DVA Physiotherapy: Gold Card vs White Card Explained

If you hold a Veteran Card, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) can pay for DVA physiotherapy with nothing for you to pay out of pocket. What DVA covers depends on which card you have. The Gold Card covers physiotherapy for any condition, while the White Card covers physiotherapy only for conditions DVA has accepted as related to your service. Either way, you need a referral, and the physio can come to your home.

This guide explains the difference between the two cards, how referrals and the 12-session treatment cycle work, and what to expect from home visits. It is general information only, not medical advice, and it is current as at September 2026. DVA’s rules can change, so DVA or your GP can confirm what applies to you.

The short answer

• Gold Card (officially the Veteran Card, All Conditions): DVA can pay for clinically necessary physiotherapy for all conditions, even ones not related to your service.
• White Card (officially the Veteran Card, Specific Conditions): DVA pays for physiotherapy only when it treats an accepted service-related condition.
• You need a referral. It usually comes from your GP. For your first treatment cycle, a medical specialist, treating hospital doctor or hospital discharge planner can also refer you.
• A referral lasts up to 12 sessions or 1 year, whichever ends first. You can have as many treatment cycles as your GP decides are clinically necessary.
• There is no gap. A physio who accepts your Veteran Card must accept the DVA fee as full payment.
• Home visits are allowed. DVA physiotherapy can be provided in your home or in a residential aged care home.

Gold Card and White Card: what each one covers

DVA now calls its health cards the Veteran Card, All Conditions and the Veteran Card, Specific Conditions. Most people still call them the Gold Card and the White Card, and DVA uses those names too. The card you hold decides what DVA will fund.

Gold Card (All Conditions)

With a Gold Card, DVA can pay for physiotherapy for any health condition, as long as the treatment is clinically necessary. It does not have to be linked to your service. That means a Gold Card holder can use DVA-funded physiotherapy for a knee replacement, back pain, balance problems, a stroke or arthritis.

White Card (Specific Conditions)

With a White Card, DVA only pays for treatment of the conditions it has accepted as related to your service. If your accepted condition is a shoulder injury, for example, DVA can fund physiotherapy for that shoulder, but not for an unrelated problem such as hip pain. Your physio will check your eligibility and confirm that the treatment relates to an accepted condition before starting.

If you are not sure which card you hold, or which of your conditions are accepted, call DVA on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372).

What DVA physiotherapy can include

According to DVA’s physiotherapy services page, physiotherapists can provide a range of treatments and equipment, including:

• exercise programs to improve movement and control
• airway clearance techniques that help reduce lung infections and improve lung function
• soft tissue massage to improve range of motion and relieve pain
• dry needling for pain relief
• water therapy in a heated pool, sometimes called hydrotherapy
• aids and appliances

DVA does not pay for gym memberships or general exercise programs under either card.

Do you need a GP referral for DVA physio?

Yes. Unlike private physiotherapy, you cannot simply book a DVA-funded session. You need a valid referral before treatment starts.

For your first treatment cycle, the referral can come from:

• your GP
• a medical specialist
• a treating doctor in hospital
• a hospital discharge planner

After that first cycle, further referrals need to come from your usual GP, so you will need an appointment with them when a cycle ends. Your GP can write the referral to physiotherapy and can refer you to more than one allied health provider if you need them, such as a physio and an occupational therapist.

How the 12-session treatment cycle works

DVA introduced the allied health treatment cycle on 1 October 2019, and DVA’s own pages confirm it still applies to physiotherapy in 2026. It works like this:

• Referral: your GP (or another eligible referrer for your first cycle) refers you to a physiotherapist.
• Patient Care Plan: at the first visit, you and your physio agree on your health goals and how you will work towards them.
• Treatment: the referral covers up to 12 sessions or 1 year, whichever ends first.
• End of cycle report: towards the end of the cycle, your physio writes a report on your progress and recommends whether you need another cycle.
• GP review: your GP goes through the report with you and decides whether to refer you again.

There is no limit on the number of treatment cycles you can have, as long as your GP decides they are clinically necessary. You can also have separate treatment cycles for different allied health services at the same time, for example physiotherapy and podiatry.

Exceptions to the treatment cycle

The treatment cycle does not apply to physiotherapy or exercise physiology for clients with a Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI) Veteran Gold Card. You can tell a TPI card by the letters TPI printed on the front. Treatment still has to be clinically necessary, evidence based and goal oriented.

Veterans with severe or complex needs may also be able to have a tailored referral arrangement of 3, 6 or 12 months under DVA’s At Risk Client Framework. Your GP decides whether this suits you.

DVA physio at home

DVA allows physiotherapy consultations to take place in your home, as well as in a clinic, in hospital or in a residential aged care home. Since 1 October 2022, eligible DVA clients living in residential aged care can access allied health services regardless of their level of care.

For many veterans, a home visit makes it far easier to keep going with treatment. There is no need to drive after surgery, organise transport or sit in a waiting room when you are sore. Your physio can also work on the things that matter in your own home, like your front steps, the chair you use every day or getting in and out of bed.

At Khy Physio, our mobile physiotherapists come to your home with the equipment they need. Once you have a referral, we handle booking, treatment and billing directly with DVA, so eligible clients have no out-of-pocket cost. We aim to offer appointments within the same week where we can, and our team can communicate in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Sinhala. You can read more on our DVA mobile physiotherapy page and in our guide to gap-free DVA physio in Melbourne.

Equipment and aids through DVA

If you need equipment to move safely, your DVA physiotherapist can help. Physios can supply some small, low-cost items as part of treatment, such as a walking aid or a knee brace. For other equipment, physiotherapists can prescribe aids and appliances through DVA’s Rehabilitation Appliances Program (RAP). RAP items are supplied by a DVA-contracted supplier, and the item must be clinically necessary for your referred condition.

A home visit is a good time to sort this out, because your physio can see the space you are working with, such as narrow hallways, steps and the bathroom.

Getting started, step by step

• Step 1: check your card. Confirm whether you hold a Gold Card or a White Card, and if it is a White Card, which conditions are accepted.
• Step 2: see your GP. Ask for a referral to physiotherapy and explain what you would like help with, such as walking further, recovering after surgery or feeling steadier on your feet.
• Step 3: choose a physio who accepts your Veteran Card. DVA can only pay for services from registered DVA providers.
• Step 4: book your first visit. Have your Veteran Card, referral and any recent hospital letters or scan results ready. Our guide to your first home physio visit explains what happens on the day.
• Step 5: work on your plan. Do your home exercises between visits, because that is where most progress happens.

Frequently asked questions

Do I pay anything for DVA physiotherapy?

No. A physio who accepts your Veteran Card agrees to accept the DVA fee as full payment and cannot charge you a gap. DVA also tells veterans not to pay their physiotherapist directly. If you ever receive a bill for DVA-funded physiotherapy, let DVA know.

What happens when my 12 sessions run out?

Your physio writes an end of cycle report, and your GP reviews it with you. If more physiotherapy is clinically necessary, your GP can refer you for another cycle. If you have a TPI Gold Card, the treatment cycle does not apply to physiotherapy.

Can I see a physio and a chiropractor for the same problem?

Not at the same time under DVA. You can receive only one of physiotherapy, osteopathy or chiropractic for the same condition during the same referral period.

Can DVA physio be provided in an aged care home?

Yes. DVA physiotherapy can be delivered in a residential aged care home, and since 1 October 2022 eligible DVA clients in residential aged care can access allied health services regardless of their level of care.

Does DVA pay for hydrotherapy?

Water therapy in a heated pool is one of the treatments DVA lists for physiotherapy, as long as it is clinically necessary for your referred condition. Your physio can talk with you about whether it suits your goals.

Book DVA physiotherapy at home

If you have a Gold Card or White Card and would like physiotherapy without travelling to a clinic, we can come to you across Melbourne and the Geelong region. Speak with your GP about a referral, then make a referral or contact our team on 03 8824 0712 and we will arrange your first home visit.

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