Ageing 'Nashos' call for priority as all veterans get equal access to health benefits

George Filipowicz (left) at Puckapunyal during his National Service training. (Supplied: George Filipowicz) Thousands of men were drafted into the National Service between 1965 and 1972 but did not go to Vietnam They will now receive equal access to health benefits from July 1. A group called Nasho Fair Go wants its members to have claims prioritised because many are approaching their eighties. Link copiedShareShare articleA group of Australian soldiers conscripted during the Vietnam War will be eligible to receive the same health benefits as other veterans from July 1 after a decades-long fight. About 63,000 men were drafted into National Service between 1965 and 1972 using a lottery system based on their birthdays. About 19,000 National Servicemen served in Vietnam, but the rest did not, and spent their 18–24 months in the army in training or in non-combat roles. Birthdays were drawn out of barrel to choose who had to do National Service. (ABC News) Those who did not serve overseas have had fewer entitlements until now, with the group, known as "Nashos" now coming under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004. Those conscripted during that time are aged between 75 and 81 now. Many Nashos have had difficult proving injuries sustained during service because of the poor records kept at the time. Many say they also suffered even poorer treatment from the public and veterans' organisations than other Vietnam War veterans after National Service was abolished by former prime minister Gough Whitlam. George Filipowicz's birthday came up in 1970, while he was living in Adelaide with his parents. "When that happened, I was the third male member of the family to be conscripted," he said. George Filipowicz is now 75 and helps other former National Servicemen. (ABC News: Ashlin Blieschke) Mr Filipowicz is now 75 and represents South Australia and the Northern Territory on the board of an organisation that advocates for National Servicemen called Nasho Fair Go. He had dental work done by a trainee dentist when he was in training at the Puckapunyal army training facility in central Victoria. He said this had led to ongoing pain and difficulty chewing that he only recently had fixed at a cost of $2,500. "The dentist was absolutely disgusted at the work because they hardly left any teeth there — it was all filling," he said. "So, that's why my teeth just all cracked and crumbled away — because there wasn't enough — so we lodged a claim and it was just flatly refused." National Servicemen received some belated recognition in 2001 with medals in their honour. (ABC News: Ashlin Blieschke) From the start of July 1, all veterans will have equal rights to make compensation claims, consolidating three separate schemes, including the Vietnam-era National Servicemen and those from the earlier 1951–59 National Service Training Scheme. The change was a recommendation in the report from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide that was handed down in 2024. Federal Veterans' Affairs Minister Matt Keogh said the new scheme would be easier for people to understand, simpler to use and claims could be processed more quickly. "Now that we're moving to a single scheme going forward after July 1, it means that any veteran, including our Nashos, if they have a new claim to bring, it will be dealt with under that new scheme after July 1," Mr Keogh said. "Or if they have an existing condition that's already covered by DVA but that has got materially worse, they can seek extra support by bringing a new claim after July 1." Veterans' Affairs Minister Matt Keogh says the new system should be easier to use and quicker. (ABC News) Nasho Fair Go wants National Servicemen's claims given priority. "We are dying off and numbers are reducing," he added. A spokesperson for the minister said claims would be prioritised based on individual need rather than the type of service a person rendered. "Claims may be prioritised in a number of circumstances, including where the veteran is experiencing homelessness, is undergoing a mental health or financial crisis or if the condition is serious, life-threatening or terminal," the spokesperson said. George Filipowicz with his wife Sandra, whom he married and had a child with while in the National Service. (Supplied: George Filipowicz) Jan Squire was conscripted in 1967 and is now 79. She has had two knee replacements, one covered by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and one not. "I think there ought to be some compensation for the loss of two years of my life," Ms Squire said. "It's difficult to know how to argue that. I put in three or four pages of argument when I was trying to convince Veterans' Affairs to pay for my second knee replacement. "They’ve now come back in the last couple of months and said they're not going to give me any compensation." George Filipowicz meets with other former National Servicemen like Jan Squire to inform them of their

Ageing 'Nashos' call for priority as all veterans get equal access to health benefits

Key takeaways

More in international