DVA Documentation Reference

DVA cards, programmes, and treatment cycles

Per-card and per-programme documentation reference for Australian practitioners treating veterans under the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Each entry covers eligibility, scope, what your notes must show, and the failure modes that show up most often at DVA review.

Reference only — not pricing or compliance advice

DVA fee schedules and Notes for Allied Health Providers are updated regularly. Always verify the current line on the DVA Fee Schedules and DVA Notes for Allied Health Providers before claiming. These pages do not include fee amounts and are not legal, clinical, or compliance advice. Practitioners are responsible for ensuring their documentation meets their registration body, employer, and DVA requirements.

Card categories (2 entries)

DVA Gold Card

The DVA Gold Card (formally Repatriation Health Card — For All Conditions) entitles the holder to clinically necessary treatment for all health conditions, regardless of whether the condition is service-related. Providers bill DVA at 100% of the MBS schedule fee.

GPs, Psychologists, Psychiatrists +7 more

Documentation tests

DVA White Card

The DVA White Card (formally Repatriation Health Card — For Specific Conditions) entitles the holder to treatment for accepted service-related conditions only. Providers bill DVA for treatment that addresses an accepted condition; treatment unrelated to an accepted condition is not covered. The DVA fee for White Card services is generally 85% of the MBS schedule fee.

GPs, Psychologists, Psychiatrists +7 more

Documentation tests

DVA programmes (2 entries)

Non-Liability Mental Health (NLMH)

Non-Liability Mental Health is a DVA programme that funds mental-health treatment for any current or former member of the ADF, regardless of whether the mental-health condition is service-related and regardless of how long they served. NLMH is the gateway most veterans use for mental-health treatment under DVA.

GPs, Psychologists, Psychiatrists +3 more

Documentation tests

Open Arms — Veterans & Families Counselling

Open Arms (formerly VVCS) is a DVA-funded counselling service for current and former ADF members and their families. It delivers free counselling, group programmes, and crisis support nationally — through directly-employed clinicians and an Outreach Programme network of contracted counsellors.

Psychologists, Mental Health Nurses, Social Workers +2 more

Documentation tests

Service frameworks (1 entry)

DVA Allied Health Treatment Cycles

DVA allied health treatment is delivered in *treatment cycles* — a defined episode of care, capped at up to 12 sessions or 12 months (whichever ends first), and closed with a written end-of-cycle report back to the referring GP. Subsequent cycles require a fresh GP referral. The cycle structure is the single most important DVA-specific framework allied health practitioners need to document against.

Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists +5 more

Documentation tests

Source authority

• DVA Notes for Allied Health Providers — profession-specific service rules and documentation expectations
• DVA Fee Schedules — current schedule fees by item / profession
• Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA), Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA), and Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988 (DRCA) — the three eligibility frameworks
• Open Arms — Veterans & Families Counselling

Need DVA-aligned note templates?

Grounded Scribe ships note templates designed for DVA work — initial assessments, cycle progress notes, and end-of-cycle reports — that capture the function-focussed evidence DVA reviewers expect.

Browse note templates