Conditions

If you have a DVA Gold card or a White card covering certain conditions that would benefit from regular exercise, you can be eligible for DVA assistance. DVA recognises that health care providers play a key role in providing treatment for entitled persons and regular exercise is one such treatment they are prepared to provide.

An “entitled person” means a person eligible for benefits or treatment from the Commonwealth as represented by the Commissions, in accordance with relevant legislation in the Veterans' Affairs portfolio.  Entitled persons will hold a DVA Health Card issued by DVA, or have written authorisation on behalf of the Repatriation Commission or the MRCC.  The cards entitling treatment are the Gold Card and the White Card.

Entitled persons may be broadly described as:

·       veterans;

·       members and former members of the Australian Defence Force;

·       members of Peacekeeping Forces;

·       war widows and war widowers;

·       Australian mariners;

·       children and other dependants of veterans; or

·       persons from overseas who are entitled to treatment under an arrangement with another country.

Gold Card holders are entitled to clinically necessary treatment covered by DVA’s health care arrangements for all health conditions.

White Card holders are entitled to clinically necessary treatment for the following conditions:

·       an ‘accepted’ disability, i.e. an injury or disease accepted by DVA as caused by war or service;

·       malignant cancer (neoplasia);

·       pulmonary tuberculosis;

·       posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD);

·       anxiety and/or depression; or

·       symptoms of unidentifiable conditions that arise within 15 years of service (other than peacetime service).

There are certain conditions however.

To obtain the benefit you must first have a referral from your local medical provider. Referrals can be provided by:

·       medical practitioners;

·       medical specialists;

·       health care providers with a current referral transferring the entitled person to another health care provider of the same speciality; or

·       hospital discharge planners.

The referral must be written on either a ‘DVA Request/Referral Form’ (Form D904) or using the letterhead of the referring health care provider.  All referrals must include:

·       name and DVA file number of the entitled person;

·       the treatment entitlement of the person, i.e. Gold Card or White Card;

·       if the entitled person is resident in a Residential Aged Care Facility (RACF), the level of care that they are funded to receive and the date the funding began;

·       provider number of the referring health care provider;

·       date of the referral; and

·       condition to be treated.