�
VeRBosity
Journal of the Veterans' Review Board
�EXTENDED ELIGIBILITY FOR NAVAL RESERVISTS
�
Naval reservists who served overseas in the Royal Australian Navy with the Far East Strategic Reserve (FESR) are now eligible for veterans' disability pension and treatment benefits and naval reservists in Vietnam have an extended period of eligibility.
The Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Mr Bruce Scott, has recently approved an extension of the eligibility of naval reservists who served with the FESR or in Vietnam. Mr Scott said naval reservists were part of the crews of ships attached to the FESR. However, their service has not previously been recognised as "continuous full-time service" required for eligibility under the VE�Act.
The Minister has made a determination under the VE�Act that their duties will be treated as "continuous full-time service" for the purposes of claiming veterans' entitlements.
In the case of service in Vietnam, the Minister said that naval reservists had only been covered for the time spent in an operational area.
The Minister's determination will ensure that the reservists receive "port-to-port" coverage, that is, for the duration of their seagoing duty.
Under the determination, the VE�Act now applies to, and in relation to, "any member of the Defence Force who, while not rendering continuous full-time service, was rendering service:
(a) as a member who was, or as a member of a unit of the Defence Force that was, allotted for duty, or taken to have been allotted for duty, in Vietnam at any time during the period from and including 31 July 1962 to and including 11 January 1973; or
(b) as a member of a unit of the Defence Force that was attached to the Far East Strategic Reserve at any time during the period from and including 2 July 1955 to and including 27 May 1963;
as if the member was rendering continuous full-time service."
�
�
