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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

8084

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