23 April 2001 Media Statement

Improving services to veterans through case management and one-stop shop

Prime Minister Helen Clark and Veterans' Affairs Minister Mark Burton announced today that the Office of Veterans' Affairs will become a one-stop shop for the provision of most health and other services to veterans.

"This new, case management approach will include assisting veterans to seek professional advice and treatment and to identify any opportunities for rehabilitation.

"The Office of Veterans' Affairs intends to contract with community organisations to deliver some of these services.

"From now on our veterans will have specific recognition as veterans and will not be regarded as pensioners or beneficiaries. We will be developing a service charter specifically for the War Pensions Unit which recognises the special needs and status of veterans and is completed in consultation with veterans' representative groups.

"This decision reflects the government's determination to give war veterans fair treatment.

"An enhanced claims panel process will be developed to assist with decisions on entitlements. The number of claims panels will be retained, as will the RNZRSA membership of those panels.

"The Secretary for War Pensions will be more involved in this decision making.

"The new seamless approach to the delivery of services will include a website which covers all veterans’ services and automatic transfers between relevant 0800 numbers," Helen Clark and Mark Burton said.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>