What does a DVA Gold Card cover?

A DVA Gold Card covers all clinically necessary health care, for any condition, whether or not it is related to your service. This includes GP visits (no out-of-pocket cost), specialist appointments, hospital treatment (public and private), prescription medications ($7.70 co-payment per item via RPBS until safety net), dental, optical, physiotherapy, psychology, podiatry, dietetics, occupational therapy, audiology, ambulance, medical aids and appliances, home nursing, and rehabilitation. You do not need a referral from your GP for some allied health services covered by DVA — but check with your provider first.

What does a DVA White Card cover?

A DVA White Card covers treatment only for your accepted service-related conditions. For example, if your accepted condition is PTSD, the White Card covers GP visits, psychology, psychiatry, and medications for PTSD — but not for an unrelated condition like a knee replacement, unless that is also an accepted condition. White Card holders can also access mental health treatment under the Non-Liability Health Care program for any mental health condition (whether accepted or not), cancer treatment if diagnosed after service, and some preventive health services.

Do I need a GP referral to see a specialist with DVA?

Yes, in most cases. DVA follows the same referral rules as Medicare — you need a GP referral to see a specialist. However, DVA covers some allied health services (physiotherapy, psychology, podiatry, etc.) without a GP referral if you are a Gold Card holder. Check with DVA or your provider, as some services require prior approval. For mental health, Gold and White Card holders can access psychology and psychiatry without a GP referral under certain DVA programs.

What Does My DVA Card Cover?

A plain English guide to DVA Gold, White, and Orange cards — what's covered at the GP, pharmacy, hospital, and allied health.

📋 Source: Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) — Veterans' Healthcare Cards. DVA Schedule of Fees. Non-Liability Health Care provisions. Open Arms — Veterans and Families Counselling.
Your doctor or healthcare provider knows your history and circumstances — always follow their personalised advice over general information.

🇦🇺 Australia only

ℹ️ General guide only. DVA entitlements can be complex and depend on your individual circumstances, service history, and accepted conditions. For definitive answers, contact DVA on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372) or visit dva.gov.au.

The three DVA cards

🟡 Gold Card

Covers: All health care, any condition

Who gets it: Veterans with qualifying service, war widows/widowers, some dependants

Cost to you: Nil for most services

⚪ White Card

Covers: Accepted conditions only (plus some extras)

Who gets it: Veterans with at least one accepted service-related condition

Cost to you: Nil for accepted conditions

🟠 Orange Card

Covers: Pharmaceutical benefits only

Who gets it: Some veterans, war widows/widowers, dependants

Cost to you: Concessional PBS rate for listed medications

🟡 Gold Card — what's covered

The Gold Card covers all clinically necessary health care for any condition — it does not have to be related to your service. Think of it as comprehensive health cover.

Service	Covered?	Notes
GP visits	✅ Yes	No out-of-pocket. GP bills DVA directly. Show your Gold Card at reception.
Specialists	✅ Yes	GP referral required. No gap if provider bills DVA at schedule fee.
Hospital (public & private)	✅ Yes	Private hospital access. DVA covers accommodation, theatre, prostheses.
Prescriptions	✅ Yes	Most medications via RPBS (Repatriation PBS). Co-payment $7.70 per item until safety net threshold, then free for rest of year.
Dental	✅ Yes	General dental, dentures, and some specialist dental. May need prior approval for major work.
Optical	✅ Yes	Eye tests, glasses, contact lenses. May require prior approval.
Physiotherapy	✅ Yes	No GP referral needed for Gold Card. Provider bills DVA directly.
Psychology / psychiatry	✅ Yes	No session limit (unlike Medicare's 10). No GP referral needed for some DVA psychology programs.
Podiatry	✅ Yes	No GP referral needed for Gold Card.
Audiology / hearing aids	✅ Yes	Hearing assessments and aids through Australian Hearing or private providers.
Ambulance	✅ Yes	Covered in all states and territories.
Medical aids & appliances	✅ Yes	CPAP machines, wheelchairs, prosthetics, orthotics. May require prior approval.
Home nursing / community care	✅ Yes	Veterans' Home Care program for domestic help, personal care, respite, transport.

Key advantage over Medicare: No session limits on psychology (Medicare caps at 10/year). No gap on GP visits (your GP bills DVA, not Medicare). Private hospital access at no cost. Dental and optical included.

⚪ White Card — what's covered

The White Card covers treatment only for your accepted service-related conditions. Everything else goes through Medicare as usual.

Example: If your accepted condition is PTSD, your White Card covers psychology, psychiatry, GP visits about PTSD, and medications for PTSD. A separate issue like a broken ankle would be billed through Medicare, not DVA.

Important extras for White Card holders:

🧠Mental health — Non-Liability Health Care (NLHC) — White Card holders can access treatment for any mental health condition, even if not accepted. This includes psychology, psychiatry, GP mental health consultations, social work, and occupational therapy. No need to prove the condition is service-related. 🎗️Cancer treatment — NLHC — If you are diagnosed with cancer after your service, DVA will cover the treatment regardless of whether it is an accepted condition. 🫁Tuberculosis — Treatment covered under NLHC regardless of accepted conditions. 💊Medications — Medications for accepted conditions are covered under RPBS. Medications for non-accepted conditions go through regular PBS.

Tip: If you think a health issue is related to your service but it is not yet an accepted condition, you can lodge a claim with DVA to have it assessed. Many conditions develop years after service.

🟠 Orange Card — pharmaceutical benefits only

The Orange Card provides access to medications listed on the Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) at the concessional rate. It does not cover GP visits, hospital treatment, or allied health.

The RPBS list includes more medications than the standard PBS, so Orange Card holders may have access to medicines not available to general concession card holders.

Show your Orange Card at the pharmacy when collecting prescriptions.

Using your DVA card at the GP

1️⃣Show your card at reception. Tell them you are a DVA patient. The practice needs to bill DVA, not Medicare. Not all GPs accept DVA — check before booking. 2️⃣Carry both your DVA card and Medicare card. If your GP does not accept DVA billing, or if you are a White Card holder with a non-accepted condition, the visit may need to go through Medicare instead. Tip: you can add your Medicare card to Apple or Google Wallet so it is always on your phone. 3️⃣Gold Card = no out-of-pocket for any condition. Your GP bills DVA at the DVA fee schedule, which is generally higher than the Medicare fee. There is no gap. 4️⃣White Card = tell your GP which condition. Your GP needs to know which of your accepted conditions the visit relates to, so they bill DVA for the right reason. If the visit is about a non-accepted condition, it goes through Medicare. 5️⃣Prescriptions: mention DVA at the pharmacy. The pharmacist needs your DVA card number to bill RPBS instead of PBS. If you forget, you may be charged the standard PBS rate.

Mental health support for veterans

DVA provides extensive mental health support beyond what Medicare offers:

📞Open Arms (formerly VVCS) — free, confidential counselling for veterans and their families. Call 1800 011 046 (24/7). No DVA card needed. No referral needed. 🧠No session limits — unlike Medicare's 10 psychology sessions per year, DVA does not cap sessions. If you need ongoing treatment, DVA covers it. 🏥PTSD programs — residential and day programs at specialist centres. Ask your GP or Open Arms about referral. ⚪White Card holders — can access mental health treatment for any mental health condition under NLHC, even if not an accepted condition. This is one of the most underused DVA entitlements.

If you are in crisis: Call Open Arms on 1800 011 046 (24/7) or 000 in an emergency.

Gold Card: You can access physiotherapy, podiatry, occupational therapy, dietetics, and some other allied health services without a GP referral. The provider bills DVA directly. However, some services (e.g. speech pathology, psychology for complex needs) may require prior approval from DVA.

White Card: You generally need a GP referral linking the treatment to your accepted condition. The referral must specify the accepted condition being treated.

Tip: Check with the provider before your first appointment — they can confirm whether DVA approval is needed.

Gold Card: DVA covers everything, so you generally don't need to use Medicare at all. However, if a provider doesn't accept DVA billing, you can use Medicare instead — but you may have out-of-pocket costs.

White Card: You use DVA for accepted conditions and Medicare for everything else. Your GP practice handles both — just make sure they know which conditions are DVA and which are Medicare.

You cannot claim the same service from both DVA and Medicare. It's one or the other per service.

Most GP practices accept DVA, but not all. When booking, ask: "Do you accept DVA patients?" The practice registers with DVA as a provider and bills DVA directly — you pay nothing at the appointment.

If you're having trouble finding a provider, call DVA on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372) and ask for help locating one in your area.

You can apply through dva.gov.au or by calling 1800 838 372. You'll need your service records and, for a White Card, medical evidence linking your condition to your service.

Many veterans are eligible and don't know it. Ex-service organisations like RSL, Legacy, and Mates4Mates can help with the application process at no cost.