Appendix A: Client overview
Total clients by age group and location
Table A1: Total DVA clients by age group and state as at 30 June 2019
Age range |
NSW |
Vic |
Qld |
SA |
WA |
Tas |
NT |
ACT |
O’seas |
Total |
Under 25 |
1,642 |
952 |
3,044 |
447 |
548 |
136 |
372 |
304 |
26 |
7,471 |
25–29 |
2,179 |
989 |
3,421 |
607 |
614 |
138 |
441 |
359 |
28 |
8,776 |
30–34 |
2,679 |
1,318 |
3,658 |
652 |
858 |
182 |
419 |
492 |
56 |
10,314 |
35–39 |
2,641 |
1,468 |
3,767 |
621 |
1,066 |
312 |
414 |
537 |
91 |
10,917 |
40–44 |
2,698 |
1,511 |
3,898 |
670 |
1,102 |
313 |
331 |
552 |
100 |
11,175 |
45–49 |
3,372 |
1,897 |
4,926 |
855 |
1,477 |
393 |
427 |
744 |
146 |
14,237 |
50–54 |
3,304 |
2,050 |
4,731 |
889 |
1,561 |
411 |
327 |
728 |
157 |
14,158 |
55–59 |
3,723 |
2,341 |
5,099 |
1,095 |
1,556 |
505 |
265 |
802 |
160 |
15,546 |
60–64 |
4,338 |
2,833 |
5,658 |
1,386 |
1,877 |
546 |
181 |
628 |
150 |
17,597 |
65–69 |
8,137 |
5,443 |
9,594 |
2,736 |
3,006 |
985 |
193 |
699 |
183 |
30,976 |
70–74 |
13,099 |
9,006 |
14,056 |
4,072 |
5,148 |
1,553 |
258 |
1,096 |
357 |
48,645 |
75–79 |
5,424 |
3,047 |
6,111 |
1,356 |
2,160 |
559 |
116 |
570 |
157 |
19,500 |
80–84 |
5,108 |
2,888 |
4,586 |
1,112 |
1,921 |
464 |
49 |
494 |
131 |
16,753 |
85–89 |
6,659 |
4,325 |
4,570 |
1,618 |
1,982 |
649 |
49 |
426 |
126 |
20,404 |
90 or over |
15,560 |
11,177 |
8,913 |
4,299 |
4,051 |
1,238 |
46 |
621 |
231 |
46,136 |
Total |
80,575 |
51,267 |
86,042 |
22,421 |
28,938 |
8,386 |
3,889 |
9,056 |
2,100 |
292,674 |
Note: The total number of DVA clients includes any person in receipt of a pension/allowance from DVA or eligible for treatment or pharmaceuticals paid for by DVA. Clients of unknown age are included in the total but not reported separately.
Number of living veterans
Table A2: Estimated numbers of living veterans, 2014–15 to 2018–19
At 30 June 2014 |
At 30 June 2015 |
At 30 June 2016 |
At 30 June 2017 |
At 30 June 2018 |
At 30 June 2019 |
|
Second World War1 |
48,300 |
39,500 |
31,700 |
25,000 |
19,300 |
14,600 |
Korean War, Malayan Emergency and FESR2 |
13,000 |
12,300 |
11,700 |
11,000 |
10,300 |
9,600 |
Vietnam War3 |
45,200 |
44,300 |
43,400 |
42,500 |
41,500 |
40,400 |
Other pre-1972 conflicts |
6,000 |
5,700 |
5,400 |
5,000 |
4,700 |
4,400 |
Cambodia, Gulf War, Namibia, Somalia,Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Bougainville |
10,500 |
10,400 |
10,400 |
10,300 |
10,300 |
10,200 |
Post-1999 conflicts4 |
58,000 |
58,300 |
58,400 |
58,300 |
58,200 |
58,100 |
Peacetime Defence Force5 |
151,800 |
150,400 |
149,000 |
147,400 |
145,800 |
144,000 |
Total service with VEA eligibility6 |
331,200 |
319,500 |
308,600 |
298,200 |
288,700 |
280,000 |
Full-time service post 1945 not included in VEA total7 |
255,700 |
255,800 |
254,800 |
253,900 |
252,500 |
250,700 |
Reservists8 |
96,100 |
96,800 |
97,700 |
98,900 |
100,000 |
101,100 |
Total Australian service9 |
683 000 |
672 200 |
661,100 |
651,000 |
641,300 |
631,800 |
FESR = Far East Strategic Reserve; VEA = Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
1 Based on nominal roll data.
2 Where the veteran has service in more than one conflict, they are recorded by most recent conflict.
3 Based on nominal roll data.
4 Includes East Timor, Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and Iraq. This category previously included Bougainville, which is now included in the preceding category. Figures are based on June 2014 Department of Defence (Defence) data.
5 Based on Australian Defence Force (ADF) data; those with three or more years of service from 1972 to 1994. Those with peacetime service after 1994 are not included.
6 Total includes those potentially eligible for a service pension and/or disability pension. Components will not add exactly to total due to rounding and overlaps.
7 A research project was initiated to estimate all living persons with post-1945 full-time service in the ADF. By necessity, input data was obtained from different sources:
- Age profile at recruitment is graphically estimated from Early Separation in the Australian Defence Force Figure 4.1, Distribution of Ab Initio Enlistment Ages, page 39.
- National service recruitment data is sourced from the Defence discussion paper National Service—Have a Debate but Make Sure It is an Informed One.
- The full-time enlistments data for each year from 1975 to 1998 were measured graphically from Joan Beaumont, Australian Defence: Sources & Statistics Volume VI, Figure 6.3, Permanent ADF Enlistments & Separations, page 252.
- The full-time enlistments data for each year from 1996 to 2017 were sourced from published Defence annual reports obtained from the Department of Defence website.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics mortality rates are used. Numbers are calculated by amalgamating successive years of recruits from 1945 onwards and amortising the resulting population by single year age for each year.
8 Includes all living persons who have ever served as a reservist in the ADF with neither continuous full-time nor qualifying service.
9 The growth in MRCA clients and the expansion of benefits to the widest possible number of (ex-)service ADF personnel necessitated redefinition of the total to include those who were not otherwise eligible under the VEA. This figure includes all living persons who have ever served in the ADF either full time or as reservists.
Benefit recipients
Table A3: Summary of benefit recipient numbers by type of benefit, June 2014 to June 2019
At 30 June 2014 |
At 30 June 2015 |
At 30 June 2016 |
At 30 June 2017 |
At 30 June 2018 |
As at 30 June 2019 |
|
Treatment population |
217,562 |
208,181 |
200,245 |
193,968 |
190,967 |
207,160 |
Gold Card |
163,578 |
153,033 |
143,635 |
135,263 |
128,517 |
122,536 |
White Card |
53,984 |
55,148 |
56,610 |
58,705 |
62,450 |
84,624 |
VEA pension and allowances |
||||||
Service pension includes |
136,168 |
126,647 |
118,174 |
106,970 |
99,939 |
94,029 |
veterans |
71,266 |
66,016 |
61,504 |
55,641 |
52,011 |
48,958 |
partners |
64,902 |
60,631 |
56,670 |
51,329 |
47,928 |
45,071 |
Income support supplement |
61,463 |
56,725 |
52,292 |
47,036 |
42,464 |
38,403 |
SSA age pension |
3,833 |
3,658 |
3,538 |
3,380 |
3,225 |
3,338 |
Veterans payment |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
134 |
470 |
Commonwealth Seniors Health Card |
5,150 |
4,698 |
4,321 |
7,222 |
4,098 |
4,092 |
Disability pension |
101,059 |
96,493 |
92,374 |
88,974 |
85,811 |
83,363 |
War widow/ers pension |
81,531 |
75,536 |
69,960 |
64,500 |
59,001 |
53,899 |
POW recognition supplement1 |
513 |
387 |
299 |
217 |
165 |
131 |
Orphan’s pension |
177 |
173 |
150 |
157 |
155 |
148 |
Attendant allowance |
457 |
403 |
353 |
304 |
273 |
229 |
Rent assistance |
16,804 |
15,639 |
14,694 |
13,580 |
12,683 |
12,256 |
Remote area allowance |
803 |
741 |
697 |
648 |
648 |
578 |
Decoration allowance |
414 |
378 |
328 |
289 |
261 |
233 |
Recreation transport allowance |
1,262 |
1,087 |
936 |
802 |
716 |
622 |
Vehicle Assistance Scheme |
53 |
43 |
48 |
52 |
43 |
44 |
Funeral benefit |
5,720 |
5,211 |
4,709 |
4,175 |
3,704 |
3,302 |
Veterans’ Children Education Scheme |
2,443 |
2,331 |
2,288 |
2,243 |
2,229 |
2,106 |
Clothing allowance |
511 |
449 |
398 |
348 |
322 |
286 |
Military compensation payments |
||||||
Permanent impairment (SRCA)2 |
12,091 |
12,516 |
12,852 |
13,400 |
14,150 |
15,116 |
Permanent impairment (MRCA)2 |
4,467 |
6,021 |
7,659 |
9,544 |
12,414 |
16,021 |
Incapacity (SRCA) |
1,867 |
1,807 |
1,777 |
1,792 |
1,874 |
1,920 |
Incapacity (MRCA) |
2,062 |
2,484 |
2,689 |
3,218 |
3,893 |
4,717 |
Wholly dependent partner (MRCA)2 |
73 |
86 |
91 |
105 |
124 |
150 |
Eligible young person (MRCA)2 |
85 |
91 |
97 |
114 |
128 |
144 |
MRCA Education and Training Scheme |
100 |
153 |
203 |
246 |
390 |
751 |
Defence Service Homes |
||||||
Homes insured |
65,292 |
62,127 |
58,825 |
55,838 |
53,641 |
52,243 |
Housing loan subsidies |
12,799 |
10,296 |
8,322 |
6,669 |
4,960 |
3,925 |
DRCA = Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988 (previously the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988); MRCA = Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004; POW = prisoner of war; SSA = Social Security Act 1991; VEA = Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1985
1 POW Recognition Supplement is a payment that provides special recognition of surviving former Australian prisoners of war, both veteran and civilian. The payment commenced in September 2011.
2 Clients receiving a commuted or periodic (MRCA only) payment.
Veterans with accepted disability
Table A4: Number of veterans with accepted disability by Act, 2013–14 to 2018–19
At 30 June 2014 |
At 30 June 2015 |
At 30 June 2016 |
At 30 June 2017 |
At 30 June 2018 |
At 30 June 2019 |
|
VEA |
104,874 |
100,135 |
95,983 |
92,328 |
89,452 |
86,565 |
DRCA |
50,153 |
50,689 |
51,320 |
51,956 |
52,528 |
54,181 |
MRCA |
16,710 |
19,538 |
22,305 |
25,551 |
29,577 |
36,827 |
DRCA = Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988 (previously the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988); MRCA = Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004; VEA = Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1985
Visit
https://www.transparency.gov.au/annual-reports/department-veterans-affairs/reporting-year/2018-2019-53