Veterans' Home Care – your questions answered
About Veterans' Home Care
Q 1. What is Veterans' Home Care?
A. Veterans' Home Care (VHC) is a Department of Veterans' Affairs program designed to assist those veterans and war widows/widowers who wish to continue living at home, but who need a small amount of practical help. VHC is part of a broader Australian Government strategy to ensure veterans and war widows/widowers maintain optimal health, well-being and independence. VHC services include domestic assistance, personal care, respite care, and safety-related home and garden maintenance.
Q 2. What services are available under the program?
A. Veterans' Home Care provides home care services such as domestic assistance, personal care, safety-related home and garden maintenance and respite care.
VHC is part of a range of Department of Veterans’ Affairs services provided to eligible members of the veteran community. These include community nursing, allied health services, for example physiotherapy and podiatry, counselling services, transport to health care, the supply of aids and appliances, home modifications and appliances through the Rehabilitation Appliances Program (RAP) and the HomeFront falls and accident prevention program.
Eligible veterans and war widows/widowers may also access other services provided under the Home and Community Care (HACC) program, including social support, transport services and delivered meals.
Q 3. Why should I use Veterans' Home Care?
A. Through Veterans' Home Care, the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) can provide you with access to a range of coordinated services designed to meet low level home support needs.
Veterans' Home Care can also refer you to other services if and when you need them. Coordinating services for you this way will mean that DVA can better meet all of your health care needs.
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Eligibility
Q4. Who is eligible for Veterans' Home Care?
A. Members of the veteran community are eligible to be assessed for Veterans’ Home Care services if they are:
- a veteran of the Australian defence forces; or
- a war widow/widower of a veteran of the Australian defence forces;
and have
- a Repatriation Health Card - for All Conditions (Gold Card); or
- a Repatriation Health Card - for Specific Conditions (White Card).
Commonwealth and Allied veterans who have a White Card are eligible to be assessed for respite care.
Australian participants in the British nuclear tests program who have a White Card are eligible to be assessed for respite care in an Australian Government-funded residential aged care facility, where it only relates to the testing and treatment of malignant cancer (neoplasia).
Partners and carers may receive respite care if they are caring for an eligible veteran or war widow/widower.
Veterans' Home Care is not an entitlement. Rather, services provided will depend on a professional assessment of your needs and availability of services.
Q5. Can Commonwealth and Allied veterans use Veterans' Home Care?
A. Commonwealth and Allied veterans who have a White Card are eligible to be assessed for respite care. They are not eligible for other Veterans’ Home Care services, however, they can be assessed to receive similar services under the Home and Community Care (HACC) program.
Q6. I'm an accepted Australian participant in the British nuclear tests program. Can I receive Veterans' Home Care?
A. If you were accepted as an Australian participant in the British nuclear tests program and you have a White Card, you are eligible to be assessed for respite care in an Australian Government-funded residential aged care facility, where it only relates to the testing and treatment of malignant cancer (neoplasia). You are not eligible for any other Veterans� Home Care services, however, you can be assessed to receive similar services under the HACC program.
Q7. I'm a carer – what's in it for me?
A. Although carers are not eligible for Veterans' Home Care services in their own right, you may receive respite care if you care for an eligible veteran or war widow/widower. Carers are eligible to be assessed to receive similar services under the Home and Community Care (HACC) program and the Australian Government National Respite for Carers Program.
Q8. I'm the partner of a card-holder. Are these services available to me?
A. Although partners are not eligible to receive Veterans' Home Care services in their own right, you may receive respite care if you care for an eligible veteran or war widow/widower.
Partners are eligible to be assessed to receive similar services under the Home and Community Care (HACC) program.
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Availability
Q9. Is Veterans' Home Care available throughout Australia?
A. Yes. The Department of Veterans’ Affairs has contracted Veterans' Home Care Assessment, Coordination and Service Provider Agencies in 54 regions throughout Australia to undertake assessments and provide services.
Assessment
Q10. How can I arrange for an assessment for Veterans' Home Care?
A. Your doctor or other health professional can refer you to your regional Veterans' Home Care Assessment Agency, or you can ring the Agency yourself on 1300 550 450. The Agency will assess your needs and, depending on the outcome of the assessment, arrange for services to be provided by an appropriate service provider.
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Provision of Veterans' Home Care Services
Q11. Who provides Veterans' Home Care services?
A. The Department of Veterans’ Affairs has contracted authorised service providers to deliver Veterans' Home Care services across the country. A number of these contracted Veterans' Home Care service providers also provide home care services under the Home and Community Care (HACC) program.
Q12. What if I am not satisfied with the services I am getting?
A. If you have any problems with the services you receive you should talk to your Veterans' Home Care service provider or your Veterans' Home Care Assessment Agency to try to resolve the problems. Your Agency can give you advice on how to handle difficult situations.
If you feel you can't do this, or you are not satisfied with the outcome, contact the Department of Veterans’ Affairs office in your State.
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What it costs
Q13. Is Veterans' Home Care free?
A. No. To ensure that services are available to those who need them, veterans and war widows/widowers are expected to pay a small copayment to service providers to assist with the cost of providing services.
Q14. What fees will I have to pay?
A. The following copayments apply:
- Personal care - $5 per hour to a maximum of $10 per week (if more than one hour of care is provided)
- Domestic assistance - $5 per hour to a maximum of $5 per week
- Home and garden maintenance - $5 per hour for each hour of service
- Respite care - there is no copayment for respite care
Other services such as delivered meals, community transport, centre based respite and social support (which are provided through arrangements with State and Territory governments) may be subject to additional separate copayment arrangements.
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HACC recipients
Q15. What if I am already receiving HACC assistance?
A. Veterans and war widows/widowers receiving support through the Home and Community Care (HACC) program may transfer to Veterans' Home Care or remain with HACC.
If your HACC service provider is not a Veterans' Home Care provider, he/she, with your consent, can pass your details to the Veterans' Home Care Assessment Agency. If you choose to transfer to Veterans' Home Care, the Agency will arrange for you to be assessed for services.
Please note: Not all services provided by HACC are available under Veterans’ Home Care, so consideration will need to be given to this if considering a transfer.
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Care level reviews
Q16. What will happen if my care needs change?
A. If you feel your needs have changed since your initial Veterans' Home Care assessment or review assessment you should contact your Veterans' Home Care Assessment Agency. The Agency will discuss your care needs with you and ensure you are getting the appropriate assistance.
If your needs have changed, for example, because you are going away on holiday or into hospital, or your health has improved, please contact your Veterans’ Home Care Service Provider or Veterans’ Home Care Assessment Agency to let them know.
Q17. When, or how often, will my care needs be reviewed?
A. Generally your needs will be reassessed every six to nine months. Where short-term higher level services have been approved, for instance following discharge from hospital, these would be reviewed after six to eight weeks.
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Veterans' Home Care contacts
Q18. Where can I get more information?
A. If you need more information about Veterans' Home Care, contact your nearest Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) office and ask for Veterans' Home Care. You can telephone DVA for the cost of a local call* on:
- 133 254 – general inquiries
- 1800 555 254 – non-metropolitan callers
See the Factsheet section of this website for more information, or request them from any DVA office
For more information about Veterans’ Home Care:
Note:
- If you use a mobile phone, calls may be more costly. You are advised to use a standard landline phone when ringing these numbers.
- Calls from mobile phones cannot be connected to the correct/nearest office. Callers are advised to ring from a standard landline phone.