FORMER high-achieving navy sailor is having to eat every second day so he can support his eight-year-old daughter on just $130 a week.
When Karl Andrews' back was seriously injured in a workplace accident, RAN doctors wrongly fed him a cocktail of prescription drugs - including morphine.
He became addicted to the drug and was medically discharged in 2002 and labelled "drug dependent".
While military accident victims are now entitled to a tax-free pension and free medical benefits, the former navy communicator is not - which means his annual $30,000 pension is taxed and docked for child support for his two older children.
Injured Service Persons Association president Ray Brown said Mr Andrews' case was not an isolated one. Despite having fought for total and permanent incapacity status for 10 years, he was ignored by both sides of politics.
"The doctors say he can't work and if he was on a [TPI] pension he would not be taxed or assessed for child support," Mr Brown said.
He would receive a gold card for free healthcare, free public transport and car registration and other benefits.
"Because of the navy I'm forever a drug addict and I struggle with it every day. I can't live like this," Mr Andrews said.
He hopes to contact other veterans in a similar situation to form a support group. A spokeswoman for Veterans Affairs Minister Warren Snowdon said that no defence personnel were disadvantaged in treatment for accepted medical conditions no matter what legislation they were covered by.
Ian McPhedran
From: The Daily Telegraph
March 09, 2011 12:00AM
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