Building Excellence in Support and Training (BEST) 2023-24

The Australian Government is inviting applications through a demand driven process to deliver services under the Building Excellence in Support and Training (BEST) program.

The BEST program links closely to the Advocacy Training and Development Program (ATDP), which provides the essential skills for claims, advocacy and wellbeing work.

BEST is intended to assist the veteran and defence communities by providing support and resources to ex-service organisation (ESO) practitioners for compensation and/or wellbeing advocacy. It assists ESOs by providing a contribution to the work of these practitioners. It does not fully fund an organisation.

The objectives of the program are to assist ESOs to:

• improve the quality of claims received by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) at the primary determining level
• reduce the rate of appeals to the Veterans’ Review Board (VRB) and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT)
• promote the provision of wellbeing services to the veteran and defence community.

The intended outcomes of the program are to ensure:

•  the veteran and defence communities are able to benefit from having better informed ESO practitioners who can ensure claims lodged with DVA are of a high standard and contain all required information to enable timely and quality decisions
•  ESO practitioners will assist in improving claims assessment efficiency
•  the veteran and defence communities will have access to appropriate compensation and wellbeing advocacy services.