AN unofficial survey by an East Timor and Iraq War veteran flatly contradicts an official $174,500 taxpayer-funded survey by the Department of Veterans Affairs that sings its praises and claims a 90 per cent satisfaction rate.
Mr Sim suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and was so outraged by his experience that he formulated his own survey of DVA clients to find out what veterans really thought about the department that allocates about $13 billion of taxpayer dollars each year.
The results from 730 respondents bear no resemblance to the official DVA 2014 client service survey of 3000 people that showed satisfaction rates of above 90 per cent and included comments such as:
“Excellent service and good communications.
“They really look after people. Overwhelming — they listen so well. It’s like a family.”
Mr Sim’s survey included 41 questions and found that between 58 per cent and 73 per cent of clients under the three Veterans Acts had spent more than six months fighting for their claims.
In stark contrast with the taxpayer-funded official survey comments from Mr Sim’s respondents were far more damning.
Here is a sample;
“They treat you like you are trying to get something for nothing and that you should be grateful for their ‘assistance’.
“Woeful at best, criminally negligent if they’re honest.
“It was demeaning and enhanced my PTSD symptoms causing my family and I huge distress.”