Recommendation 1

2.34

The Committee recommends that the Government:

Regularly assess the transition process for quality and outcomes, including the Transition Seminars, information provided to members and their families, and delivery of that information;

Assign Defence responsibility for managing transitioning personnel through to twelve months post-separation, or to completion of the individual’s assessment process with DVA if longer than twelve months; and

Reduce the complexity of the legislative framework reporting on the outcomes for veteran support (VEA, DRCA, MRCA) with the objective of transitioning over time to a single system under a single Act.

Recommendation 2

2.54

The Committee recommends that the Government provide for:

The establishment of professional, qualified case managers in Defence to handle the transition process for transitioning members of the ADF and assist them to liaise with DVA and other agencies; and

The oversight of each individual’s transition by a senior officer within Defence who has responsibility for the successful transition of personnel.

Recommendation 3

2.70

The Committee recommends that the Government:

Commission a study into the issues facing women veterans and women veterans’ families so that the Government and the departments of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs may better understand the issues facing women members of the ADF and women veterans, and provide the support necessary to ensure that women have the best chance of achieving a successful transition from military to civilian life;

Develop a dedicated website for female veterans’ health needs;

Increase the number of trained women advocates;

Establish a women veterans health telephone advisory service; and

Establish a women’s sexual trauma team, based on the model of the USA Veterans’ Affairs military sexual trauma service model.

Recommendation 4

2.82

The Committee recommends that the Government provide access to the full suite of transition training seminars to partners/spouses/family members so as to improve the likelihood of successful transition outcomes for veterans and their families.

Recommendation 5

3.40

The Committee recommends that the Government ensure that in cases where personnel are being medically discharged:

Related claims are assessed by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs prior to the person’s medical discharge from Defence;

Access to Medical Transition Fora be made available to all members of the ADF subject to a medical discharge;

Access to Soldier Recovery Centres be available to all ADF members regardless of their location in Australia;

Complete individual medical records are made available to all transitioning personnel.

Recommendation 6

3.76

The Committee recommends that the Government provide for:

Case management of all individuals transitioning out of the ADF;

Where personnel are medically discharging, claims recognition by DVA prior to the individual’s medical discharge from the ADF;

Access to Medical Transition Fora to all members receiving medical discharges based on the fora trialled in Brisbane and Townsville in 2018.

Recommendation 7

3.77

The Committee recommends that the Government provide the following to better support veterans’ mental health outcomes:

A sustained funding model for veterans health research and education;

Networked Centres of Treatment Excellence for veterans’ mental health, including treatment for PTSD;

A coordinated strategy to improve treatment outcomes for PTSD;

Post-graduate education in Veteran Health and Mental Health for healthcare practitioners registered with Defence and DVA; and

Mandatory online veteran-specific training and professional development for clinicians and a register of clinicians for client information.

Recommendation 8

4.10

The Committee recommends that the following elements be included in the transition preparation package to improve outcomes achieved through the transition process:

Providing a comprehensive training process during transition including cultural awareness training to enable transitioning personnel to re-familiarise themselves with the cultural expectations of civilian life and employment;

Providing training in resilience, self-awareness and self-reliance to prepare transitioning personnel for the different – civilian – environment they are entering, and for the different responsibilities that they will have in this environment compared to those in the military environment;

Providing training in psychological first aid so that transitioning ADF members and their families will be more aware of the signs of psychological ill health in themselves and in others, and are aware of the steps to take in these circumstances to assist themselves or others.

Recommendation 9

4.22

The Committee recommends that the Department of Defence:

Encourages ADF personnel to view their military career as one element in their broader career in the workforce, and to take a pro-active approach to obtaining the appropriate accreditation and training needed to meet their employment expectations and increase their employment options post-ADF; and

Maintain a skills database for each ADF member, accessible by individuals post-separation.

Recommendation 10

4.34

The Committee recommends that the Government consider the provision of the following:

Study assistance and scholarships to enable former ADF personnel to gain qualifications and retrain for a post-ADF career; and

Government internships and employer wage subsidies to employers providing adult apprenticeships to veterans whose discharge is honourable but involuntary.

Recommendation 11

4.63

The Committee recommends that the Government consider the requirements of government and other health service providers at the federal, state and local levels for accurate information on the locations and needs of former serving members of the ADF, and:

Provide for a question or questions in the Census about service in the ADF; and

Provide identifiers in the Medicare Card Reference Number to indicate that an individual has prior service in the ADF and is entitled to medical care as a former serving member of the ADF.

List of Recommendations