Current and former Australian Defence Force members with at least one day of continuous full-time service can access fully funded treatment for any mental health condition through the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA), under Non-Liability Health Care (NLHC) (source). The psychologists listed under DVA on this site bill DVA directly, so you pay nothing at any point.
💡 Under NLHC you do not need to prove your service caused your mental health condition (source). You do need a Veteran Card that covers mental health and a referral from your GP before your first psychology session (source).
For every step in detail, read our guide to getting DVA-funded psychology.
Which Veteran Card covers psychology?
Gold Card (Veteran Card – All Conditions)
- All conditions covered, including any mental health condition, with no need to prove a link to service
- No annual session cap — treatment continues for as long as your GP decides it is clinically needed
- No gap fee — a psychologist who accepts your card must accept DVA's fee as full payment
White Card (Veteran Card – Specific Conditions)
- All mental health conditions covered once mental health is on your card under NLHC. In MyService it shows as "All mental health conditions – treatment only", or a specific mental health condition marked "Treatment"
- No need to prove a link to service
- No annual session cap and no gap fee, as for the Gold Card
Orange Card
- The Orange Card gives concessions on some medicines. It does not cover psychology.
How many sessions?
DVA has no yearly limit like Medicare's 10 sessions. Instead, each GP referral covers a treatment cycle of up to 12 sessions or one year, whichever ends first. At the end of each cycle your psychologist reports to your GP, and your GP can refer you for another cycle as many times as you need (source). Extended trauma-focused therapy sessions (90 minutes or more, for EMDR and exposure therapy) are funded separately and do not count towards the 12.
Who can refer you?
Your usual GP, on DVA's D904 referral form or a letter. For your first treatment cycle, a medical specialist, treating hospital doctor or hospital discharge planner can also refer you. A DVA referral is not a Medicare Mental Health Treatment Plan, and it does not use up any Medicare sessions.
→Don't have a card that covers mental health yet?
- Check your card — log in to MyService and look under "Your card", "View card details", "Conditions listed"
- Apply — lodge a Non-Liability Health Care claim through MyService, call 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372), or email NLHC@dva.gov.au. Most members receive a White Card automatically when they discharge
- Start treatment — once DVA approves your application, you can start with your acceptance letter while you wait for the card. DVA can reimburse eligible costs from up to three months before it received your claim
Telehealth
DVA funds psychology by video, and by phone when video is not available. The first session of each treatment cycle must be in person or by video.
Need support now?
Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling is free for anyone who has served at least one day in the ADF and for their families, with no referral, 24 hours a day on 1800 011 046. Open Arms also provides couples counselling, which DVA does not fund through private psychologists.
What do you get with ClearAccess psychologists?
All psychologists listed under DVA on this site offer (see how gap-free psychology works):
- No gap fee — DVA pays the full fee, so you pay nothing at any point
- Direct billing to DVA — no paperwork or claiming for you
- Telehealth options — many listed psychologists see DVA clients by video anywhere in Australia
- Experience with veteran mental health — filter by issue, such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, alcohol or drug use, sleep or anger and transition
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