Last updated Thurs, 02 June 11 to be continued
First of all let me stipulate that when you discuss with people who have never served in the armed forces about your Military Compensation claims, and they start talking about their experience with none military compensation workers claim, please do not listen to them. The Australian Military Compensation claim for workers compensation is completely different to a civilian workers compensation. Remember you are eligible for compensation if injuries were sustained during full time and part time service of your military career. You slogged it out in the CFA, battlefield, PT and whatever you were doing at the time during military time and injured yourself in the process. I tell people who have no idea that military people are like trained athletes, they have to be fit all the time. When people talk about a hard session at a gym, I just roll my eyes and tell them try doing a CFA with a pack and webbing and a radio on your back and a rifle, and marching through sand in the process. That workout in the gym is nothing compared to the physical training I endured during my military career.
You also need to undertand Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) in Australia. I studied OH&S at the National Australia body level, whilst doing my Diploma of Tourism (Operations Management.) It is the law to be rehabilitated or compensated if injuries were sustained in the workplace, or on your way to or from work. I even pointed out to Lecturers that they provided incorrect information that the then National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOSHC) was the national body for OH &S in Australia, that is was no more and at the time was then called Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC) which was current back in 2006 -2007. This is the current Safe Work Australia website click on to it to read the latest information. The reason why I have brought this to your attention is because I told an Military Compensation Rehabilitation Group (MCRG) Delegate in writing, that her and the DVA specialist they referred me to "breached Occupational and Health Safety" Law in Australia. It is a long story that my file ended up in Canberra because I put up a big song and dance about how incompetent they all were and other issues.
Finally! I get to create this page to assist those like myself in understanding the Military Rehabilitation Compensation Scheme (MCRS.) At the moment I am doing all my own administration process but eventually I will be handing over all my documents to an RSL advocate to deal with them. I sympathise with those ADF personnel who have 3 to 4 medical records or more to deal with.
Some of you may have already resolved your issues so if you wish to add your comments feel free to do so. I monitor the comments so you have to wait for me to approve it before the public gets to read it.
In the mean time this page is the Eligibility & Claims page from the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) website. Now when some of you go to put in your claim through MCRS and you see an MCRS Delegate from DVA for the first time or speak to someone from DVA on the phone. Usually you will be asked if you have access to the Internet. You can retrieve all the information from there, however it's knowing what you need to retrieve is the important part. Some of you would have received a booklet on this, well pretty much all that information is on this website too. I know it is too mind boggling to read, and now I know why some of the older Senior Officers and Senior Non Commissioned Officers (SNCO) used to advise me to go through an RSL advocate. However if I'd have gone through an RSL advocate or other, I most probably would not have gone through the trial and error of finding out the flaws in the system (that most of the other DVA clients before me would have experienced also.)
I am just blogging this particular information for those who have not submitted or in the process of submitting your claim. The first step is the Claim For Liability and if you decide to do this on your own well I advise you to read this particular website, otherwise for any further clarification call DVA or go and see an RSL Advocate or a Workers Compensation Lawyer group or others. The three tri service newspapers advertise Workers Compensations Lawyers. Once you hire one of these Workers Compensation Lawyers they do all the work, you just pay them to do it. That means you provide them with all your medical documentations or they might ask for it. I have no idea as I have never gone down that path yet. At the end of the day it is up to you how you want to submit your claim. I do stipulate though, that you ensure you understand the process of it all, especially in laymans terms. If you do not understand anything always ask, do not sit in the dark stressing about it.
For those young ones or whomever see dollar signs of the big lump sum pay out, ensure you seek financial advice on the matter, and read very carefully what DVA has provided on their website. RSL Advocates and others will tell you the cost of long term medical expenses is more important than a lump sumpay out. I have had all my 6 Claim For Liability approved and now MCRG pays for all my medical expenses. Later on I will provide examples of some of my injuries to go through the Statement Of Principles Process to help you understand what is required.
To understand how to get compensated for serious, extreme injuries you will need to identify the different Acts you come under in accordance with the amount of time you have served, and if you are a current or ex serving member. From what year to what year as there are certain Acts that cover you, and if you have served in an Operational warlike environment or peace time enviroment. Go to the Factsheets and read all about it. In a nutshell if you have extreme permanent injuries you actually need to be 10% or more, which I will cover another time.
Now I have just had quick squizz at the Eligibily & Claims and it is very informative. They have offices around Australia, if you have time go in and check them out. Another thing too is that this website has information in there that you might not know of for those of you it might be applicable to.
This material is copyright © Wendy J. Seymour 2011 - Exempt the hyperlinks they are from the World Wide Web (WWW)
I am just blogging this particular information for those who have not submitted or in the process of submitting your claim. The first step is the Claim For Liability and if you decide to do this on your own well I advise you to read this particular website, otherwise for any further clarification call DVA or go and see an RSL Advocate or a Workers Compensation Lawyer group or others. The three tri service newspapers advertise Workers Compensations Lawyers. Once you hire one of these Workers Compensation Lawyers they do all the work, you just pay them to do it. That means you provide them with all your medical documentations or they might ask for it. I have no idea as I have never gone down that path yet. At the end of the day it is up to you how you want to submit your claim. I do stipulate though, that you ensure you understand the process of it all, especially in laymans terms. If you do not understand anything always ask, do not sit in the dark stressing about it.
For those young ones or whomever see dollar signs of the big lump sum pay out, ensure you seek financial advice on the matter, and read very carefully what DVA has provided on their website. RSL Advocates and others will tell you the cost of long term medical expenses is more important than a lump sumpay out. I have had all my 6 Claim For Liability approved and now MCRG pays for all my medical expenses. Later on I will provide examples of some of my injuries to go through the Statement Of Principles Process to help you understand what is required.
To understand how to get compensated for serious, extreme injuries you will need to identify the different Acts you come under in accordance with the amount of time you have served, and if you are a current or ex serving member. From what year to what year as there are certain Acts that cover you, and if you have served in an Operational warlike environment or peace time enviroment. Go to the Factsheets and read all about it. In a nutshell if you have extreme permanent injuries you actually need to be 10% or more, which I will cover another time.
Now I have just had quick squizz at the Eligibily & Claims and it is very informative. They have offices around Australia, if you have time go in and check them out. Another thing too is that this website has information in there that you might not know of for those of you it might be applicable to.
This material is copyright © Wendy J. Seymour 2011 - Exempt the hyperlinks they are from the World Wide Web (WWW)
Disclaimer: I accept no responsibility or liability of any loss to any incorrect or out dated information some of these websites may contain. The most accurate up to date information at the time known to me is inserted in these pages. It is the responsibility of the individual to do their own research in their own time. This is just a guide to assist people in giving them as much information as I possibly can to assist them in preparing for their Claim for Liability through DVA. My views and opinions and experiences will not exactly reflect other peoples' views and opinions and experiences.
