Building Excellence in Support and Training (BEST) Program 2025–26

Overview

The Australian Government is inviting organisations via a demand driven process to apply to deliver services under the Building Excellence in Support and Training (BEST) Program from 2025 to 2026. The BEST Program links closely to the Advocacy Training and Development Program, which provides the essential skills for claims, advocacy and wellbeing work. BEST Program is intended to assist the veteran and defence communities by providing support and resources to ESOs for compensation and/or wellbeing advocacy. It assists ESOs by providing a contribution to the work of their advocates and support staff. It does not fully fund an organisation. Grants under this grant opportunity must assist in meeting the objectives and outcomes of the program. 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 and the Administrative Review Tribunal 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 benefit from having better informed ESO advocates who can lodge claims with DVA that are of a high standard and contain all required information to enable timely and quality decisions ESO advocates can assist in improving claims assessment efficiency the veteran and defence communities have access to appropriate compensation and wellbeing advocacy services.