DVA helps you get to treatment your Veteran Card covers. If you meet the age or health criteria, DVA books and pays for a taxi or hire car through its Booked Car with Driver (BCWD) service, which you can book online in MyService or on 1800 550 455. If you can't use BCWD, you can claim back reasonable travel costs, including fares, private car use at a set rate per kilometre, parking, tolls, meals and accommodation.
Who can use DVA's Booked Car with Driver service
BCWD is for Gold and White Card holders travelling for treatment their card covers. White Card holders can use it only to travel for treatment of an accepted condition or a condition covered by non-liability health care. You also need to meet one of these criteria.
| Your situation | Gold Card | White Card |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 80 or over, legally blind, or living with dementia | Yes | Yes |
| Receiving the Special Rate (TPI) or EDA, or eligible for the ADA or SRDP | Yes, at any age | Yes |
| Aged 79 or under with a qualifying medical condition | Yes | Yes |
If you receive the Special Rate (TPI) or EDA, or are eligible for the ADA or SRDP, you automatically meet the medical condition criterion. Otherwise, a qualifying medical condition is one of these:
- a chronic or temporary condition, such as frailty or incontinence, that makes public transport hard to use
- a mental or physical condition that severely limits your independence
- recent surgery or treatment that makes public transport difficult
When you book, you say which category applies, but you don't have to name your condition. There's no cost to you when DVA arranges the transport. If you live a long way from treatment, DVA may arrange a flight when it's clinically necessary and the most suitable and economical option.
Read DVA's BCWD access criteria
How to book DVA transport
- Book online in MyService, which DVA prefers for trips more than 48 hours ahead, or call 1800 550 455. A family member, friend, health provider or representative can book for you, and providers registered with DVA's online services can book through their account.
- Tell DVA if you need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, are travelling with an attendant or have an assistance dog.
- If you booked a return trip, the driver gives you a Right of Return card on the way to your appointment. Use it to arrange the trip home. Ask the driver for one if you don't get it.
Online bookings made outside business hours may not be confirmed until the next business day. For treatment after hours or on a weekend, book with DVA during office hours. If you couldn't arrange transport beforehand, pay for the trip and claim it back. Call DVA if a booked car hasn't arrived in a reasonable time.
DVA travel claims
For travel for treatment on or after 1 July 2026, DVA assesses claims under the MRCA. Trips made before 1 July 2026 are assessed under the Act that applied on the day you travelled, even if you claim later.
If you can't use BCWD, you can claim reasonable costs of getting to treatment covered by your card:
- public transport, taxi, rideshare and community transport fares, reimbursed in full if you travel to the place where appropriate treatment is available
- private car use at 68 cents a kilometre, plus parking and tolls
- air travel, which may need prior approval
- meals and accommodation, when the trip is long or an overnight stay is reasonable
If you need help while you travel, a partner, family member or friend can come as your attendant, and DVA may reimburse their transport, meals and accommodation the same way. If paying upfront would cause financial hardship, you can ask DVA to pay in advance. DVA then adjusts the amount once your actual costs are known.
Meal and accommodation rates
| Expense | Standard rate from 1 July 2026 |
|---|---|
| Subsidised accommodation, such as hospital accommodation | $141.00 a night per person |
| Private accommodation, such as staying with family or friends | $59.60 a night per person |
| Meals, round trip of 101 to 400 km | $19.10 per person |
| Meals, round trip of 400 km or more | $38.80 per person |
| Meals with an overnight stay | $108.50 |
For commercial accommodation, DVA reimburses up to threshold rates based on ATO figures, which range from $141 a night in most country centres to $230 in Sydney, with higher rates for some regional centres. You can claim more if you explain why and include receipts.
Where you travel to affects what's paid
DVA pays travel to the place where appropriate treatment is available. This is the nearest approved provider who can give you the treatment you need. You can see any provider in Australia, but if yours isn't the nearest suitable one, DVA may not pay the full cost. Reasons for travelling further, such as long waiting times or a clinical need for a particular provider, can be taken into account. Approval for treatment doesn't mean the travel is approved, so if you're unsure, call DVA on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372) before you go.
Your entitlement is based on where you are when you have treatment. If you move house and keep seeing your old providers, DVA may not pay the full cost. On holiday, DVA generally pays travel back to your holiday accommodation, not to your permanent home.
How to lodge a travel claim
Claim in MyService as soon as you can after you travel, or use form D0800 Claim for Travelling Expenses. Include receipts for most expenses. You don't need receipts for private car kilometres, private accommodation or meals claimed at or below the standard rate, but keep any receipts in case DVA asks for them. DVA pays you into the account your pension or payment goes to and sends a letter explaining the decision.
If you disagree with a travel decision, you can apply to the Veterans' Review Board within 12 months. Read about DVA reviews and appeals.
Read DVA's travel expenses rules under the MRCA
Ambulance transport
In an emergency, call triple zero (000). DVA may pay for road or air ambulance when it's medically required for a condition your card covers. Tell the paramedics you have a Veteran Card. If you get an invoice, don't pay it; ask the ambulance provider to send it to DVA. Non-emergency ambulance transport must be arranged by your doctor or discharge planner, who checks with DVA first.
What DVA travel doesn't cover
Travel entitlements don't extend to Administrative Review Tribunal hearings, treatment outside Australia, or your usual rehabilitation activities. DVA may pay travel for a medical examination it asks you to attend, or to get evidence for or attend a Veterans' Review Board hearing.
Read DVA's travel for treatment information
Common questions
How do I book a DVA taxi?
If you meet the BCWD criteria, book in MyService or call 1800 550 455. DVA arranges the taxi or hire car at no cost to you.
Can I book DVA transport online?
Yes, through MyService. It's DVA's preferred way to book trips more than 48 hours ahead.
Checked against DVA's website on 25 September 2026.