Veterans: how DVA home care fits with Support at Home
Last updated 20 August 2026
The short version
- DVA programs did not end when Support at Home began on 1 November 2025. Veterans’ Home Care, DVA Community Nursing and the Rehabilitation Appliances Program all continue, and Veteran Card entitlements are unchanged.
- You can hold both DVA services and Support at Home at the same time - the only rule is no duplication: the same service can’t be funded by both programs in the same period.
- The usual approach is DVA first: use what your card covers (free or near-free), and let Support at Home fund what DVA doesn’t.
- Veterans with a service-related mental health condition receive a veterans’ supplement of 11.5% on top of their daily Support at Home classification funding.
The DVA programs that continue
Veterans’ Home Care (VHC) is DVA’s entry-level program: domestic assistance, some personal care, safety-related home and garden maintenance, and respite for carers. It’s open to Gold Card holders, and to White Card holders where the help relates to an accepted condition. Access is through the VHC Assessment Agency on 1300 550 450 - many veterans are referred by their GP. Small co-payments apply for some VHC services; DVA can confirm the current amounts for each service type.
DVA Community Nursing provides clinical nursing and nursing-delivered personal care at home at no cost to Gold Card holders (and to White Card holders for accepted conditions) - wound care, medication management, hygiene support, and chronic or post-hospital care.
Also worth knowing: the Rehabilitation Appliances Program (RAP) supplies equipment and aids at no cost based on clinical need, and DVA funds convalescent care after a hospital stay.
Gold means DVA covers care for all your conditions. White means DVA covers care for your accepted service-related conditions only - so VHC and Community Nursing must relate to those conditions. Both cards can qualify you for VHC, and both can qualify for the free Hearing Services Program.
Which to use when: DVA, Support at Home, or both
DVA confirms that clients can receive DVA services and mainstream aged care services at the same time, as long as there’s no duplication. In practice that gives a fairly clear playbook:
- Low-level needs - start with DVA. If a bit of cleaning, garden safety work or carer respite is all that’s needed, VHC alone may cover it, without joining the Support at Home queue.
- Nursing - DVA Community Nursing first. For Gold Card holders it’s free and doesn’t touch any aged care budget.
- Growing needs - add Support at Home. When needs go beyond VHC’s entry-level scope, DVA itself refers veterans to My Aged Care for an assessment. Once a Support at Home classification is in place, the package becomes the main source of care for those bigger needs, and DVA keeps funding the pieces that don’t duplicate it - RAP equipment, for example, or community nursing where the package isn’t providing nursing.
The one thing you can’t do is bill the same service to both funders in the same period - your provider needs to know your DVA entitlements so each service is charged to the right program. Getting this right matters financially: every hour DVA funds is an hour your Support at Home quarterly budget doesn’t have to cover.
Working out the DVA and Support at Home mix?
Tell us what card you hold and what help is needed. We’ll help you find providers who understand DVA billing and won’t double-charge the wrong funder.
The veterans’ supplement and what veterans pay
Under Support at Home, veterans whose mental health condition is accepted as service-related receive a veterans’ supplement of 11.5% of their daily classification funding, on top of their budget. This continues the arrangement that existed under Home Care Packages and is available to both transitioned and new participants - make sure your assessor and provider know about your DVA status so it’s applied.
On contributions: Support at Home charges nothing for clinical care, and means-tested contributions for independence and everyday-living services. How DVA income support payments are treated in that means assessment depends on your circumstances - check your own position with DVA (1800 838 372) or Services Australia before signing a service agreement, and ask for the contribution rates in writing.
Common questions
Can Dad keep Veterans’ Home Care if he gets Support at Home?
Yes. DVA services and Support at Home can run side by side - the only restriction is that the same service type can’t be funded by both programs in the same period. Many veterans keep VHC domestic help or DVA nursing while the package funds everything else.
Does the Gold Card pay for home care on its own?
For entry-level help, often yes - Veterans’ Home Care covers domestic assistance, some personal care, safety-related home and garden maintenance and carer respite, with small co-payments for some services. For higher or more complex needs, DVA refers veterans to My Aged Care for a Support at Home assessment.
Who pays for his nursing - DVA or the package?
Usually DVA. Community Nursing is free for Gold Card holders (and White Card holders for accepted conditions), so most veterans use it rather than package-funded nursing. Nursing is free under Support at Home too, as clinical care - but DVA-funded nursing leaves the quarterly budget free for other services. Just don’t fund the same nursing from both.
Does a White Card qualify for Veterans’ Home Care?
Yes, where the services relate to your accepted service-related conditions. The VHC Assessment Agency (1300 550 450) works through eligibility with you, and your GP can refer you.
Do veterans pay the new Support at Home contributions?
Clinical care is free for everyone. For independence and everyday-living services, means-tested contributions apply, and how your DVA payments are counted depends on your circumstances - including any grandfathered “no worse off” protection if you had a Home Care Package before 12 September 2024. Confirm your own rates with DVA or Services Australia.
Sources
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs, dva.gov.au - “Navigating aged care” and “A new Aged Care Act is coming: what you need to know”, accessed August 2026.
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs - Veterans’ Home Care and Community Nursing program information, accessed August 2026.
- Support at Home Program Manual and health.gov.au - Support at Home supplements (veterans’ supplement), accessed August 2026.
- My Aged Care, myagedcare.gov.au - assessment and Support at Home program guidance, accessed 20 August 2026.