Care services for Veterans

• Veterans' Home Care
• Community Transport
• Community Nursing Program
• Repatriation Private Patient Scheme
• Vietnam Veterans' Counselling Service
• HomeFront
• Home Maintenance Helpline

Veterans' Home Care

Veterans' Home Care is a program of home care services designed to help veterans, war widows and widowers with low level care needs enjoy a healthier lifestyle and remain living in their own homes longer.

If you are a Gold or White Card holder you can be assessed for all home care services. Other Commonwealth and allied veterans are only eligible for respite care. Partners and carers may receive in-home or emergency respite care if they are caring for an eligible veteran, war widow or widower.

You must be assessed by your regional assessment agency to receive services. Your Local Medical Officer can refer you for assessment or you can apply for an assessment by ringing your regional Veterans' Home Care Agency. Assessments are undertaken by regional assessment agencies, which also arrange for the services to be provided.

Services include personal care, respite care, domestic assistance, and home and garden maintenance. Other Home and Community Care services such as delivered meals, community transport and social support are provided through separate arrangements with state and territory governments. Separate payment arrangements apply to these services.

Community Transport

If you are a Gold Card or White Card holder you may be eligible for Community Transport to visit your health provider. Community transport is often provided by volunteers who drive frail, aged and disabled members of the community, who cannot do this for themselves. It is often available in locations not serviced by regular public transport.

Volunteers usually work through community groups such as Lions.

To find out if this service is available in your area contact your local council, Health and Community Centre or the Repatriation and Transport Unit in your local DVA office.

Community Nursing Program

You may access Community Nursing services to meet your clinical needs if you are a Gold or White Card holder. If you have a Gold Card you are eligible for services for the treatment of all medical conditions.If you have a White Card you are eligible for services for the treatment of specified conditions.

Access to community nursing services is on referral from a Local Medical Officer, treating doctor in hospital, hospital discharge planner or a Veterans' Home Care assessor.

These services will be provided in your own home by a contracted community nursing organisation.You do not pay for these services.

Repatriation Private Patient Scheme

The Repatriation Private Patient Scheme run by DVA provides hospital care for Gold and White Card holders in public hospitals, former repatriation hospitals and selected private hospitals.

If you are a Gold Card holder, DVA will pay for your treatment in hospital for all of your medical conditions and all hospital and medical fees.

If you are a White Card holder, DVA will pay for your treatment in hospital and all hospital and medical fees for your specified medical conditions.

Vietnam Veterans' Counselling Service

The Vietnam Veterans ‘ Counselling Service is a specialised, free and confidential Australia-wide service to assist Australian veterans and their families to address problems in their lives.It aims to find effective solutions to improve your quality of life.

VVCS staff are professionally qualified in working with veterans and their families. Veterans of all conflicts and peacekeeping operations, as defined by the Veterans' Entitlement Act 1986, can access this service. Your partner, and, in some cases, your children can also use this service.

HomeFront

HomeFront is a falls and accident prevention program. If you are a Gold or White Card holder you may be eligible for a free annual home assessment and information about community support programs and services that will assist you to continue living in your own home. An assessor will visit you to identify potential hazards in and around your home.

The assessor will look for:

• cluttered walkways and work areas
• wet or slippery floor surfaces
• unsafe steps or railings
• lose floor coverings
• poor lighting, and
• the need for hand rails.

Home Maintenance Helpline

The Home Maintenance Helpline provides property maintenance advice and referrals to reliable and efficient tradespeople. It can also arrange home inspections to identify current or possible future maintenance problems. The advice is free but you will need to pay for work done by tradespeople.

Property maintenance and advice is available Monday to Friday between 9.00am and 5.00pm. Emergency property advice is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Phone:1800 80 1945