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Cover for mental health care
Last updated:
18 December 2019
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