Plea for progress — Veterans' Health Card

During his address to the 86th annual RNZRSA Council meeting, National President David Cox expressed great disappointment and concern at the extremely slow progress being made on the Veterans' Health Card.

He reminded the Minister of Veterans' Affairs, Mark Burton, that the VHC submission was put before the previous administration by RNZRSA together with the other affiliated veterans' associations of the Korean, Malayan and Vietnam conflicts in October 1999, and was inherited by the present government.

"How long do the veterans of New Zealand have to wait before they get an answer?" he asked. "Before long there will be very few Second World War veterans left."

He said, all knew that changes to social legislation often got bogged down, "but this delay is really unacceptable".

"On behalf of all veterans, I plead for the process to be speeded up and a decision made."

Mr Cox said, he hoped that if they were both still in office next year, he would be able to congratulate the Minister and his Cabinet colleagues on their humanitarian action in providing a Veterans' Health Card for those New Zealanders who, in their earlier years, put country before self.

Changing tack, David Cox acknowledged the progress made over the last two years in several areas of veteran concern.

He said it was pleasing to note that the transfer of the Veterans Pension from the Social Welfare (Transitional Provisions) Act 1990 into the War Pensions Act 1954 had at last been introduced into Parliament and was being studied by the Social Services Select Committee.

Mr Cox said, the War Pensions Amendment Bill (No 2) also provided for the introduction of an abatement regime that would enable recipients of the Veterans Pension who are under retirement age, to participate in some paid employment without losing their full entitlement to the Veterans Pension.

"This will be welcomed by many pensioners, especially those who have served in Vietnam and who are physically able to undertake only part-time paid work," he said.

Medallic

Mr Cox said, the veteran community greatly appreciated the tremendous strides that had been taken in settling many of the medallic issues that had been festering over past decades.

Probably the most notable was the inauguration of the New Zealand Operational Service Medal announced by the Prime Minister at the RNZRSA Council last year.

He said, the speed with which the award had been discussed, designed, approved by The Queen, manufactured and ready for distribution to many thousands of recipients, had been absolutely outstanding. "This has been a wonderful effort by all concerned," he said. "The Herald of Arms and the New Zealand Defence Force are to be congratulated for their efforts, and I would be remiss if I did not mention also the work of our own Medallic sub-committee who have been consulted from start to finish during the deliberations."

He said, there had been many other medallic issues the government had addressed. Among them were the New Zealand Special Service Medal recently awarded to veterans of Operation Grapple and other nuclear test observers; the awarding of the New Zealand Service Medal 1946-49 to RNZN crews who saw service in Japan at the end of World War Two, and the various General Service Medals issued for service in Malaya, Suez, Rwanda and other deployments. "They have all helped to allay the disquiet of veterans who felt they had been ignored by their governments."

David Cox said there were still some medallic issues awaiting to be finalised, "a few may take a bit longer than others, some may never be resolved, but they are being worked upon, and, in the meantime, we are most grateful that the large majority of problem areas have now been successfully settled."

Unknown Warrior

Mr Cox also noted the Association's great pleasure in the announcement, that after being first mooted by this Association sixty years ago, the decision had been made to honour New Zealand's war dead by the establishment of a Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

"We are delighted that this memorial will be a fitting monument to all New Zealanders, both living and deceased, who have served their country in battle."

He said, RNZRSA very firmly believed that the site of re-interment of an unidentified body from the Western Front of the Great War of 1914-18, should be at the National War Memorial in Wellington.

Elderly drivers

David Cox told delegates that although the Royal New Zealand Returned Services' Association was first and foremost a welfare organisation, its interests did not lay only in the welfare of ex-service people.

He said there was concern for the plight of the ageing driver, especially those over the age of 80 who had to submit not only to a medical examination, but also to a driving test every two years.

"We believe this bi-ennial impost is, for most drivers, totally unnecessary; it is not only very expensive for those living on New Zealand Superannuation alone, but is also, for many, an extremely traumatic experience. Fear of failure, in many cases, becomes the reason for failure," he said.

The Association was not opposed to the two-yearly medical testing, "but that should be sufficient to retain one's licence unless the medical practitioner has doubts about the driver's capabilities - then, and only then, should a road test be required".

 

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