After going through the tragedy of the summer bushfires, the next source of pain for many Upper Murray and Alpine residents has been negotiating the government complex assistance packages.
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But Major General Andrew Hocking said he could "absolutely" help to change that.
He was in the North East on Friday as the National Bushfire Recovery Agency's deputy coordinator, visiting recovery hubs, councils and emergency services in the Upper Murray and Alpine.
"Every day we're growing our understanding," he said.
"What we need to do now is get out, understand how that's going, where it's not been useful, where it is, what some of the blockages are and work to fix it quickly."
The National Bushfire Recovery Agency used the information it received from struggling businesses to provide advice to the federal government before it rolled out its small business stimulus package this week.
Major Hocking said governments needed to have a willingness to adjust policies depending on need, so his trip was about finding information from communities to take back to Canberra.
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He had been involved in disaster recovery before, but said these bushfires were different.
"This is a scale that is unprecedented, is really testing everyone in the country," he said.
"I'm really proud as I watch Australians help each other and that really motivates me and my team in the Bushfire Recovery Agency everyday to say as an organisation we have to step and do the same thing."
Indi MP Helen Haines joined Major Hocking on Friday, saying it was important to recognise specific issues faced in the Upper Murray and Alpine areas, which were different from each other and the rest of the country.
"I'm also very keen for Major Hocking to understand the extraordinary emotional distress and mental health impacts of this disaster because they're profound, they're enduring. It's understandable at this point now they're feeling very tired, they're feeling a little overwhelmed by what's in front of them," she said.
She said people have struggled with filling out documentation and dealing with conflicting advice, but were understanding on why that was happening.
"They're telling me very clearly that many things are not working," Dr Haines said.
"A one-size fits all recovery package doesn't work, we need place-based solutions depending on what has happened in that area and what resources that area has."
