7 Vetaffairs Autumn 2012

DEBUNKING THE MYTHS ...

DVA White Card and non-liability health cover
What is a DVA White Card?
Most people have heard of the Repatriation Health Card For All Conditions, known as the Gold Card. There is another card called the Repatriation Health Card For Specific Conditions, known as the White Card. The White Card provides clients with access to health care for specific medical conditions that are related to their service. It can also provide treatment for certain conditions even when they are not related to service, which is known in DVA as non-liability health cover.

How do I apply for treatment?

Non-liability health cover If you are seeking a White Card to cover treatment for PTSD, an anxiety or depressive disorder or malignant cancer, you should contact DVA to verify your eligibility. For PTSD, an anxiety or depressive disorder, DVA requires a diagnosis for your condition from a psychiatrist. DVA can request this information from your doctor if you give the Department authority, or DVA can arrange for you to see a psychiatrist. DVA will also check your service records to ensure that you satisfy the service requirements. Applying for this type of health cover from DVA does not prevent you from making a claim for compensation if you believe the condition is related to your service. It just means that you can start receiving the health care that you need as soon as possible. Service related condition If you are seeking medical treatment for a condition that you believe is related to your service in the ADF, you will need to apply to have the condition accepted as related to your service. In the event that liability is accepted for your condition, you will receive a White Card to cover your treatment, and you may also be eligible for compensation and associated assistance. Ex-service organisations have trained pension officers to assist you in completing the necessary application forms. Alternatively, contact DVA for assistance.

Does receipt of a White Card mean that I will also receive a pension?
Where a condition is accepted as service-related, a disability pension may be granted under the VEA but the pension will be based on the level of disability, not on any entitlement to a White Card. Generally speaking, the amount of compensation received usually depends on the extent of the incapacity. The worse the condition, the more compensation that is usually payable. Under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA), there are various benefits available to those who have liability accepted for a condition. While not specifically linked to the White Card, incapacity payments, permanent impairment payments and rehabilitation services may be provided.

What is non-liability health cover?

If you have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, an anxiety or depressive disorder or malignant cancer, you may be eligible for treatment through DVA, even if you do not know what caused it. These specific conditions do not need to be related to your service for you to receive a White Card. This is known as non-liability health cover, as it is available without liability for the condition having been accepted as related to your service. If your condition is not related to service, or you are unsure whether the condition is related to service, you may still receive the treatment.

Can I become eligible to receive a Gold Card at a later date?

Some veterans may have a White Card and later become eligible for a Gold Card. For instance, a veteran will receive a Gold Card if: the rate of disability pension received is 100 per cent of the general rate or higher; MRCA permanent impairment has been assessed at 60 or more points; the rate of disability pension received is 50 per cent of the general rate or higher and some amount of service pension is received; MRCA permanent impairment has been assessed between 30 and 59 points and some amount of service pension is received; the person is eligible for Special Rate Disability Pension (SRDP) under MRCA; or the veteran has qualifying service and turns 70 years of age.

Am I eligible?
If you have eligible service under the Veterans Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA) or warlike or non-warlike service with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) after 1 July 2004 and you are now discharged from the ADF, you may be eligible to receive a White Card for treatment of the above conditions (i.e. non-liability health cover).

What can the White Card be used for?

A White Card can be used: to see a doctor, medical specialist, allied health provider, dentist, pharmacist, dental prosthetist or optometrist; at an after-hours medical practice; at hospitals; to seek assistance from the VVCS Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service; for respite care; and for domestic and personal care, home and garden maintenance.

What if I only have peacetime service?

If, during your service with the ADF, you were not deployed on an operation that has been classified as warlike or non-warlike, you have peacetime service. Some people with peacetime service before 7 April 1994 will have eligibility under the VEA, provided they completed a three year qualifying period between 7 December 1972 and 6 April 1994 or were medically discharged within that time.

Need further information?

For more information about the White Card, contact DVA on 133 254 or from regional Australia free call 1800 555 254. Alternatively, DVA Factsheets provide additional information: factsheets.dva.gov.au/factsheets/

DVA study updates

Thankyou to everyone who completed and returned their Vietnam Veterans Family Study or Timor-Leste Family Study questionnaire. Registration for both of these studies has now closed.

Vietnam Veterans Family Study (VVFS) Progress

The VVFS is researching the impacts of deployment on the families of Australian Defence Force (ADF) members who deployed to Vietnam, or who served during the Vietnam era but did not deploy to Vietnam. More than 27,900 study questionnaires were sent to registered VVFS participants between August and December 2011. Approximately 18,000 (64 per cent) of these were completed and returned. Colmar Brunton Social Research, the research organisation commissioned to undertake the study, is now analysing the information that was provided in these questionnaires and will be providing a draft report to DVA in the coming months.

a good level of analysis to occur. The Centre for Military and Veterans Health (CMVH), the research organisation commissioned to undertake the study, has analysed the information and a draft report has been provided to the Department. Thank you to everyone who so generously shared their time and experiences to help with this important research. More information on these two studies can be found at www.dva.gov.au or by calling the Family Study Program Team on free call 1800 502 302.

Follow-up health study of participants in the Australian Gulf War Veterans Health Study 20002003
A follow-up health study of approximately 3000 service personnel who participated in the Australian Gulf War Veterans Health Study 2000-2003 is being conducted by a research team based at Monash University. The study includes veterans of the 1990-1991 Gulf War, and a comparison group of ADF personnel who were operationally deployable at the time of the Gulf War but not deployed to that conflict. Comprehensive military service and exposure data, and baseline health information, was collected in the 2000-2003 study. Information packages are currently being mailed to all participants from the 2000-2003 study, inviting them to participate in this follow-up study. It is important that DVA gains an understanding (some 20 years after the Gulf War), of the possible long-term physical, psychological and social health and wellbeing changes. To do this, the study will measure a wide range of health outcomes,

Timor-Leste Family Study (TLFS) Progress

The TLFS is researching the impacts of deployment on the families of current and former members of the ADF who deployed to Timor-Leste (East Timor), or who were eligible to deploy but did not. More than 3900 questionnaires were completed and returned out of approximately 11,500 that were distributed between May and December 2011. The overall response rate of this study was approximately 34 per cent. Despite this comparatively low level of participation, this response rate still provided enough information for

including medical conditions, multisymptom disorder, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, chronic fatigue, social functioning, use of health services, medications and service-related entitlements. This follow-up study provides a unique opportunity for the collective health experiences of the Gulf War veterans and their comparison group to be documented. To ensure the results of the study are useful and meaningful, it is important that as many eligible participants as possible take part. Any personal health information provided to the research team will be held confidentially by Monash University. No personal details identifying participants will be passed onto DVA or the ADF. Furthermore, the results of the study will be reported in such a way that no individuals can be identified. The findings will inform DVA, the ADF and the international veteran, military and medical communities of the long-term health status of veterans. This in turn will identify any changes that need to be made to the policies, programs and services that currently support Gulf War veterans. Further information about the study can be found at www.coeh.monash.org/gwfollowup.html If you are a Gulf War veteran who served in 1990-91, it is important that the independent researchers at Monash University know how to contact you. To check that your correct contact details are on file, or to ask any questions about the follow-up study, all participants from the 2000-2003 study are encouraged to contact the research team on 1800 729 913 or email moncoeh-veteranstudy@ monash.edu