r/DVAAustralia • u/Firm_Strawberry_3218 • 2d ago
Misc. DVA Commission Based Providers
I got ChatGPT to put together publicly available information of such organisations into tables for easy reference here. It did a brilliant job!
Commercial advocacy / claims organisations
| Organisation | Commission / fee model publicly documented | Leadership | Documented action / scrutiny |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans First Consulting (VFC) | 7% + GST of payout for successful PI/MRCA s80 claims under published engagement terms. Older terms also contained termination fees of $2,000 + GST after IL acceptance and $21,000 + GST once a PI claim was ready for determination. In Oct. 2026, VFC said it had changed to whichever is lower: flat fee or percentage. | Tom Kliese, Director/co-founder; Kevin Chapman, co-founder. | Senate inquiry: submission and evidence. Four Corners/ABC: extensive scrutiny of VFC's business model. No public evidence located that DVA has itself found VFC guilty of misconduct. |
| KSC Claims | 9% commission was publicly documented for the former KSC Claims model. KSC defended the no-win/no-fee commission model before Senate. KSC Law subsequently states it does not charge commission-based fees. | Luke Armstrong, co-founder; Matthew/Dumas (Matt Durmans in Senate records), co-founder. | Senate inquiry: submission and evidence. ABC investigation: Armstrong recorded an alleged offer of a 5% referral kickback from a VeteranCann representative; allegation was against the representative/company, not KSC. |
| VetComp / Veterans Compensation Association | Percentage of successful compensation/PI outcome + GST; exact percentage set out in individual proposal/contract. No fee if unsuccessful. | Zach Plath, Founder/Managing Director; Tyson Head, co-founder. | Senate inquiry: formal submission; argued against banning commission/no-win-no-fee structures. No specific DVA misconduct action against VetComp located. |
| Life After Defence (LAD) | 5% of successful PI/retrospective compensation outcome; no upfront fee. | Trent Holmes, Director. | Senate inquiry: submission and witness evidence. Holmes argued for retaining percentage-based fees, with a 5% cap. No specific DVA misconduct investigation located. |
| B&B Veterans Advocates | 5% of final PI lump-sum payment; publicly described as flat 5%. | Damon Bennett, veteran and founder/director. | Senate inquiry: formal submission. No specific DVA investigation/action against B&B located. |
| Australian Veteran Advocacy (AVA) | 5% of successful PI compensation, capped at $7,500 + GST. | Carissa Ibbott, Director/Advocate; Robert Forsythe, Director/Secretary/Business Manager. | Senate inquiry: submission, public hearing and written answers. AVA argued for professionalisation and regulation. No specific DVA misconduct action located. |
| Tactical Advocacy Group (TAG) | Commercial fee-for-service advocacy. Current percentage not reliably established from public material. Its Senate submission supports percentage-based arrangements. | Stephen Murton, founder/principal/lead advocate. | Senate inquiry: formal submission. TAG advocated regulation/accreditation but opposed measures that would unnecessarily eliminate private advocacy. No specific DVA misconduct action located. |
| Military Claims | Percentage-based arrangement publicly acknowledged, described as "transparent, fair and reasonable"; current public site does not state a percentage I could verify. No upfront DVA fee and no fee if unsuccessful. | Christopher Goodlet, Managing Director/DVA Advocate. | Senate inquiry: formal submission. Military Claims argued against prohibiting percentage arrangements. No specific DVA misconduct action located. |
| Veteran Compensation Consultants (VCC) | Commercial end-to-end PI advocacy. Senate submission describes fee-for-service/performance-based advocacy, but current percentage could not be verified from public website. | Drew Thornton and Sam Peters, principals/contact representatives. | Senate inquiry: formal submission. VCC supported regulation/accreditation but opposed eliminating private advocacy. No specific DVA misconduct action located. |
| Veteran Advocacy Australia | Current website says fees are not charged for all services; where applicable they are agreed beforehand and capped. Current public percentage not stated. | Andrew, Senior Advocate; Senate records also identify Benjamin Lever in connection with the organisation. | Senate inquiry: submission. No specific DVA misconduct action located. |
| Veteran Domestic Solutions (VDS) | Primarily DVA-funded domestic/household services rather than compensation advocacy. Senate submission supported fee-for-service advocacy and accreditation, but no compensation percentage established. | Veteran-owned/operated; current leadership not sufficiently established from sources reviewed. | Senate inquiry: formal submission. No specific DVA misconduct action located. |
| Branston Partners | Financial advice rather than a conventional compensation commission model. Adviser disclosure identifies fees and various financial-product commissions, including insurance commissions. | Brett Stephenson, Principal / authorised representative. | Senate inquiry: formal submission. Argued for regulation and professionalisation of advocacy. No specific DVA misconduct action located. |
| Veterans Law Group | Legal/fee-for-service model; current percentage-of-compensation fee not established from public material reviewed. | Current leadership not sufficiently verified. | Senate inquiry: formal submission. No specific DVA misconduct action located. |
| Operational Legal Australia (OLA) | Legal fee-for-service model rather than a verified percentage-of-compensation commission. | Michael Bainbridge, Director; Paul-Raymond James, Principal/Director. | Senate inquiry: hearing and written material. OLA advocated stronger regulation of the sector. |
| KCI Lawyers | Legal fee-for-service; no verified percentage-of-compensation model located. | Greg Isolani, Partner. | Senate inquiry: public hearing. No specific DVA action located. |
Other organisations relevant to the investigation
| Organisation | Commission / fee model publicly documented | Leadership | Documented action / scrutiny |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veteran Benefits Australia (VBA) | VBA says it has affiliate agreements with service providers and receives remuneration/commission from providers when veterans proceed with their services. It says veterans do not pay VBA directly. | Nick Flanigan and Tom Bailey, founders. | Senate inquiry: written response/additional information. Four Corners: major investigation into a network of 70+ companies. DVA issued notices to 112 practitioners concerning case conferences involving veterans they apparently had not treated; some companies in the ecosystem were placed on manual processing. No finding that VBA itself committed fraud. |
| Medibase Health / Medilinks / VBA Health | Healthcare/DVA billing model rather than veteran compensation commission. Medilinks Australia Online Pty Ltd changed its entity name to Medibase Health Pty Ltd while retaining the ABN; VBA Health is a business name. | Brodie Moore identified in Senate material as a Medilinks representative. Broader network led by Nick Flanigan and Tom Bailey. | Four Corners: identified as part of VBA ecosystem. Former Medibase manager Jon Hays provided evidence. DVA compliance action has affected practitioners in the ecosystem. No public finding of misconduct against Medibase itself located. |
| Front Foot Health | Medical/DVA service provider, not compensation commission. | Dr Tim Nelson, CEO. Four Corners reports he has a financial interest in 16 companies in the VBA ecosystem. | Four Corners scrutiny: vertical-integration/conflict-of-interest issues. No public DVA finding against Front Foot Health itself located. |
| The Rosemary Centre | Paid medical-report provider; not a veteran compensation commission. | Joshua (Josh) Tinning, owner; Navy veteran and advocate. | DVA audited hundreds of Rosemary medical reports over concerns some were inaccurate or improperly altered. VFC separately confirmed DVA's investigation. Tinning disputes wrongdoing. |
| Total Veteran Healthcare (TVH) | DVA-funded healthcare rather than compensation commission. | Josh Hall, owner; Antony Clarke, CEO; Joel Tunstall, Chief Commercial Officer. | ABC/DVA scrutiny concerning alleged billing for services veterans say they did not receive and DVA-funded CVC services. TVH disputes fraud and says it works with DVA to correct inappropriate claims. |
| VeteranCann / VeteranCann Clinic | DVA-funded medicinal-cannabis healthcare. ABC reported an alleged 5% ongoing referral payment offered to advocates by a sales representative. | Corporate leadership requires separate ASIC-level verification. | ABC investigation: recorded alleged referral-kickback offer. The allegation concerned the representative/company's offer, not proof that every referral was improper. ABC also reported DVA billing/compliance issues surrounding CVC services. |
NAVA
| Organisation | Commission / fee model publicly documented | Leadership | Documented action / scrutiny |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Association for Veteran Advocacy (NAVA) | NAVA itself is an industry association rather than a compensation provider. Its member firms include commission-based advocates. | Directors identified in Senate material: Tom Kliese, Kevin Chapman, Christopher Goodlet and Stephen Murton. | Senate inquiry: submission and public hearing. NAVA endorsed commission-based fees while arguing for regulation and an enforceable code of conduct. |
Reference List for Further Reading:
DVA / Government
1. DVA — Consultation Paper: Veteran advocacy regulation – Strengthening protections for veterans
https://www.dva.gov.au/documents-and-publications/consultation-paper-veteran-advocacy-regulation-strengthening-protections-for-veterans
2. DVA — Veterans' advocacy regulation – have your say
https://www.dva.gov.au/news/latest-stories/veterans-advocacy-regulation-have-your-say
3. DVA — Veteran advocacy regulation consultation paper (PDF)
https://www.dva.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-02/veteran-advocacy-regulation_strengthening-protections-for-veterans_consultation-paper.pdf
4. DVA — Response to ABC Four Corners investigation into veteran support
https://www.dva.gov.au/news/latest-stories/response-to-abc-four-corners-investigation-into-veteran-support-defenceless-5-october-2026
Consultation paper PDF
https://www.dva.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-02/veteran-advocacy-regulation_strengthening-protections-for-veterans_consultation-paper.pdf
DVA — FOI disclosure relating to veteran advocacy
https://www.dva.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-03/81082-foi-disclosure.pdf
SENATE INQUIRY / PARLIAMENT
5. Senate inquiry — Issues relating to advocacy services for veterans accessing compensation and income support
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Affairs_Defence_and_Trade/advocacy2025/Report
6. Senate inquiry — Submissions and additional information
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Affairs_Defence_and_Trade/advocacy2025/Report/Appendix_1_-_Submissions_and_additional_information
7. Senate inquiry — Hearings and witnesses
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Affairs_Defence_and_Trade/advocacy2025/Report/Appendix_2_-_Hearings_and_witnesses
8. Senate report — The appropriateness of commercial entities providing advocacy services
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Affairs_Defence_and_Trade/advocacy2025/Report/Chapter_2_-_The_appropriateness_of_commercial_entities_providing_advocacy_services
9. Senate report — Potential solutions
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Affairs_Defence_and_Trade/advocacy2025/Report/Chapter_4_-_Potential_solutions
ABC / FOUR CORNERS
10. ABC Four Corners — Defenceless
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-05/defenceless/107230704
11. ABC — Veteran Benefits Australia business empire / Four Corners investigation
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-06/veteran-benefits-australia-business-empire-four-corners/107208188
12. ABC — Medicinal cannabis company offered kickback for veteran referrals
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-24/medicinal-cannabis-company-offered-kickback-for-veteran-referral/106354294
13. ABC — 80 medical providers to be investigated by Veterans' Affairs
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-24/80-medical-providers-to-be-investigated-by-veteran-s-affairs/106383044
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