DVA Acute Support Package
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs Acute Support package is formally known as the Defence, Veterans’ and Families’ Acute Support Package.
For veterans who are at risk, or currently enduring a crisis, their dependents may be eligible for academic and extracurricular support in the form of DVA-funded tuition, or wellbeing services. DVA Tuition through the Acute Support Package is intended to help children through their schooling to ensure they are engaged and are not disadvantaged by the nature of their family crisis. Many veterans’ kids have become isolated and disengaged from school given the intense circumstances veterans face, whether it be their mental health, losing friends or family, or experiencing family breakdowns.
The Acute Support Package is available to veterans who are eligible for Incapacity payments, meaning children of veterans who have not yet received a Gold Card TPI or 80 PI points under MRCA, can be entitled to DVA support for their education, and welfare.
The DVA Acute Support Package is designed to help the family as a whole, however, today’s focus in the blog will be the support that is available to the kids of veterans.
If you are in an acute crisis?
If you or someone else is in crisis and needs immediate help, call one of the following:
Triple zero (000) if you feel like you may hurt yourself or someone else
Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling on 1800 011 046 (24-hour free counselling and support for you and your family)
ADF Mental Health All-hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 (Confidential 24-hour telephone service for ADF members and their families)
Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 (Free support services if you are in crisis and need to talk to someone)
1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 (National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service)
The DVA Acute Support Package is not intended to be emergency help during an acute crisis, but rather is about helping families function despite their challenges. For this reason, anyone who needs immediate help please seek support through the aforementioned supports.
Which Veterans are Eligible?
You can locate this information on the Department of Veterans’ Affairs website linked here
A veteran or a current serving member may be eligible if:
they are under 65 years of age; and
they are receiving, or eligible to receive, Incapacity Payments under the DRCA or MRCA, SRDP under the MRCA, a Special or Intermediate rate of Disability Compensation Payment, or Veteran Payment under the VEA; and
the veteran or a related person of the veteran is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, a crisis as a result of new and challenging life circumstances.
What is Considered a Crisis?
DVA has a fairly loose definition of crisis in the context of this DVA claim. Generally, DVA considers a crisis to be a new and challenging life circumstance or event over which you have no control, that has recently occurred and is impacting on your wellbeing or ability to function.
What does this mean in practice?
If veterans or their families have experienced some of the following in the last two years:
psychiatric admissions into hospital
Family members who pass away
Child experiences some major event
Disengaging from school (refusing to show up)
Sexual or physical violence
Change in custody
Then they may be entitled to more general support for their child. This can include a plan that allocates funding for their academic and extracurricular support. This could be online tutoring to help support children in their schoolwork at home if their attendance at school is unsatisfactory, or to help fill in gaps they have missed due to this life event.
Children can also access extracurricular support including but not limited to:
music lessons
Musical instruments
Wellbeing activities: sauna (depending on age), Pilates
Sporting equipment
Gym memberships
