Repatriation health cards
There are three types of cards:
White card
The white card enables entitled members of the veteran community to obtain health care and related services for accepted war-caused injuries or diseases, and also for non war-caused conditions detailed below. All veterans are issued with a white card for the treatment of anxiety and/or depression. A white card is issued to Australian veterans or mariners with:
- an accepted war or service caused injury or disease
- malignant cancer (neoplasia) whether war caused or not
- pulmonary tuberculosis whether war-caused or not
- post traumatic stress disorder whether war-caused or not
- anxiety disorder whether war caused or not
- depression whether war caused or not
DVA must be notified and provided with a confirmed diagnosis from a suitably qualified medical practitioner, if you are diagnosed with a malignant cancer (neoplasia), pulmonary tuberculosis, PTSD, anxiety disorder or depression to be accepted for treatment, it is not automatic.
The white card is also issued to ex-service personnel who are eligible for treatment under agreements between the Australian Government and New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom for disabilities accepted as war-caused by their country of origina. Note: Services available to these veterans may be different from those available to Australian veterans.
For information on all white card conditions, see DVA fact sheet HSV61.
Gold card
The gold card enables entitled members of the veteran community to obtain health care and related services for all their identified health care needs, whether they are war-caused or not. A gold card is issued to those who:
- are ex-prisioners of war
- receive a diability pension at or above 100 per cent of the general rate
- receive a disability pension at or above 50 per cent of the general rate and also receive any amount of service pension
- receive a disability pension, including an additional amount under section 27 of the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 for specific service-related amputations or blindness in one eye
- receive a service pension and satisfy the treatments benefits eligibility income and assets test
- receive a service pension and are permanently blind in both eyes
- received a disability pension for pulmonary tuberculosis before 2 November 1978
Certain dependants are also eligible for a gold card:
- a war widow or widower and dependent children under 16 of a deceased veteran whose death has been accepted as war-caused
- 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
- a dependent child, between the ages of 16 and 25, of a deceased veteran whose death has been accepted as war-caused, and the child is undergoing full-time education recognised by the Veterans’ Children Education Scheme
- an invalid child 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 treament entitlement before 6 June 1985
For infomation on all gold card conditions, see DVA fact sheet HSV60.
Orange card
An orange card is issued to British Commonwealth and Allied veterans and mariners who have been a resident in Australia for ten years or more.
The orange card allows holders to access the full range of pharmaceuticals and dressing on the RPBS. It is not a treatment card, that is, it does not allow card holders access to health care at no cost to themselves.
For information on all orange card conditions, see DVA fact sheet HSV69.
