War pensions advice

Press, 12 June 1984, Page 2

War pensions advice

PA Wellington No evidence existed to support a call for changes to the War Pensions Act to provide specially for Vietnam veterans who claimed to have been injured through herbicide spraying, said the Minister of Defence, Mr Thomson, yesterday. Servicemen disabled in Vietnam had the full protection of the war pensions legislation, he said, referring to the Agent Orange debate. In an address to the Returned Service Association’s annual council meeting, he urged any veteran suffering a disability which he considered arose or occurred during his Vietnam service to test his eligibility for a disability pension if he had not already done so. Mr Thomson said the R.S.A. had proposed a number of changes to the war pensions scheme including an independent Vietnam veterans’ counselling service. He had arranged for the department to establish a liaison with local R.S.A.S to try to identify cases where

help may be needed so the extent of the problem could be gauged. Mr Thomson also announced increases to war widows and war disablement pensions. The pension rise applied from April 1 and will be paid on July 24. The rate for 100 per cent disablement has been increased $2.32 to 568.81 a week. The additional pension, which may be paid to very severe disablement cases, has been increased $1.39 a week, to $41.29. The war widows pension had risen $1.71 a week to $50.76, and there has also been proportionate increases in war pension attendants’ allowances, and travelling and clothing allowances. Car loans for locomotively disabled war pensioners will be increased from $5650 to $5850, Mr Thomson said. Financial grants will rise from $9OO to $lO5O and rehabilitation furniture loans will go up from $1325 to $1545. Those increases will take effect from October 1.