Stressed military vets get $1m govt grant

The Government has announced a

$1.1 million grant over the next four years to help military veterans dealing with posttraumatic stress.

The funding will deliver

$250,000 annually to the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association (RSA) and $25,000 each year to No Duff Charitable Trust.

‘‘The RSA and No Duff are doing outstanding work supporting our veterans,’’ said Veterans Minister Ron Mark. ‘‘We’re seeing cases of post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI), and many of our younger men and women are returning from operational service in need of help.

‘‘The RSA has worked hard to modernise its services to meet this emerging need. They are a great example of an organisation which has evolved and they are wonderful advocates for veterans,’’ he said.

‘‘Alongside them, No Duff have become valued and trusted first responders. They’ve been there for many of our people in need and their reputation only grows by the day,’’ Mark said.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the RSA used to receive a ‘‘locked in annual grant’’ but it switched to ‘‘ad hoc funding out of underspends’’ under the last Government.

She said the announcement was about giving the RSA certainty around their funding so they can ‘‘better plan for their veterans’’.

Because a number of younger men and women in the military were returning from operational service, Ardern said the RSA had done a lot to ‘‘modernise its services to meet some of those changing and emerging needs’’.