Department of Veterans’ Affairs Updates
GPs who treat veterans or their families will be interested in the latest ‘DVA Provider News’ regarding Gold Card eligibility and enhanced access to mental health care.
Two new initiatives were announced by the DVA following the 2017/2018 Budget announcement. They are:
- Provision of a Gold Card for Australian participants in both British Nuclear Tests (BNT) and the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) in Japan at the end of World War Two.
- The expansion of Non-Liability Health Care (NLHC) treatment arrangements to cover any mental health condition.
Parliament has passed legislation relating to the Gold Card for BNT and BCOF participants, who became eligible to apply from 1 July 2017. More information on this initiative is available here.
On the second initiative, from 1 July 2017, all current and former members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) who have rendered at least one day of continuous full-time service are able to access treatment for any mental health condition, without the need to prove that the condition is related to their service. Read more here.
DVA Provider News is issued by email to subscribers every four months. You can subscribe here.
