Setting the Record Straight: RSL advocacy at work
In response to recent social media comments, it’s a good opportunity to outline the kind of work RSL Victoria’s advocacy team do every day as we support veterans.
RSL Victoria provides free, expert assistance to veterans seeking compensation for service-related injuries.
Our advocacy team, composed of experienced professionals—including veterans, lawyers, and medical specialists—achieves an 89% initial claim success rate that rises to over 94% on appeal.
In 2024, we secured almost $56 million in lump sum compensation for veterans who needed support.
Veterans never incur upfront medical costs under our model. We work with GPs and specialists to ensure initial diagnoses are bulk billed or covered by DVA.
In rare cases where a veteran is charged, we cover the cost.
We also collaborate with psychiatric service providers to secure timely diagnoses at no charge to the veteran.
Our approach ensures claims are decision-ready by aligning medical diagnoses with the Repatriation Medical Authority’s Statements of Principles (SOPs).
This prevents claims from being rejected due to a lack of connection to service or unmet SOP factors.
It also ensures serious injuries aren’t downplayed, which can otherwise result in denied compensation.
DVA now employs Compensation Support Officers (CSOs) who review claim material before it reaches a delegate.
Without sufficient evidence, claims stall.
Our comprehensive process ensures claims move swiftly through this system. Last month, a complex mental health claim we lodged was approved in under three weeks.
Upcoming MRCA legislation will introduce presumptive conditions, making it crucial that claims specify diagnosed conditions rather than symptoms to qualify for faster processing.
Despite claims that we are “too close” to DVA, we remain dedicated to veterans’ interests, and challenge DVA when errors occur.
Our professional relationship has allowed us to advocate for policy changes benefiting veterans, such as revising unfair rules on smoking-related conditions and service-related injuries.
Beyond compensation advocacy, RSL Victoria provides direct financial assistance to veterans in crisis.
In the past year RSL Victoria spent nearly $390,000 on emergency payments for housing, education, and essential expenses. One Sub-Branch alone spent more than $600,000 on veteran crisis support this financial year.
We remain deeply concerned about unregulated fee-for-service advocacy businesses that profit from veterans’ compensation claims, a practice banned in the legal profession.
As Senator Edward Millen declared in 1920, repatriation services exist to support veterans, not to enrich private businesses.
Our mission since 1916 has been to serve veterans and their families, and we will continue to do so.
While we welcome fair criticism, we stand by our commitment to integrity, transparency, and unwavering support for those who served.
“The work of our advocates is at the core of what the RSL exists for and exemplifies the support for veterans that we have provided for more than a century,” says Dr. Rob Webster, RSL Victoria President.
“The efforts of our advocacy team to secure more than $50 million dollars in lump sum compensation shows how their work changes lives.
“We are proud of that work, and it remains our priority.”
