Comcare has agreed to more than double the number of hours it will pay for care for a high-profile former aid worker catastrophically injured in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan.
David Savage AM was forced to take the federal workplace insurer to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal earlier this year after it refused to pay for more than 21.5 hours each week of personal care.
Mr Savage was working with AusAID near Afghanistan's Tarin Kowt on March 26, 2012, when he and three soldiers were injured in a blast set off by a 12-year-old boy in an explosive vest.
It was the first time an Australian civilian was seriously injured since the war started in 2001.
More than 60 ball bearings propelled into the man's body.
There was shrapnel lodged in Mr Savage's spine and to this day, he lives with traumatic brain injury, near complete loss of movement in his lower right limb, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Mr Savage spent years working to help and protect civilians caught up in some of the most catastrophic civil wars in recent decades. He worked for the AFP, as a peacekeeper with the United Nations and for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
His experiences as a peacekeeper in East Timor in the lead up to the independent referendum were recreated on the small screen in 2006 with an ABC miniseries Answered By Fire.
It was after the suicide bomb attack in 2012 and its impact on his health that the Canberra man sought compensation from Comcare, the federal government's workplace insurer.
It accepted liability for his injuries.
But after an internal review requested by Mr Savage, it refused to pay for more than 21.5 hours of attendant care - personal care for help with activities like bathing and dressing.
An independent report had said the former federal police officer required 24/7 care as a result of the injuries he suffered during his service overseas.
I am thrilled that David was able to avoid a lengthy litigation process given his health ... and the outstanding service that he has provided to his country.
Solicitor David Healey
Last week, Mr Savage and Comcare settled the case in the tribunal.
Comcare has agreed to pay for personal care services for a total of 46 hours per week, including up to four hours per week in respite attendant care from an external provider, and travel to and from medical appointments.
"I am thrilled that David was able to avoid a lengthy litigation process given his health, his containment to a wheelchair and the outstanding service that he has provided to his country in war zones and other unhospitable parts of the world over an extended period of time," his solicitor David Healey told The Canberra Times.
"The decision reached between the parties is commendable and a worthy template for future matters involving veterans and public servants."
