DVA community nursing: what Gold and White Card holders can get at home
If you hold a DVA Gold or White Card, you may be able to have a registered nurse come to your home rather than travelling to a clinic. There is no cost to you.
A lot of veterans do not know this is available, or assume it is only for people who are very unwell. It is not.
The part that trips people up is rarely the funding. It is the referral — and in particular, how long a referral stays valid after you leave hospital.
What community nursing covers
- Wound care — dressing changes, monitoring healing, escalating to your GP early when something is not tracking properly
- Medication support — managing a complicated regimen, webster packs, injections, watching for side effects
- Chronic condition management — diabetes, heart and respiratory conditions, with regular monitoring so problems get picked up early
- Continence support — practical, private help, including finding products that actually suit you
- After a hospital stay — the weeks following discharge are when the risk of readmission is highest
- Health monitoring and reporting — clear notes back to your GP so your care stays joined up
Gold Card and White Card are not the same
This is the distinction that decides what gets approved, and it is worth getting straight before you arrange anything.
Gold Card holders are covered for all clinically necessary health care, whether or not the condition is service related. If you have an assessed clinical need for nursing, it is covered. War widows and widowers holding a Gold Card are covered on the same basis.
White Card holders are covered only for conditions DVA has accepted as service related. If your accepted condition is a knee injury and you need nursing care for that, it is funded. If you need nursing for something unrelated, it is not.
If you are not certain which of your conditions DVA has accepted, check your DVA correspondence or contact DVA directly before care starts. It saves a difficult conversation later.
How the referral works
You cannot refer yourself to DVA community nursing. A written referral is required, and the rules about who can write it — and how long it lasts — are specific.
Who can refer you
- Your GP
- A nurse practitioner
- A medical specialist
- A hospital discharge planner
How long the referral lasts
A referral from a GP, nurse practitioner or medical specialist is valid for 12 months.
A referral from a hospital discharge planner is valid for seven days only. It exists to get care started the moment you get home. Within that week, you will need a referral from your GP, nurse practitioner or specialist for care to continue.
That seven-day window is where care most often falls over. If you or someone you care for is being discharged with a nursing referral, book the GP appointment before you leave the ward.
Where the referral goes
The referral must be sent directly to a DVA contracted community nursing provider — not to DVA, and not to you to pass along. Your referrer sends it to the provider.
What the referral needs to say
It needs to set out the nursing services you require and link them to your assessed clinical needs and the relevant medical conditions. A vague referral is a slow referral. If your GP is unfamiliar with the form, DVA publishes a Community Nursing Referral form on its website.
What it costs
Nothing. If you are eligible, DVA pays your community nursing provider directly. You do not pay a gap, and you do not claim anything back.
What is covered depends on your card and what has been approved, so it is worth confirming before anything starts. We will tell you if something falls outside your entitlement rather than letting you find out later. Questions about your specific entitlement are best answered by DVA directly.
If a provider asks you to pay for DVA-funded community nursing, ask why in writing before you pay anything.
Choosing a provider
DVA only funds care delivered by a contracted community nursing provider, so the first question is always whether the provider holds a DVA contract and can give you their provider number.
Beyond that, four things are worth checking.
Are the nurses registered with AHPRA? The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency register is public and free to search. Look them up. Registration gives you an independent complaints pathway that does not run through the provider.
Is the nursing delivered in-house or subcontracted? Subcontracting means the person at your door works for a different organisation. Handovers thin out and accountability gets muddy. Ask directly.
Will I see the same nurse? Continuity is not a nicety in nursing. A nurse who has seen your wound three times notices what a stranger will not. Ask about caseload size.
Where is the nurse actually based? A provider headquartered in Perth may service Mandurah on paper, but availability drops the further south you go and cancellations become routine. Ask where the nurse who would visit you actually works from.
Why “registered nurse” matters here
Community nursing is delivered by registered nurses with AHPRA registration and clinical accountability. That is a different thing from personal care delivered by a support worker, and it is funded differently. If what you need is personal care rather than nursing, a good provider will tell you — and will not bill nursing time for work that is not nursing.
If you also have an NDIS plan
Some veterans hold both a DVA card and an NDIS plan. The two can run side by side, but they fund different things and the administration is separate. Tell your provider about both at the first conversation so supports are not double-claimed or, more commonly, missed altogether. If you are arranging nursing under an NDIS plan, our guide to NDIS community nursing in Mandurah and the Peel Region covers how it works, how it differs from personal care, and what to ask a provider.
How to get started
1. Talk to your GP or nurse practitioner about whether you have a clinical need for nursing at home. 2. Ask them to write a community nursing referral and send it directly to a DVA contracted provider. 3. The provider contacts you to arrange an assessment and start care.
If you are being discharged from hospital, ask the discharge planner to make the referral so care starts immediately — then book your GP within seven days to keep it going.
If you are not sure where you stand, call us and we will explain the pathway. There is no cost to asking.
We acknowledge every DVA referral within 24 hours, and contact you within 48 hours to arrange a visit.
Frequently asked questions
Can I refer myself for DVA community nursing?
No. A written referral from your GP, nurse practitioner, medical specialist or a hospital discharge planner is required.
How long does my referral last?
Twelve months from a GP, nurse practitioner or medical specialist. Only seven days from a hospital discharge planner — you will need a GP referral within that week for care to continue.
Does DVA community nursing cost me anything?
No. DVA funds the provider directly if you are eligible.
I have a White Card. Am I covered?
Only for conditions DVA has accepted as service related. Gold Card holders are covered for all clinically necessary care.
Can I change providers?
Yes. You will need a new referral sent to the new provider. Your current provider should hand over your care records on request.
Do you visit outside business hours?
Our office runs Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:30pm. Nursing and support shifts can be rostered evenings, weekends and overnight by arrangement.
Clarity Care is a registered DVA provider, Provider Number 9728531F, serving Mandurah, the Peel Region and the South West.
More on DVA community nursing or call 0410 560 769.