New centralised phone number for Veterans’ Affairs enquiries
A new dedicated, nationwide telephone service, the Veterans Service Centre, will be introduced to handle the 1.3 million calls received annually by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
The Veterans Service Centre began operations in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia on 31 May and will go nationwide later this year.
The service centre will be staffed by officers specially trained in veteran benefits and services and able to assist callers with most enquiries.
A new online system will enable staff to record and track veterans’ enquiries as well as any follow-up action. This means clients will not have to repeat their whole story each time they speak with the Department, saving time and providing veterans with an improved service.
Over time contact with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs would be simplified by consolidating the suite of telephone numbers used throughout Australia. This will be a gradual process and no veterans will be required to change their routines. They can continue to use existing numbers and their calls will be automatically switched to the Veterans Service Centre.
