How the law is designed to support you

Parliament created the Veterans' Support Act 2014 (VSA) to support veterans in a fair, practical, and compassionate way when veterans seek help for injuries or illnesses linked to their service. At its heart, the Act is intended to be benevolent, but what does this mean for you when you make a claim?

Understanding veterans

The Veterans' Affairs staff, who make determinations on claims, are required to look at claims for support with fairness, common sense, and with an understanding of the realities of service life. This includes minimising the burden of proof on veterans wherever possible.

Many veterans apply for support years-sometimes decades-after their service. Records may be incomplete, memories may be imperfect, and the impacts of service can take a long time to fully emerge. The Act recognises this reality.

Statements of Principles - helping bridge the gap

One of the main ways the VSA delivers this benevolent approach is through the Statements of Principles (SoPs). SoPs set out known causes of specific health conditions, based on the best available medical and scientific evidence.

There are over 600 Statements covering more than 300 conditions. They are written by world-leading specialists in health conditions caused by conflict. They review current medical literature, and their reviews flow quickly into the SoPs ensuring that they are current. There are around three updates per a year.

The benefit for veterans is that SoPs take away the complexity of constructing a case to make a connection between their health condition and their service. Proving a link between service and a health condition can be extremely difficult.

The SoPs are designed to help with that. Rather than the veteran or a veteran advocate making a complex medical argument, the SoPs do that work for them. The VSA and the SoPs also mean that there is no combative legal or court process to test that proposed relationship.

A 1997 independent report into the outcomes of SoP decisions made by the Australian Department of Veterans Affairs, suggested that in the majority of claims using the SoPs, that between 90-95% of the accepted claims there was no actual link to the veteran's service (Pearce and Holman 1997, pp. 95-96). This study showed that the SoPs are making it easier for veterans to get a favourable outcome.

Veterans still need to tell Veterans' Affairs how they believe that their service affected their health. Veterans' Affairs then looks at whether there is a relevant SoP and whether one of its factors fits a veteran's circumstances, and if it does that claim can be accepted.

The introduction of the VSA in 2014 has increased the proportion of claims of being accepted. In 2013, under the War Pensions Act, 55% of claims were being accepted, and now under the Veterans' Support Act 73% (in 2025) of claims are being approved-reflecting a much more supportive approach.

For an explanation about SoPs, watch this video(external link).

How the Veterans' Support Act 2014 differs from the ACC legislation

When compared with the ACC legislation, the VSA stands out in ways that benefit veterans. It has:

• Broad interpretation of illness and injury

The Act does not define 'illness', 'injury', or 'psychological condition'. This allows Veterans' Affairs to take a broader, more inclusive view of claims.

• No time limits on claims

You can make a claim at any time, even long after your service has ended.

• No limits on number of claims or conditions

There are no restrictions on how many claims you can make, how many conditions you can claim for, or when you can reapply.

• Generally greater entitlements

In many cases, support provided under the VSA is more generous than what is available under ACC.

• Support even if you live overseas

Most entitlements remain available regardless of where you live in the world.

• Presumptive conditions

For some types of service, certain conditions are automatically accepted as service-related, removing the need for further proof. You can read more about these at https://www.va.mil.nz/ presumptiveconditions (external link)

Deciding claims on their merits, not technicalities

The VSA includes a benevolent principle. Claims must be decided on their merits, not on legal technicalities or strict rules of evidence. Veterans' Affairs staff are encouraged to look beyond how a claim is written and to consider all reasonable ways a condition could be connected to service-not just the explanation a veteran initially provides.

In summary

The Veterans' Support Act 2014 was designed to recognise the unique nature of military service, and the challenges veterans can face long after it ends. Its benevolent approach is written into the law-not as a favour, but as a recognition of service.