Maybe we may be better off.A civilian with an ailment can apply for a disability pension, go to their doctor who signs off on it and the pension is there.I have been fighting VA for three years and even when they send you to one of their specialists, who agree the injury was service related, VA then disagrees with their specialist.You then lodge an appeal and after 15 months you get a hearing only to be quizzed and questioned like some lowlife thief.The whole system is devised to make it too hard so you give up.

the civilian disablility pension was changed about a year ago. Whatever medical reports you take to Centrelink means nothing. Like VA, they now refer you to their own trained medical "rats" which is why so many people with serious medical or disability conditions are now on the lower paying Newstart (the dole).