How can I get access?
You can get access to information including personal information about you, and where consent is in place, your family member or your representative can also gain access. You can also access corporate (non-personal) information that we hold.
- We have developed some helpful factsheets (pdf)
Before making a Freedom of Information request to get information, in the first instance we encourage you to use administrative release as it may be a more efficient and simpler means to get the information you need.
Below we outline the administrative release pathways you take to access:
Personal information about you:
Check MyService first
Our MyService portal is the quickest and easiest place to start and access the information yourself, as a veteran. In MyService you can access the following personal information:
- personal details
- service summary
- payment destination
- income and assets
- accepted conditions
- card details
- check the progress of a claim that was registered in MyService
- download documents, such as letters that contain details :
- for taxation purposes, such as pensions and benefits (including a Statement of Income and Assets) or
- to obtain local concessions through a State or Territory Government authority
- contact details for your nominated representatives
If you are not already registered with MyService click here to find out more.
If the information you seek about a current claim is not in MyService, contact your DVA claims delegate.
- your delegate contact details will be on your most recent claim correspondence
Other personal information about you:
If you need any other personal information not available via MyService or your delegate you can get support:
Be ready to clearly identify the information or documents you are seeking, provide your contact details and your preferred method to receive our response such as an email or postal address.
Accessing your statement of Service
The fastest way to obtain a Statement of Service is by
- Contacting the Department of Defence on 1800 DEFENCE (1800 333 362)
- or visiting the Department of Defence website
The Information Access Unit can check to see if we have a copy of your statement on file
Personal information about someone you represent:
If you are a family member or advocate who is looking for records relating to a veteran you represent, you need to get their consent first before we can release their information. Read more about consent [link to consent page].
Once you have their consent you can access personal information in MyService or contact us for support to access their personal information.
If consent to disclose information to you has already been recorded by us and is relevant to the information you are requesting, you will need to provide a proof of identity, to show that you are the family member or the nominated advocate.
Deceased persons
If you are requesting information about someone who has passed away please contact our Information Access Unit.
We understand this is a difficult time for you and we are here to support you through the steps.
Corporate information:
If you need information that is not related to you, we already publish a large range of non-personal, corporate, policy, process and operational information.
How can I receive the information?
You can get information as an electronic record or paper document. You can also get it on an electronic storage device, such as a USB. We will give you the information in the format you asked for. If this isn’t possible, we can talk to you about other options.
We may also provide the information in the form of a summary or through a third party, such as a doctor or specialist. We do this where certain information could impact yourself or another’s mental health and wellbeing.
What information cannot be released?
We are legally required to remove certain types of information, such as surnames, signatures and other sensitive information. We remove information that protects people's privacy, is commercially sensitive, or for security and other reasons.
What if I can't find something?
Freedom of Information (FOI) requests
Before undertaking an FOI request, we recommend you first contact the IAU to determine if one of the above pathways may be more suitable to your information request needs.
The FOI process is much slower than the above options and:
- some charges may apply if you're requesting non-personal information.
See our FOI pages for more information:
Learn about how we manage information
We release information in line with the following guidelines and policies: