DVA Health Cards

Your Gold Card identifies you as being eligible for treatment and care for all your health care conditions at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) expense.

Australian Veterans

A Gold Card is issued to veterans of Australia’s defence force who:

• are ex-prisoners of war;
• are World War 1 veterans, nurses or mariners;
• are returned ex-servicewomen of World War 2, that is, who served in Australia’s defence force between 3 September 1939 and 29 October 1945 and who have qualifying service from that conflict;
• are World War 2 veterans who served in Australia’s defence force and mariners who served in Australia’s merchant navy, between 3 September 1939 and 29 October 1945, who are aged 70 years or over, and have qualifying service from that conflict;
• are mariners who served in Australia’s merchant navy between 3 September 1939 and 29 October 1945 and are ex-prisoners of war; or
• are veterans who served in Australia’s defence force after World War 2, who are aged 70 years or over, and have qualifying service under section 7A of the VEA. This includes members who have rendered a period of service classified as warlike on or after 1 July 2004, and which is covered under the Military, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA) for compensation purposes.

Commonwealth and Allied Veterans

Some veterans of Commonwealth or allied forces with qualifying service are eligible for a Gold Card if they are:

• a veteran who served with a Commonwealth or allied force during World War 2 or in specified operational areas after World War 2 and were domiciled in Australia immediately prior to enlistment in the Commonwealth or allied force; or
• a mariner who served on a Commonwealth or allied ship during World War 2, if they or their dependants were residing in Australia for at least 12 months immediately prior to the commencement of their service on that ship.

Veterans Receiving Disability Pension under the VEA

Veterans who don’t fit into the above categories but who receive the disability pension are also eligible to receive the Gold Card, if:

• the rate of their disability pension is 100% of the general rate or higher;
• the rate of their disability pensions is 50% of the general rate or higher and they also receive any amount of service pension;
• their disability pension includes an additional amount under section 27 of the VEA for specific service-related amputations or blindness in one eye; or
• they were granted the disability pension for pulmonary tuberculosis before 2 November 1978.

Veterans Receiving an Age or Invalidity Service Pension

Some veterans who receive an age or invalidity service pension are eligible to receive the Gold Card, if they also:

• satisfy the treatment benefits eligibility income and assets test; or
• are permanently blind in both eyes; or
• receive any amount of service pension and have an impairment from one or more service injuries or diseases that constitutes at least 30 impairment points under the MRCA.

Members with Conditions Accepted under MRCA

Former members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), cadets and reservists who have conditions for which liability has been accepted under the MRCA are eligible for a Gold Card if they:

• have permanent impairment from accepted conditions assessed at or above 60 points; or
• have a permanent impairment from accepted conditions assessed at 30 points or above, and the person is receiving any amount of Service Pension, or
• meet the criteria for the Special Rate Disability Pension (SRDP) safety net payment even if they have not chosen that pension.

For more information on the overview of MRCA and MRCA eligibility, refer to Factsheet MRC01 Overview of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA)

Dependants of Veterans

Certain dependants of veterans are also eligible for a Gold Card if they are:

• a war widow or widower in receipt of the war widow’s or widower’s pension;
• as at 1 July 2008 a war widow whose partner was in receipt of Temporary Special Rate and Intermediate Rate Pensions at the time of their death;
• a dependent child of a deceased veteran whose death has been accepted as war-caused, who is under 16 or between the ages of 16 and 25 and undergoing full-time education;
• a child of a deceased veteran whose death was not war-caused and who had operational service, if the child is not being cared for by the remaining parent;
• an invalid son or daughter of a deceased veteran whose death has been accepted as war-caused, who had treatment entitlement before 6 June 1985*;
• a widowed mother or widowed step-mother who was dependent on an unmarried deceased veteran whose death has been accepted as war-caused, who had treatment entitlement before 6 June 1985*; or
• a wholly dependent partner or dependent child of a member who is eligible for compensation for the member’s death under the MRCA.