As previously announced through Vetaffairs, as well as letters to veterans, the 6-month grandfathering arrangements for Veteran Card holders with medicinal cannabis prescriptions will end on 31 August 2026.
The arrangements were put in place to allow veterans time to work with their prescribing doctor to meet the new requirements for DVA’s Medicinal Cannabis Framework that commenced 16 February 2026. They apply to veterans who got DVAfunded prescriptions between 16 February 2025 and 15 February 2026.
If this is you, we encourage you to:
- Talk with your prescribing doctor as soon as possible to check your prescription can still be funded by DVA. Doses, strength, number and types of products need to be checked.
- If it can’t be funded, work with your doctor to develop a plan. If you are reducing from a high dose, you may experience withdrawal symptoms. DVA can fund additional support to help you manage this.
- Check if your prescribing doctor has specialist registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Registration Agency (Ahpra):
- This can be checked on the Ahpra website.
- Doctors with specialist registration include General Practitioners (GPs), pain medicine physicians, rehabilitation physicians, and anaesthetists.
If your prescriber is not registered as a specialist with Ahpra, you will need to find a doctor that is.
DVA believes that a patient’s regular GP should be at the centre of coordinating a veterans’ care. Veterans who currently access, or who are seeking to access, medicinal cannabis are encouraged to discuss this with their regular GP. The role of regular GPs in coordinating care for their patients is a critical element of high-quality health care. They have a broad understanding of their patient’s needs and current treatments and can refer to other colleagues including those with specialised skills or qualifications as required. This also assists in ensuring that there is continuity of care and all practitioners are aware of the treatment being provided.
Travel support may be offered to veterans who cannot drive or use public transport. Find out more about DVA’s support with travel for treatment.
DVA is committed to supporting veterans’ wellbeing, including through access to safe, high-quality health care. DVA started funding medicinal cannabis for eligible veterans under the Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) in 2018. Since then, the funding of medicinal cannabis has been considered on a case-by-case basis for veterans living with chronic pain, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, palliative care, anorexia and wasting from chronic illness, spasticity from neurological conditions, and refractory paediatric epilepsy.
The February 2026 update to the Medicinal Cannabis Framework aims to safeguard the health and wellbeing of veterans and ensure DVA is funding treatments that are safe and effective. These changes do not mean that veterans will no longer be able to access medicinal cannabis, however there may be some changes required to your prescription, to ensure that treatment is safe and effective.
Please note, DVA does not fund medicinal cannabis for mental health conditions or PTSD. Medicinal cannabis should be used with caution if you have any active mental health conditions. Please discuss risks and alternatives with your prescribing doctor.
Veteran card holders who commenced medicinal cannabis since 16 February 2026 will have been assessed under the updated Framework and as such, no changes to treatment from 1 September 2026 are required. More information is available on the DVA website, including a link to frequently asked questions about the Medicinal Cannabis Framework.
If you can’t find the answer in the FAQs, please get in touch.