Current and former ADF members and their families. ~581,000 living veterans plus ~60,000 serving ADF and their families.

Framing

Veterans carry higher rates of physical injury, mental ill-health and suicide than the general population. The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide documented systemic failures in transition, claims processing and family support. The signature problems are claim opacity, transition pace, and a service-system designed around individuals when service is a family experience.

Day in the life — three sub-cohorts

Recently separated (year 1–3)

Morning. Wakes early — service-rhythm holds. PTSD or pain symptom check. Mid-morning. GP appointment paid via DVA White Card (claim status checked weekly). Lunch. Open Arms session online or in-person. Afternoon. Job search or study (Workforce Australia, transition study). Evening. Family adjustment — kids' new school routines, spouse's new job.

Established veteran (5+ years post)

Morning. Work — civilian career somewhat established or business owner. Mid-morning. Possibly DVA review appointment, GP for chronic injury. Evening. RSL / Soldier On / Mates4Mates / Invictus pathway training.

Currently serving (and family)

Morning. Base routine. Family on the move; spouse possibly in 4th career-change. Day. Operations or training. Family at home navigating new schools. Evening. Limited family time during ops; intense in dwell.

Government services touched

• Department of Veterans' Affairs — compensation (DRCA, MRCA, harmonised), Gold/White Card, Open Arms
• Department of Defence — service careers, transition, DHA leasing
• Defence and Veterans' Services Commission — oversight
• Open Arms — mental health
• Services Australia — Centrelink during transition, Medicare, super
• Department of Employment and Workplace Relations — Workforce Australia
• Australian Taxation Office — military super, lump-sum tax
• DHA (Defence Housing Australia)
• RSL, Soldier On, Mates4Mates, Invictus Australia (peer)

Top activities by life area

Pain points

1. DVA claim wait times and opacity.
2. Family secondary trauma and lack of family-side mental-health support.
3. Transition timeline too short; civilian-skills translation absent.
4. Veteran homelessness and DHOAS subsidy lag.
5. Identity loss + isolation post-service.
6. Multi-system digital handoffs that exhaust people already exhausted.

Needs from government

• One transition coach who actually owns the cross-system handoff for 12 months.
• Real-time DVA claim status with named case-officer.
• Open-Arms-style mental-health support extended to immediate family by default.
• Index DHOAS to actual loan rates.
• Spouse-portable career across departments.

Quotes

• "They're sending 1,000 automated letters a week demanding evidence of ongoing eligibility. It feels like we're being audited for daring to need help." — Disability advocate (Citizen Voice 2025, NDIS — same dynamic well-documented in DVA claims)
• Representative theme from Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide submissions: "I was fine in uniform. Six months out, I didn't know who I was."
• Representative theme from ADF spouse research: "Our family has done five postings. I've had four jobs and three university enrolments. None of them stuck."

Top actionable ideas (linked)

• (i045) DHOAS modernisation — small
• (i046) Veteran Housing First — medium
• (i047) DVA claims auto-track — small
• (i048) Veteran-family Open Arms — medium
• (i049) Veteran-suicide post-vention — small
• (i050) Spouse-portable career — small
• (i051) Civilian skills translator — small
• (i052) DVA travel auto-claim — small
• (i053) Transition Study Scholarship — small
• (i054) Modern-RSL grants — small
• (i055) Veteran FDV pathway — small
• (i056) MyService rebuild — medium

Key life events

• Leaving the army — the master transition
• Becoming disabled — service-attributed
• Major health issue — chronic injury
• Losing a loved one — veteran-suicide bereavement

Sources

• Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide — final report and submissions
• DVA annual reports and claims data
• Open Arms; RSL Australia; Soldier On; Mates4Mates
• ADF transition surveys
• AIHW veteran-suicide indicators