Dr Tho Dang
Research Fellow, Veteran Health, Gallipoli Medical Research
I am someone who gets lost easily, whether I’m driving or walking. What confuses me most is coming out of a tunnel and having to quickly choose the correct lane. In that moment, there’s speed, suddenness, no GPS, no clear sign, and no time to think. It’s stressful and disorienting.
That is how I imagine many veterans and their families feel when they leave the Defence Force.
For many, leaving the military is more than just changing jobs. It means stepping into a completely different civilian world, with different systems. One such example is the health care system. In service, care is structured, familiar, and guided. After transition, it can feel like being dropped into a maze with no map. New providers, new rules, new paperwork, all with unclear or conflicting instructions. Even knowing where to start—who to see, what to ask, or where to go next—can be overwhelming.
Some veterans can access support through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, particularly those who are medically discharged. Others rely on mainstream services such as Medicare or general practitioners. But these systems do not always connect smoothly, and unlike those of us who haven’t served, veterans haven’t had time to become familiar with these systems and understand the best way to navigate them. Veterans may find themselves repeating their stories to multiple providers, navigating long wait times, and piecing together information to understand the support available to them. For families, who often take on a caring role, this adds another layer of stress.
The challenge is even greater when it comes to mental health. Military service is linked to higher rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use, and moral injury. Yet finding the right support is rarely straightforward. It is often unclear whether to seek help through veteran-specific programs or the civilian health care system. Organisations such as Open Arms and Mates4Mates offer vital support programs, but many veterans and families are unaware they exist, unsure how to access them, or uncertain what to expect. Some hesitate to seek help altogether, worried about eligibility or stigma.
Transition doesn’t happen in a single moment; it unfolds over time. Our personal health needs change, circumstances shift, and what worked early on may not be enough later. Along the way, veterans and their families are often left to figure things out themselves, learning how the system works, who to trust, and how to ask for what they need. Without clear guidance, it can feel like constantly trying to find the correct lane, just like I do after coming out of a tunnel, but with much higher stakes.
We can do better. Clearer pathways, better coordination between services, and simple, accessible information would make a real difference. Veterans shouldn’t need to rely on guesswork or persistence alone to access the care they need. Just like road signs help drivers make the right turn at the right time, veterans need clear signals to guide them as they shift to a completely new system. Support that is easily understood, timely, and responsive empowers veterans to navigate the system confidently, improving outcomes for themselves and their families.
When we get this right, we reduce frustration, improve health outcomes, support families, and honour the service of those who have given so much.
This essay is based on findings from the study ‘Empowering Health Literacy in Queensland Veterans and Their Families’, which was funded by the Queensland Government.
See the videos created for this study
Read more about Gallipoli Medical Research’s Veteran Health research