The DVA White Card, which DVA calls the Veteran Card – Specific Conditions, pays for treatment of your accepted service-related conditions. Depending on your service, it can also cover treatment for all mental health conditions, cancer and pulmonary tuberculosis, without you having to prove your service caused them.
What the DVA White Card covers
Your White Card entitlements depend on your service and your accepted conditions. The card covers treatment for:
- injuries and conditions DVA has accepted as related to your service
- all mental health conditions, if you're eligible for non-liability health care
- cancer and pulmonary tuberculosis, for veterans with certain types of service
It can also give you concessions and discounts from states, territories and businesses, and access to the Australian Defence Veterans' Covenant, including a lapel pin.
DVA White Card eligibility
You may be eligible if you're a current or former ADF member, including reservists, with an accepted service-related injury or condition, or a Commonwealth veteran whose service-related condition is accepted by your country of service.
For mental health treatment, you may be eligible, including as a reservist, if you have at least one day of continuous full-time service, took part in disaster relief or border protection service, or were involved in a serious service-related training accident. Continuous full-time service doesn't include training or activities on reserve service days.
How to apply for a DVA White Card
DVA sends a White Card automatically when it knows you're eligible, for example when it accepts a service-related condition. If you don't have one, you can apply by:
- choosing Veteran Covenant in MyService
- applying for Mental Health Treatment in MyService
- sending DVA an Application for Health Care for mental health conditions, or for cancer and tuberculosis
- lodging a claim for a service-related condition
You can also call 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372).
Read DVA's White Card information
Using your White Card
The first time you see a new health provider, show them the list of your accepted conditions in MyService, so they know what the card covers. Some treatment needs DVA's prior approval, which your provider arranges. Show your card to your doctor and pharmacy for prescriptions. The card works anywhere in Australia but not overseas.
DVA White Card fortnightly payment
If you hold a White Card and don't receive an income support payment such as the service pension, you may get the Veterans Supplement to help with the cost of medicines. It's $7.00 a fortnight, or $14.00 in some cases, and DVA pays it automatically. If you become eligible for MRCA benefits after 1 July 2026, it changes to the MRCA Supplement.
The White Card and help at home
A White Card for specific conditions and/or non-liability health care lets you be assessed for Veterans' Home Care. For Australian veterans, that assessment isn't limited to your accepted conditions. Separately, DVA Household Services can pay for household tasks you can't manage because of an accepted condition.
Compare Veterans' Home Care and Household Services
DVA White Card vs Gold Card
The White Card covers specific conditions. The Gold Card covers all medical conditions and goes to veterans with certain service or compensation levels, war widows and widowers, and some dependants.
Checked against DVA's website on 25 September 2026.