- Who are these sessions for?
- IVA members and veterans' advocates, paid and volunteer. No financial services background is assumed, and nothing in the material asks you to give financial advice.
- Can I hand these sheets to a veteran?
- Yes. They are written as general information, not personal advice, and every page carries that notice. They are most useful as a shared reference during a conversation, so the veteran can see the mechanics rather than take your word for the number.
- Am I allowed to explain the arithmetic on an offer letter?
- Explaining how a determination was calculated, which offsets were applied and what the decision window is sits inside advocacy. Saying which option leaves the veteran better off is personal financial advice, and that requires a licensed adviser.
- What are the two advice windows?
- On a permanent impairment matter the election period generally runs six months from receiving the determination notice (MRCA s78), with extension and review provisions. Where an SRDP offer follows, the election expires twelve months from the letter date, with limited extension powers (MRCA s201). Separately, DVA may reimburse financial advice on PI and SRDP elections up to a statutory maximum of $3,397.18 where the eligibility criteria are met; eligibility, funding and any personal cost are confirmed before work begins. Diarise both windows on the day the file opens, and confirm the actual deadline on the notice itself.
- Why does a nil or $0.00 SRDP outcome still matter?
- A nil payable rate is not the same as a refusal. Eligibility established and then reduced to nil by offsets can still matter: offset inputs are frequently wrong, rates and classifications change, and separate dependant, treatment and card pathways each carry their own eligibility conditions. Electing a nil rate does not automatically create dependant benefits, but a refusal closes doors that an established eligibility leaves open.
- How do I refer without creating a conflict?
- Offer more than one name in writing where you can, let the veteran choose, take no fee, commission or reciprocal arrangement, and record why you referred and what you did not advise on. The referral section of the SRDP sheet sets out the full sequence.
- Are the case studies real?
- Case studies are drawn from real reporting work and de-identified at the point of authoring: no names, dates, units, locations or identifying detail, and all figures rounded to bands.
- Do these sheets count towards CPD?
- The reference sheets are companions to the two modules, not CPD activities on their own. Completing a module records your own CPD entry, which you can print from the module completion screen. Hours shown are nominal pending accreditation.
