DVA pays for clinically necessary physiotherapy, exercise physiology, podiatry, other allied health and dental care. With a Gold Card it covers any condition; with a White Card it covers your accepted conditions. Allied health needs a referral from your GP, and each referral lasts 12 sessions or one year. Dental and optical care don't need a referral. If the provider accepts your Veteran Card, DVA pays them directly and you pay no gap, except for some high-cost dental work above a two-year limit.
Allied health services DVA covers
DVA funds allied health from providers registered through Services Australia to treat Veteran Card holders, including:
- physiotherapy and exercise physiology
- podiatry, orthotics and medical grade footwear
- chiropractic and osteopathy
- occupational therapy, speech pathology, dietetics and diabetes education
- psychology and social work, covered with mental health treatment
- optical services within DVA's limits
You need an assessed clinical need and a Gold Card, or a White Card and treatment for an accepted service-related condition.
How to get DVA physiotherapy and other allied health
- Get a referral from your GP. A medical specialist, treating hospital doctor or hospital discharge planner can also refer you.
- Ring the provider and check they accept your Veteran Card before you book.
- At the first visit, the provider confirms your eligibility, assesses you and prepares a care plan with your goals.
Don't pay the provider yourself. Tell DVA if you receive a bill for covered treatment.
The allied health treatment cycle
Each referral covers one treatment cycle of up to 12 sessions or one year, whichever ends first. At the end, the provider sends your GP a report on your progress, and your GP decides with you whether you need another cycle. There's no limit on the number of cycles, and you can have separate cycles with different types of provider at the same time, such as a physiotherapist, podiatrist and dietitian.
If you hold a TPI Gold Card, the treatment cycle doesn't apply to physiotherapy or exercise physiology, although the treatment must still be clinically necessary and goal focused. It does apply to your other allied health services. If the cycle doesn't suit your health needs, your GP can use DVA's At Risk Client Framework to set up a tailored referral. Read about DVA referrals and the At Risk Client Framework.
Read DVA's treatment cycle information
Rules for physiotherapy and exercise physiology
- Physiotherapy can include exercise programs, soft tissue massage, dry needling, hydrotherapy in a heated pool, airway clearance and aids.
- Exercise physiology is for managing a chronic disease or rehabilitation after a hospital stay for a major injury or illness. It's meant to teach you to manage your condition, not to be ongoing treatment.
- DVA doesn't pay for gym memberships or general exercise programs. You don't pay gym or pool entry fees if they're part of your exercise physiology treatment plan.
- You can't get physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractic for the same condition at the same time, and DVA won't pay for more than one of them on the same day.
DVA physio and exercise physiology fees
DVA pays your provider directly from its published fee schedule for each allied health profession, which is updated each July. You don't pay anything when the provider accepts your Veteran Card. Home visits, group and aquatic sessions have their own items.
See DVA's dental and allied health fee schedules
Optical services
You don't need a referral to see an optometrist. DVA pays for one eye test every 3 years if you're under 65, or every year if you're 65 or over. Every 2 years it pays for one pair of multifocal glasses, or one pair of reading and one pair of distance glasses. You pay the difference if you choose frames or lenses outside DVA's range.
DVA dental
You don't need a referral for dental care. Ask the practice whether it accepts your Veteran Card before you book. A Gold Card covers clinically necessary dental care for any reason; a White Card covers dental care related to an accepted condition. Your dentist can:
- do check-ups and cleans, usually every six months
- treat dental injuries and conditions
- fill cavities and fit crowns
- provide dentures, reline them every two years and replace them every six years
Dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists are covered too. If you need check-ups more often, your dentist asks DVA for approval. Implants also need DVA approval: you may get two single-tooth implants every two years for teeth lost in the past three years, or implants to hold a partial upper or full lower denture. If dentures are lost or broken, DVA may pay for replacements; you'll need to sign a statutory declaration.
The dental biennial monetary limit
DVA's dental fee schedule has three parts. Schedule A covers most general dental care, with no dollar limit. Schedule B items always need prior approval. Schedule C covers high-cost items such as some crowns, bridges and veneers, and a biennial monetary limit applies to them: DVA pays up to $5,980.30 for Schedule C work over two calendar years (1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027). Unused amounts don't carry over. If your Schedule C treatment costs more, you may have to pay the difference.
The limit doesn't apply if you're a former prisoner of war, if the treatment is for an accepted service-related condition, or if it's for cancer affecting your mouth or jaw. Because a White Card only covers dental care for an accepted condition, in practice the limit applies to Gold Card treatment that isn't for an accepted condition. When you're exempt, your dentist needs DVA's approval for a treatment plan that includes Schedule C items.
DVA rehabilitation
DVA rehabilitation is separate from treatment such as physiotherapy. It's a plan to build your skills and wellbeing, with support in three areas:
- medical management, such as finding and using local health services
- psychosocial support, such as life management skills and social connection
- vocational support to find or keep suitable work
Your need must be linked to a condition DVA has accepted under the MRCA, or you must be getting Veteran Payment. You can ask for an assessment by emailing [email protected]. A consultant from a DVA-contracted rehabilitation provider assesses you, and if you're medically able and agree, you build a plan together. If you get incapacity payments or Veteran Payment, you must take part while you're medically able. DVA rehabilitation doesn't include medical treatment or drug and alcohol rehabilitation; read about alcohol and drug treatment.
Read DVA's rehabilitation information
Rules that are easy to miss
DVA doesn't pay for intravenous sedation or happy gas (nitrous oxide) given in a dental surgery. If you need to be put under for dental work, DVA can pay for a general anaesthetic given by an anaesthetist in a hospital or day procedure centre. Your dentist may need DVA's approval first, so ask before you book.
You don't always have to wait two years. DVA pays for new lenses sooner if your optometrist or eye specialist finds your prescription or eye condition has changed enough to need them, or if your glasses are lost or broken by accident. Repairs to your glasses don't need DVA's approval.
Common questions
How do I find a DVA physiotherapist or dentist near me?
DVA suggests searching healthdirect's Find a health service by provider type and postcode, then calling to check the provider accepts your Veteran Card.
How many physio sessions does DVA pay for?
Each referral covers up to 12 sessions or one year. Your GP can give you as many new referrals as are clinically necessary.
Read DVA's allied health information
Checked against DVA's website on 25 September 2026.