can purchase the stamps on the NZ Post website.
  • Eligibility
    To be eligible to receive support from us, you — or certain family members — need to have Qualifying Service.
    Check your eligibility
    Check the support, services, or entitlements you may be able to get from us.
    Qualifying Service
    To get support from us you — or certain family members — need to have Qualifying Service.
    Living outside NZ
    You can still get support from us even if you live outside NZ.
    Eligibility criteria for family and dependants
    You may be able to get support if you're the spouse, partner, child or dependant of someone with Qualifying Service.
    Veterans of foreign militaries
    Veterans' Affairs New Zealand was established to support New Zealand veterans.
  • For clients
    We put veterans and our clients at the heart of everything we do.
    If you have a question at any stage, please contact us — we're here to help.
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    Your treatment card
    Your treatment card helps you get no-cost treatment and medication for your approved conditions.
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    We use a number of tools and processes to make decisions. This helps ensure each decision we make is fair and treats our clients consistently.​
    Living outside NZ
    You can still get support from us even if you live outside NZ.
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    Information for providers of services to Veterans' Affairs and our clients.
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    To help you identify our clients, we issue treatment cards and letters.
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    How to invoice us to ensure we pay you quickly and correctly.
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    Guidance for councils and local authorities relating to services cemeteries and memorials
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    Schedules of fees, invoicing and application instructions, and information for treating hearing needs.
    How military service affects the health of veterans
    Veterans can experience physical and mental health conditions disproportionately compared to the general public. Different NZDF 'operations' may be linked to higher rates of specific conditions. Understanding a veteran's service can help you to understand their health.
    Transition Health Check
    A post-release health assessment for veterans.
    We will be using ProCare to reimburse treatment costs in 2026
    We will be changing the provider for claiming and reimbursing medical and pharmacy costs associated with a veteran’s service-related condition.

Minor Changes to Two Statements of Principles, 25 September 2026

On 25 September 2026 minor changes were made under section 24 of the Veterans’ Support Act 2014 to the Statements of Principles for chronic multisymptom illness.

Minor amendment Statements of Principles 48/2026 and 49/2026 for chronic multisymptom illness have been compiled with the principal Statements of Principles for this condition 3/2020 and 4/2020.

The amendments include:

  • deletion of the Note in section 4 of the principal Statements of Principles which indicated that the SOP for chronic multisymptom illness was determined in 2014 following an investigation concerning Gulf War syndrome in October 2012; and
  • insertion of an additional criterion at subsection 7(2) which the condition must meet, namely: “the symptoms are not better explained by another medical condition, including but not limited to, moderate to severe traumatic brain injury, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, Gulf War Illness, somatic symptom disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder”.

Gazette notice number 2026-sl5016 specifies that the changes now apply under the Veterans’ Support Act 2014. The Gazette notice is available at www.gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2026-sl5016(external link) 

For details of the changes made see www.rma.gov.au/sops/condition/chronic-multisypmtom-illness(external link) 

Last Modified: 25 September 2026
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