Veterans' Home Care (VHC)

What is Veterans’ Home Care (VHC)

The Veterans’ Home Care (VHC) Program provides in-home care and support services to assist DVA clients to maintain their independence to live at home.

The VHC Program also assist Carers in recognition of the vital role they play in the veteran and defence community.

It is not designed to meet complex or high-level care needs. If you have long-term high-level personal care needs, please refer to our Community Nursing Program.

Eligibility

You are eligible for an assessment if you have a:

• Veteran Gold Card
• Veteran White Card (Specific conditions and/or Non-liability Health Care)

VHC Services 

• Domestic Assistance
• Personal Care
• Respite Care (In-home Respite, Residential Respite and/or Emergency Short-term Relief)
• Home and Garden Maintenance

Domestic Assistance 

This includes:

• house cleaning
• dishwashing
• clothes and linen washing
• bed making
• unaccompanied shopping using a shopping list
• meal preparation
• unaccompanied bill paying 

Personal Care

This includes:

• bathing/showering
• toileting
• dressing/grooming
• eating

Respite Care

There are different types of respite care:

• In-home respite – allows a carer to have a break while another carer comes into the home to take over the caring role.
• Residential respite – provides short-term care, usually in an Australian Government-subsidised aged care facility.
• Emergency short-term home relief (ESTHR) – provides short-term care in the home when the carer is suddenly unable to provide care.

Home and Garden Maintenance 

This includes:

• Replacement of light bulbs
• Cleaning of gutters, external and internal windows, ceiling fans, air conditioning split system units
• window cleaning
• minor home maintenance
• lawn mowing

If you are getting home and garden maintenance services, you may need to pay for supplies like batteries, light globes or rubbish dumping fees.

How much you can receive

Depending on your assessed clinical needs, you may be able to receive:

• domestic help as required
• up to one and a half hours per week of personal care
• up to 196 hours of in-home respite care; or
• 28 days of residential respite care; or
• a combination of In-Home Respite and Residential Respite not exceeding an overall total of 196 hours or 28 days* 
• up to 216 hours of emergency short-term home relief (ESTHR) in a financial year
• up to 15 hours of home and garden maintenance in a 12 month period

*One day of Residential Respite is equivalent to seven hours of In-Home Respite.

Access to VHC

1. Call the VHC Assessment Agency on 1300 550 450 to have an assessment for services.
2. The VHC Assessor will discuss your circumstances to identify the ranges of services required.
3. If services are required, the VHC Assessment Agency will send you a VHC Care Plan which will contain:
   o    details of the service/s approved
   o    the period of approval
   o    the co-payment amount
   o    the name of the VHC Service Provider who will deliver the service/s
4. The Service Provider will call you to set a suitable time to provide the services.

The VHC Assessment Agency will contact you for a reassessment every 6 to 9 months to ensure the service/s continue to meet your needs.

However, if you feel your circumstances have changed since your assessment, you can contact the VHC Assessment Agency on 1300 550 450.

If you have any concerns about the services you are getting, contact your VHC Service Provider.

VHC Co-Payments

You will be asked to contribute to the cost of VHC services by paying a small co-payment.

The cost per service is $5 per hour and there is a cap on cost. The maximum co-payment are: 

There is no co-payment for Respite Care services.

If you can't afford the co-payments, you can apply for a waiver of your co-payment, however eligibility criteria applies.

Things you should know

• If you have accepted conditions under MRCA or DRCA you need to be assessed for services under household services or attendant care before you are assessed for VHC services. VHC does not duplicate services that you already get under similar programs. Your VHC Assessment Agency can determine your eligibility for VHC services.
• If you are a British or Allied veteran and have a White Card, you are eligible to be assessed for respite care only.
• If you are eligible under the Veteran's Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA) and your partner or dependents are eligible under MRCA, you are eligible to be assessed for all VHC services.
• If you are an Australian veteran and you have a White Card for an accepted service-related condition, your VHC assessment is not limited to your accepted condition.

If your loved one dies

If a veteran was receiving domestic help or home and garden maintenance when they die:

• you may be able to continue with these services for up to 12 weeks; or
• if you submit a claim for a War Widow/er’s Pension with us during the 12 week period following the death of the veteran, these services may continue until we notify the VHC Assessment Agency of the claim determination date

To continue domestic help or home and garden maintenance, if you do not submit a claim for a War Widow/er’s Pension, you need to have been living with the veteran immediately before their death, and you are:

• a spouse of the deceased veteran
• a child of the veteran
• an adult child of the veteran with a serious disability; or 
• an adult child of the veteran who was a full-time carer of the veteran immediately prior to the veteran’s death

VHC Rights and Responsibilities

The VHC Rights and Responsibilities Information Sheet sets out the rights of VHC clients. This includes treating all parties with respect, courtesy and dignity.  VHC Assessment Agencies provide this information sheet to all VHC clients along with their VHC Care Plan. 

• VHC Rights and Responsibilities Information Sheet (PDF 549 KB)