DVA psychology by telehealth

No. For eligible cardholders with a D904 referral, we bill DVA directly and there is no gap. That includes your first appointment: we confirm your eligibility with DVA before the session and claim from DVA afterwards, so there is nothing to pay up front. DVA pays us $167.65 per session under item US20 (a video session of 50 minutes or more), GST-free, at the rate set in its Psychologists Schedule of Fees. That is what DVA pays us, not something you are charged.

Yes. A Gold Card covers clinically required treatment for all conditions, and that includes psychology sessions with a referral. We bill DVA directly, so there is no gap for you.

A White Card covers treatment for the conditions DVA has accepted on it, and psychology sessions are covered where an accepted condition is a mental health condition. Many veterans hold a White Card for mental health through DVA’s Non-Liability Health Care: anyone with at least one day of continuous full-time service, and some reservists, can have treatment for a mental health condition covered whether or not it relates to their service. DVA (1800 838 372) or your GP can confirm what your card covers.

DVA-funded psychology needs a referral. For your first treatment cycle it can come from your GP, a medical specialist such as a psychiatrist, or a hospital discharge planner as part of a discharge. After that first cycle, any further referral comes from your usual GP. The D904 (DVA form D0904) is DVA’s referral form, and a letter on the practice’s own letterhead with the same details is accepted. Your referrer can send it to us by email or through Medical Objects.

Yes, for a first treatment cycle. DVA accepts an initial referral from a GP, a medical specialist or a hospital discharge planner. After that cycle, any further referral needs to come from your usual GP. The same applies to White Card holders with an accepted mental health condition.

DVA arranges psychology in what it calls a treatment cycle. A referral covers up to 12 sessions or one year, whichever comes first. In your first session of a cycle we complete or update a patient care plan with you, and towards the end of the cycle we send an end of cycle report to your usual GP, who can provide a new referral if further sessions are clinically needed. DVA sets no limit on the number of cycles that are clinically necessary, and a new referral may also be needed after a long break in treatment (DVA gives more than three months as an example). These arrangements are set by DVA and are current at the time of writing.

Four things. Your DVA card (a Gold Card, or a White Card with an accepted mental health condition); a D904 referral, usually from your GP; your DVA card details and contact details, so we can confirm your eligibility with DVA before the first session; and a private space with an internet connection, because sessions run by secure video in your browser with nothing to install. The first session of a treatment cycle has to be by video rather than phone, so please plan for video.

Sessions run for 50 minutes.

We provide progress updates to the GP or specialist who referred you with your consent, and we discuss with you what those updates cover. Under DVA’s treatment cycle we also send an end of cycle report to your usual GP or practice towards the end of each cycle, so they can review your care and decide whether a further referral is needed. Your personal and health information is handled in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.

Please give us as much notice as you can. Our cancellation terms are set out on the fees page. Genuine emergencies and technology failures are handled with discretion.

No. Sessions are not recorded. An optional AI note-taking tool (Halaxy AI Scribe) is only used with your separate consent; it is Australian-hosted, keeps no audio, and is not used to train AI models.