DVA establishes Vietnam Veterans' Family Study Website
COVVHS has been informed that a new website has been established by the Department of Veterans' Affairs which contains some important information regarding the Vietnam Veterans" Family Study.
Also included is the the new DVA Website link:
Intergenerational Health Effects of Service in the Military
(also known as Family Health Study)
PLEA FOR YOUR INVOLVEMENTFor the Intergenerational Health Effects of Service in the Military to be a success it is imperative that you respond to the request for information or registration.
The study has commenced.
The consultative forum advising the above study met for the first time on Monday, 22nd September 2008. DVA has used a random sampling process to select people with military service and invited their participation.
Ten thousand soldiers have been selected by the research group to register for the study and the response rate to date is sadly quite low.
Many admit to receiving the request for assistance but have been a little too idle to post back their participating replies.
Please could you remind your friends and their families whom you see, that this is very important, as it will determine how future military generations are treated by governments.
The participating numbers need to rise considerably.
This study applies to veterans who served overseas during the sixties and seventies as well as those who remained in the military on the Australian mainland.
Without this latter select comparison group the results will lose their value to prove the point that a soldier’s overseas service can contribute to that soldier’s family difficulties; be they his own, his wife, or his children and grand children.
If you or your colleagues are requested to help, even though people feel uninvolved, it is vital that they do so.
Much time and effort has been spent designing this study and to have it fail through lack of numbers will be a tragedy that reverberates throughout the whole country for many generations to come.
There are ten of us on the forum determined to gain a useful result for those sons and daughters of military people, but we can do it only with the support of all those soldiers requested to be part of the study.
This invitation does not mean only those with some lasting difficulties. We need everyone requested to take part in the study to return the information as per the letters; be you exceeding well or less so.
To register again if papers are lost or misplaced OR to be part of the study because you realise it is important even though not one of the ten thousand selected participants, Phone 1800 502 302
or visit www.dva.gov.au/vvfs
Every one who served in the AUSTRALIAN ARMY during the sixties and seventies and served in Vietnam OR remained in Australia is invited to contribute to this study.
National Service personnel are very much part of this program.
Your contribution to the information collected will significantly enhance the study’s depth and outcome which I’m happy to discuss with anyone who is anxious about this matter.
Dr Roderick Bain MBBS FRCA FANZCA
RSL NSW State Vice President (Southern Country)
Member of Family Health Study Consultative Forum
Tel 02-93808774
Mob. 0417604450
email: roderickbain@gmail.com
COVVHS Encourages Your Participation
The Australian Government has commenced a study into the intergenerational health effects as a result of active service in the military.
The study is being done in several components.
This is a one-off opportunity to undertake a large scale scientific study to identify the conditions suffered by military families.
It is not just another veterans' health study, but a study of conditions which affect the quality of life of the sons, daughters and family of military people.
To establish valid and reliable information from such a study of the wide ranging conditions requires a large number of participants.
There are very few WW1, WW2 and Korean veterans’ families available.
Vietnam veteran era families are reducing. Subsequent war / peacekeeping conflicts each involve relatively small numbers.
Your registration to participate is vital to understanding the intergenerational health affects of military service.
There are 2 separate approaches to obtaining information:
1. Scientific approach which involves randomly selected military
2. Self nominated approach involving anyone who registers
Geoff Parker
Member of Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Study Inc
Member of Family Health Study Consultative Forum
Tel 03 5341 3122
PLEASE NOTE1. This is a world first study. No one has ever done this type of work study before. All previous research done on these various topics does not cover the brief of this study!
2. $13.5M has been set aside specifically for this study and a similar prospective smaller one for current serving troops.
3.The research work will be done by tertiary University bodies that tendered for the studies and are yet to be selected. The research work will not be done in house by the DVA.
4.I believe that none of the members of the members of the Family Health Study Consultative Forum, the people representing the military / veteran stakeholders is in complete agreement with what has occurred so far but we do believe that the way forward is to work with the various research groups and DVA to achieve the best outcome possible for the family health study.
5.To refuse, if requested, to even participate in the Intergenerational Health Study is unworthy of any military person. Many have been through DVA studies and have felt uncomfortable about the outcomes.
Please put those aside.
This study is not just about us but the families of all future military families.
6.All the information you need to be aware of at this stage of proceedings for registration is available at the DVA web site and phone in centre.
THIS STUDY HAS NO RELATIONSHIP TO ANY PENSIONABLE STATUS YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO HOLD AND PERSONAL PHYSICAL INFORMATION WILL NOT BE MADE AVAILABLE TO ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY.
David Matheson,
President, COVVHS
Mobile Number 0408 506 835
Website updated 04 November 2008
