Veteran hung up on after being classified as deceased

A veteran calling the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) to query his unpaid medical bills has been told by an operator that he is dead.

Doug Steley served in the RAAF from 1974 to 1981, and now suffers from PTSD, depression and anxiety caused by his military service.

Speaking to 9NEWS, Mr Steley slammed the Department for its ‘cold and uncaring treatment’ of veterans who ‘are already damaged by [their] service to Australia.’ 

Doug Steley slammed the Department of Veterans Affairs for its ‘cold and uncaring treatment’

Doug Steley served in the RAAF from 1974-1981, and suffers from PTSD, depression and anxiety

Doug Steley served in the RAAF from 1974-1981, and suffers from PTSD, depression and anxiety

‘The switchboard operator started asking the usual identity and security questions,’ he explained. ‘This went on for about 45 minutes with little progress until she finally told me: ‘The only Doug Steley we have is dead’.’ 

It wasn’t until three months later that he was informed the DVA had confused his records with his Uncle Douglas Steleey’s – a World War II veteran who passed away six months beforehand.

A letter from the then-Minister for Veterans Affairs went blamed Mr Steley for phoning the wrong number for his query.

‘I can see how so many incidents like this can push some of our ex-service men and women over the edge,’ said Mr Steley, who is an activist working to reduce veteran suicide rates.

‘We protected Australia. We protected the politicians. We need someone to do the same for us now. Eighty five deaths in one year. We need a royal commission into veterans suicides.

He pointed out that the government held a royal commission into the four deaths caused by a rood insulation scheme, and ‘our ex-service veterans deserve the same respect.’ 

Mr Steley is passionate about veteran suicide awareness and has called for a royal commission

Mr Steley is passionate about veteran suicide awareness and has called for a royal commission

Mr Steley has drawn the public attention to veteran suicide with the ‘Veteran Chalk Challenge’

A spokesperson declined to comment on Mr Steley’s case, but acknowledged that some veterans and their families had a ‘difficult experience’ in dealing with the DVA.

The statement said that a ‘significant transformation programme’ was under way at the department, designed to place veterans and their families ‘at the centre of everything we do’. 

‘In the 2017–18 Budget the government provided $166.6 million for the first stage of Veteran Centric Reform, which is supporting our efforts to modernise our technology and transform the way we interact with veterans and their families.’  

Approximately 84 veterans died by suicide in 2017, and Mr Steley has helped draw public attention to the issue of veteran suicide by launching the ‘Veteran Chalk Challenge’.

 The 'legal graffiti' is another call for a royal commission into the cause of veterans' suicides

 The ‘legal graffiti’ is another call for a royal commission into the cause of veterans’ suicides

Participants scrawl the 84 figure on public surfaces and post it on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #veteranchalkchallenge.

The ‘legal graffiti’ is another call for a royal commission into the cause of veterans’ suicides, and into ‘what we believe is a link between the Department of Veterans Affairs and these suicides’, he told The Age.

However, the 84 number is only ‘a conservative estimate’ since the government does not keep specific records regarding veteran deaths. In January, new information regarding suicides last year came to light, changing the number to 86.



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk