An Afghanistan war veteran who suffers from severe depression and PTSD has opened up about the "bureaucratic, malicious" compensation claims process that, for too many of Australia's war heroes, is often the final straw. Sometimes, as he found out, it can come down to a single word in a psychiatrist's report, or a single point on an assessment scale. From the point of view of veterans - who are often struggling to adjust to post-service life while nursing battered bodies and mental scars - the process can be agonisingly slow, convoluted, and at times almost Kafkaesque. "Bureaucratic and malicious are the two words I would use," said Hunter, who asked not to use his real name.