Veterans' Entitlements Law

Book excerpt: Ben Quilty Troy Park, after Afghanistan 2012 Oil on linen 190 x 140 cm Australian War Memorial, Canberra Collection of the artist � Ben Quilty______________________________________This is the only book devoted to the law on veterans' entitlements and military compensation in Australia. The book comprehensively annotates the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA) and, in this third edition, for the first time annotates the new unified military compensation scheme introduced by the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA).The third edition covers all of the recent major reports into the veterans' law and military compensation system and includes annotations of all relevant High Court, Federal Court and Administrative Appeals Tribunal decisions on the two Acts. The book is an invaluable reference for all those assisting veterans to obtain their entitlements to the pensions and benefits available to those who have served their country - be they ex-service organisations, tribunal members, legal practitioners or Departmental officials.Highlights of the third edition include:a new section of the book discussing the cases on the application of Statements of Principles under the two Acts;comprehensive annotations of complex issues under the VEA, including qualifying service, special rate of pension, GARP, allowances, standards of proof and review of decisions;annotations and commentary on issues under the MRCA, including liability for compensation, incapacity, permanent impairment, death benefits, and transitional arrangements for previous schemes;the interaction between the VEA and the MRCA; andappendices which include an amendment history of the VEA and of the MRCA, an index of MRCA legislative instruments, discussion of defence honours and awards, and war grave eligibility.