When our clients have a mental health condition, we may cover the cost of their care.

Check whether we will cover costs

We may cover a client's treatment costs for any mental health condition, such as:

• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• depressive disorder
• anxiety disorder
• alcohol use disorder
• substance use disorder
• phobias
• adjustment disorders
• bipolar disorder

To qualify for care, they must be a past or present member of the Australian Defence Force who has:

• given continuous full-time service (CFTS)
• done CFTS for at least 1 day

Reserve members may qualify for care if, on their service days, they:

• helped with disaster relief
• worked on border protection
• saw a training accident in which someone was seriously injured or died
• were hurt in a serious training accident
• did service classed as CFTS

What clients may need to show us

When a client applies for care, they may need to:

• show us proof of their identity
• describe their service
• tell us if they were hurt in, or saw a serious accident

They can apply by filling in 1 of the following:

• a paper form
• an online form through myservice

A client does not have to:

• prove that military service caused their mental health condition
• send us a diagnosis

This is because we cover mental health conditions under our Non-Liability Health Care program.

If we decide to cover a client

If we agree to cover a client, we will give them a Veteran White Card that says they can receive treatment from a mental health professional.

If they already have a Veteran White Card, we will add mental health treatment to it.

They can then seek treatment for their mental health condition anywhere in Australia, but not overseas.

Contact us

Call: 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372)

Email: nlhc [at] dva.gov.au