Mariners should be able to provide some documentation to support their claim including:
Allied mariners should be able to provide similar documentation to Australian Mariners however if this is unavailable they need to make a statutory declaration.
A veteran whose service is recognised as warlike service has both qualifying service and operational service. Accordingly, such a person's service makes them eligible for both service pension and disability compensation payment.
Warlike service is service of a kind that is determined to be warlike service by the Minister for Defence.
The Minister for Defence recognises service as warlike where a person or unit has been involved in warlike operations.
To be accepted as having rendered qualifying service for service pension during World War 2, a veteran must have incurred danger from hostile forces of the enemy. Veterans who served overseas in World War 2 may come under the Repatriation Commission's policy to accept that the veteran incurred danger.
The Somalian [glossary:operational area:633] is the area of the country of Somalia.
The question of ‘what is incurred danger’ has been tested in a number of Federal Court decisions[1]. Following these decisions, DVA holds the view that danger is not incurred by merely perceiving or fearing danger. It is incurred when a person is exposed to, or in peril of, actual physical or mental injury or harm from hostile forces.
A veteran whose service is recognised as non-warlike service has operational service. Accordingly, such a person has service that may make them eligible for disability compensation payment.
In all future conflicts in which Australian forces are engaged, the service of those involved will be determined to be either warlike service or non-warlike service by the Minister for Defence.
World War 1 veterans who served in the [glossary:Australian defence forces:525] have qualifying service if they served:
It is departmental policy to deem World War 1 vets to have met the criteria to have been engaged in operations against the enemy and incurred danger if they served:
