By Andrew Brown in Canberra

Veteran advocacy groups have accused the federal minister as letting them down over a proposed cap for their health care.

Changes outlined in the federal budget will impose a $5000 annual limit on allied health services for veterans, which Labor says will prevent overcharging and save more than $700 million to federal coffers.

A group of veteran advocacy representatives met with Veterans’ Affairs Minister Matt Keogh at Parliament House on Monday to outline concern over the changes.

The meeting took place after the initial request for the face-to-face was denied.

Julie-Ann Finney, whose helped campaign for a royal commission into veteran suicide after the death of son David in 2019, said a cap on treatment was unfathomable.

“The minister’s position is untenable, and he needs to go, and you need to meet with us. You promised me in opposition that you would look after veterans,” she told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.

“You are failing us.”

A spokesman for Mr Keogh said the meeting with the group was useful to understand the concerns of veteran groups.

The consultation process on how the $5000 threshold would be implemented was discussed at the meeting.

Veteran Tim Nelson said the cap on allied health care needed to be removed.

“We have no confidence that the Department of Veteran Affairs will be able to instigate this cap, and it needs to be scrapped.,” he said.

“The Department of Veteran Affairs is rolling out administrative processes across the board, that are detrimental to veterans’ well-being.”

Coalition MP Phillip Thompson, an army veteran, said the changes would result in the deaths of former servicemen and women.

“When it goes bad, you cannot be on the phone to the department for four hours, you cannot be expected to wait on hold or wait seven months to get any extra services,” he said.

“When the only light at the end of the tunnel is the services that you’re getting to make sure that you’re healthy … gets taken away and it all goes dark, I know what happens next. It’s a funeral.”

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