Support for families

Specific support that can be accessed by a veteran's family may depend on the dates of the veteran's service or deployment.

Service in Viet Nam or pre-April 1974 (Scheme One)

Child

Children's Pension is a support payment, where veteran's death or severe impairment is service-related.

Children's Bursary is a study payment, where one of these applies:

• the child qualifies for Children's Pension
• the veteran parent is on Veteran's Pension or Weekly Income Compensation.

Dependant

Dependant's Pension is a support payment, where veteran's death or severe impairment is service-related.  

Spouse or partner

Surviving Spouse or Partner Pension is a support payment for surviving partner, where veteran's death or severe impairment was service-related.

Service in or after April 1974 (Scheme Two)

Family support (Scheme Two) may include income compensation, financial advice, and survivors' and child care payments. For entitlement to any of these to exist, the veteran must have:

• performed Qualifying Operational Service [PDF, 229 KB] after March 1974 (outside Viet Nam); and
• lost their life from that service.

Services on veteran's incapacity, long-term care, or death

Travel

Visitors' Travel is help with travel visiting a veteran in long-term hospital care. The veteran must have:

• Scheme One service (in Viet Nam, or before 1 April 1974); or
• a Scheme One entitlement already accepted. 

Work

You may be able to access training & support back to work, if your veteran partner:

• performed Qualifying Operational Service [PDF, 229 KB]; and
• is unable to work, from a service-related injury or illness, or has passed away from a service-related cause.   

This support may be accessed, based on an occupational assessment, for up to 3 years (don't have to be consecutive).

Independence

Veterans' Independence Programme services of your veteran partner may be able to be kept by you, as needed and for a limited period:

• on the veteran entering hospice or hospital care; or
• on the veteran's death (if the veteran was living at home then).

Funeral

Help with funeral costs may be accessed if death is from qualifying service, or other conditions are met. Qualifying service is:

• service before 1 April 1974; or
• Qualifying Operational Service [PDF, 229 KB]

Interment & memorial

Interment in a services cemetery may be arranged for:

• veteran with war or operational service; and
• veteran's spouse or partner. 

Memorials for interment in a service cemetery may be arranged (with costs covered) for:

• veteran with Qualifying Operational Service [PDF, 229 KB]; and
• veteran's spouse or partner. 

Where interment is in a public or private cemetery, we may help with costs of a memorial.

Other support

Viet Nam

Family of Viet Nam veterans may be able to access support for Viet Nam families.

Grapple

Support for the family of Operation Grapple veterans may include:

• case management & counselling
• genetic counselling (for veteran's natural-born children, conceived after Operation Grapple service).

Retirement

Veteran's Pension (external link)  is a superannuation-type payment for veterans who:

• have Qualifying Operational Service [PDF, 229 KB]; and
• meet the conditions for New Zealand Superannuation.

If the veteran has whole-person impairment of at least 52%, Veteran's Pension may have benefits for family too, including:

• automatic entitlement to Community Services Card for partner (if NZ resident)
• lump sum payment for partner or family, on the veteran's death.

Contact MSD (external link) for more information about Veteran's Pension. 

Related information

• Complaints: how to complain if unhappy with our assessment of your needs, or with the services you’re getting or not getting
• Standards of service (Code of Rights): what your rights are to standards of service, and what to do if there are problems
• Debt with us: how to manage debt with us.

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