Good afternoon

Your request below has been received and a decision on your request will be provided as soon as possible and no later than 13 November 2025. Responses to requests for information that are considered to be in the wider public interest will be published on the New Zealand Defence Force website (www.nzdf.mil.nz).

Regards

Corporate and Ministerial Services
Office of the Chief of Defence Force
New Zealand Defence Force | Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa
www.nzdf.mil.nz

-----Original Message-----
From: SPENCER JONES <[FOI #32576 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 15 October 2025 8:59 pm
To: Ministerial Services <[NZDF request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Veteran Eligibility and Support Under the Veterans’ Support Act 2014

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Dear Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand,

Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following information regarding veteran eligibility and support under the Veterans’ Support Act 2014, with a focus on issues raised in the Paterson Report (2018) and ongoing systemic challenges:

1. Eligibility Statistics (2020–2025):
• Annual number of veterans assessed for eligibility under the Act, broken down by Scheme One (pre-7 December 1974) and Scheme Two (post-1974).
• Approval and denial rates for each scheme, including the most common reasons for denials (e.g., non-qualifying operational service, insufficient evidence).

2. Progress on Paterson Report Recommendation 63:
• Any internal reviews, policy papers, or cost-benefit analyses (2023–2025) related to broadening the definition of “veteran” to include all NZDF service members, as proposed in Recommendation 63.
• Estimated number of veterans currently excluded due to non-operational service and any pilot programs addressing this.

3. VANZ-ACC Coordination Issues:
• Number of eligibility claims involving overlaps with ACC for service-related injuries (2023–2025), including rates of transfers to ACC or denials.
• Details of current data-sharing agreements or identified gaps between VANZ and ACC, as noted in the 2019 Veterans’ Advisory Board Interim Report.

Please provide data in electronic format (e.g., Excel or CSV) where possible, with sensitive personal information redacted as needed. If any request is deemed too broad, I am open to refining it to meet OIA requirements.

This information will support community advocacy for veterans facing unmet health and wellbeing needs due to eligibility barriers and resource constraints.

Kind regards,
Spencer Jones

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Good afternoon Spencer Jones

Please find attached the response to your request for information.

Regards

Corporate and Ministerial Services
Office of the Chief of Defence Force
New Zealand Defence Force
www.nzdf.mil.nz

The information contained in this Internet Email message is intended
for the addressee only and may contain privileged information, but not
necessarily the official views or opinions of the New Zealand Defence Force.
If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, copy or
distribute this message or the information in it.

If you have received this message in error, please Email or telephone
the sender immediately.