Table 1
Demographic Characteristics of Survey Participants (N = 82).
| CHARACTERISTIC | SURVEY PARTICIPANTS |
|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD), range | 51 (13.1), 24 to 80 |
| Gender, n (%) | |
| Male | 72 (87.8) |
| Female | 10 (12.2) |
| Years in the ADF, mean (SD), range | 14.9 (9.5), 1 to 49 |
| Years since discharge, mean (SD), range | 17.3 (13.4), 0 to 52 |
| Reason for discharge, n (%) | |
| Completed National Service | 3 (3.8) |
| End of term | 3 (3.8) |
| Administrative | 4 (5.1) |
| Voluntary | 7 (8.9) |
| Career progression/opportunities | 8 (10.1) |
| Family reasons | 10 (12.7) |
| Retired > 15 years service | 11 (13.9) |
| Medical | 33 (41.8) |
| Number of active deployments, mean (SD), range | 1.5 (2.6), 0 to 19 |
| Duration of longest active deployment (in months), mean (SD), range | 5.3 (6.1), 0 to 36 |
| Place of residence, n (%) | |
| Metropolitan/urban | 35 (49.3) |
| Regional | 32 (45.1) |
| Rural/remote | 4 (5.6) |
| Living situation, n (%) | |
| Parents | 1 (1.3) |
| Children | 2 (2.5) |
| Alone | 11 (13.9) |
| Partner and children | 32 (40.5) |
| Partner | 33 (41.8) |
| Household income, n (%) | |
| >$150, 000 | 11 (13.4) |
| $125, 000–149, 999 | 10 (12.2) |
| $100, 000–124, 999 | 6 (7.3) |
| $75–99, 999 | 13 (15.9) |
| $50 000–74, 999 | 19 (23.2) |
| $25 000–49, 999 | 15 (18.3) |
| $0–24, 999 | 4 (4.9) |
| Highest level of education completed, n (%) | |
| Primary school | 2 (2.6) |
| University degree | 14 (17.9) |
| Post-graduate study | 15 (19.2) |
| Trade certificate | 23 (29.5) |
| High school | 24 (30.8) |
| Current work status, n (%) | |
| Working casually | 1 (1.3) |
| Out of workforce | 1 (1.3) |
| Unable to work – other reasons | 1 (1.3) |
| On benefits | 3 (3.8) |
| Working part time | 5 (6.4) |
| Retired | 17 (21.8) |
| Working full time | 24 (30.8) |
| Unable to work/service-related health issue | 26 (33.3) |
| Relationship status, n (%) | |
| Single/never married | 6 (7.5) |
| Divorced/separated | 8 (10) |
| Married/de-facto | 66 (82.5) |
Table 2
Themes and Subthemes Identified in the Qualitative Analysis.
| THEME | DESCRIPTION OF THEME |
|---|---|
| Systemic issues | The systemic issues participants described in relation to their experience accessing healthcare as an Australian veteran. |
| Unclear processes | |
| Rigidity | |
| Time to approval | |
| Finding appropriate clinicians | Finding appropriate clinicians who understood their needs was difficult for veterans when navigating civilian healthcare. |
| Clinicians who see DVA clients | |
| Finding providers who understand | |
| Geographical issues | |
| Load on veterans | Factors participants described as increasing the loads on veterans about accessing healthcare. |
| Added stress | |
| Cost of time | |
| Monetary costs | |
| Transition from military to civilian | Participants expressed issues when transitioning from the military to civilian in relation to accessing healthcare. |
| Unprepared | |
| Alone | |
| Lack of continuity | |
| Feeling disregarded | Feeling disregarded, disbelieved, or discredited and worthless was a persistent discourse throughout participants responses. |
| Disbelieved or discredited | |
| Feeling worthless |
Table 3
Veterans’ Recommendations for Improving Access to Healthcare.
| RECOMMENDATION | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Case co-ordination |
|
| |
| Access to providers with DVA/veteran specific knowledge |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| Improved system navigation |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| Integration and continuity of care | Information regarding veteran access to healthcare covered as part of ADF discharge procedures |
| Defence medical practitioners involved in assessment of injuries/illnesses for compensation | |
| Provision of white card^^ with all accepted conditions and services at the time of discharge as part of the process | |
| List of services available to veterans for each card level (services, number of appointments, whether a referral is required) | |
| Veterans informed of what health services are available to them at the time of discharge |
[i] Note: ^ Veteran Gold Card is a treatment card that provides eligible veterans (e.g., those who meet age or permanent impairment criteria) with medical treatment for all medical conditions.
^^ Veteran White Card is a treatment card that can provide veterans with medical treatment for accepted service-related injuries or conditions and all mental health conditions (for veterans with continuous full-time service or certain reserve service; see Department of Veterans’ Affairs, 2023).