Introduction
Military personnel are provided with comprehensive care during their service with the NZDF. Consequently, the issue of healthcare is generally not a concern until the Service member is about to leave the NZDF.
There is agreement among Service personnel that it is unreasonable to provide healthcare preferences above other citizens with greater needs, unless the individual has an injury or illness related to recognised qualifying service. In these cases, there is strong support that where needs are equal the fact that a person has injuries which are related to qualifying military service should accord them a higher priority in the healthcare system than those with similar needs.
Question 67
How important is the provision of health care to veterans?
The provision of health care for service-related impairments is very important to Service members.
Question 67 Personnel Feedback
Focus Groups – Among Focus Group participants, the longer serving Service personnel expressed a concern over the care of latent impairments that they expected to appear 10 – 20 years later. One participant asked, “ACC ensures that accidents are covered, but what about chronic injuries and conditions that flare up after 10, 20 years?” while another explained, “further down, most of use will suffer latent injuries, and there should be some care for delayed conditions”.
Question 68
Does the Government have a responsibility to provide health care for veterans for accepted disabilities?
Yes – Where there is a link between qualifying service and impairment the nature of military service and the value society places upon it justify a duty of care on the Crown, and an onus on the government to provide healthcare for veterans.
Question 69
Should the provision of fully funded treatment for all medical care regardless of whether the conditions are accepted as service related be considered? Why?
No, only service-related conditions should be accepted. Complete medical coverage would not be fair on the taxpayer. Linkage to service, however, should be done benevolently in keeping with the current Act, especially in relation to qualifying operational service.
Question 69 Personnel Feedback
Focus Groups Some groups expressed interest in medical coverage as a reward for long periods of service (15+ years). As one Service member stated, “We should be supported in some way – after 20 years of daily service duties, your body has been destroyed”.
Question 70
How else could improvements be made to health care for veterans?
Ongoing health monitoring for Service personnel would assist in identifying service-attributable conditions. In addition, there needs to be recognition of the effect long periods military service have in later life.
Question 71
Do you see the three veterans residential homes as having a role in the provision of health care to veterans in the future? In what way?
The Veterans Residential homes are privately run and provide an important resource to ex-service personnel who require them. They have little impact on currently serving personnel. They provide an additional aged care option for ex-service personnel.
Question 72
Should a different approach be taken to compensation for hearing loss? If so, what could this be?
Distinction needs to be made between age-related loss and loss due to service. Coverage under the new Act should be for service-related loss only.
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