Dietitians

Last updated:

21 March 2024

Find the information you need to deliver and claim for services to Veteran Card holders.

If you’re a member of the veteran community, go to Dietetic services.

DVA Forms
Become a DVA health care provider
Services covered by Veteran Cards – Gold and White
Referrals and treatment cycle
DVA Provider Notes
Schedule of Fees
Claiming
Your obligations
Common compliance issues
Prior approvals
Medicinal nutritional supplements
Rehabilitation Appliances Program (RAP)
Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF)
Useful links

DVA Forms

Visit Provider forms to access all the forms you need to do business with us. This includes forms for prior approvals, RAP orders and claims.

Become a DVA health care provider

Services covered by Veteran Cards – Gold and White

Please check What a DVA health card covers for full details about card entitlements to ensure your client’s condition is covered.

A Veteran Card – Gold or White covers dietetic services that are clinically necessary:

for all conditions, if the patient holds a Veteran Gold Card
for specific, accepted conditions only, if the patient holds a Veteran White Card.

If you are unsure whether a DVA client is eligible to receive dietetic services, contact us on 1800 550 457.

Referrals and treatment cycle

If you are treating a Veteran Card holder, they will need a valid referral from their GP. For an initial treatment cycle, the referral could alternatively come from a:

medical specialist
treating hospital doctor
hospital discharge planner.

Under DVA treatment cycle arrangements, a referral to an allied health provider will last up to 12 sessions or one year, whichever ends first.

Once a treatment cycle has ended, the client needs a new referral from their GP before you can provide further treatment. The client can have as many treatment cycles as their GP determines are clinically necessary.

For full details about the treatment cycle and referral arrangements, please check Treatment cycle information for allied health providers.

DVA Provider Notes

By accepting a patient’s Veteran Card – Gold or White, you agree to follow the Notes that apply to your profession.

The Notes are legally binding, and it is your responsibility to become familiar with them. They are divided into two sections, and you need to comply with both.

Section 1: General notes for allied health providers:

Section 2: Notes specific to dietitians:

Please also refer to:

Referrals and treatment cycle
Schedule of Fees
Claiming.

Schedule of Fees

The Schedule of Fees – (Dietitians) defines the treatments and services you can provide to DVA clients and the payment amounts you can claim.

By accepting a Veteran Card – Gold or White, you agree to accept the DVA fee as full payment. You cannot charge the Veteran Card holder any ‘gap’ fee.

For your profession’s up-to-date schedule, visit DVA Fee Schedules.

Claiming

Visit Provider claiming for full details on how to claim payment from us.

Please note you are responsible for your provider number and you will be accountable for any claiming errors.

If someone else submits claims on your behalf, you should ensure they do not make any mistakes.

Your provider number cannot be shared, and multiple providers cannot claim under the one provider number. The provider who owns the number will bear the consequences of misuse.

For invoicing and billing enquiries, call 1300 550 017.

Your obligations

Each year we review unusual provider claiming, which may result in an education process or financial recoveries.

For full details about complying with DVA requirements, please refer to Provider compliance.

Common compliance issues

Before you treat a DVA client, please check the Schedule of Fees and Notes for full details about limits and restrictions on dietetic services.

Some common compliance issues include the following. Please note these are not exhaustive and you must check the Schedule of Fees for complete details about your profession’s Schedule of Fees item numbers.

Consultations

Initial consultations claimed under Items DT01 to DT06 are expected to take between 30 and 60 minutes. This timeframe should be adequate to cover the following services:

nutrition assessment, diagnosis and advice
body composition analysis
meal and menu ideas
nutrition coaching and counselling.

You cannot claim for these services separately, and in addition to the initial consultation, using Diet Analysis Items DT40 and DT41, or Menu Services Item DT50, except in certain circumstances (refer to Diet analysis and menu services).

Only one initial or subsequent consultation can be claimed on the same day for the same client.

Claims for diet analysis and menu services can only be made where treatment has been beyond what is already provided within a standard consultation.

You can claim diet analysis items DT40-DT45, and menu services item DT50, if the client has an additional clinical need such as a complex condition.

You can provide diet analysis if:

you have the required training and expertise, as recognised by your professional body
the service is within your professional scope of practice
you apply the appropriate clinical protocols.

You cannot claim for the use of non-medical or non-clinical equipment, such as body composition analysis scales which are intended for home use only.

Extended consultations

Dietitians need to ensure they do not claim for excessive sessions of extended consultations.

Extended consultation items can only be used if the client has:

complex clinical needs or multiple conditions
needs that clinically require more time than a standard dietetic session can cover.

This applies to:

extended initial consultation items DT10 to DT15
subsequent consultation – extended presentation items DT30 to DT35.

Kilometre allowance

We may pay a kilometre allowance if:

you are not a mobile provider
you have a fixed practice location
there is a genuine need to visit a client at home
your client’s home is more than 10 km from their nearest dietetics clinic.

We will only pay the allowance for the part of your trip that is more than 10 km from the practice nearest to the client.

Prior approvals

In exceptional circumstances, you may claim payment for treatments not included in the Schedule of Fees, if they:

can be clinically justified for the client’s referred condition
are evidence-based.

You must ask us for prior approval before providing the treatment.

To submit a request, please complete the D1328 Treatment Prior Financial Approval Request Form and email it to health.approval [at] dva.gov.au (health[dot]approval[at]dva[dot]gov[dot]au).

For inquiries, contact DVA on 1800 550 457.

Medicinal nutritional supplements

As a dietitian you can recommend that a DVA client is prescribed medicinal nutritional supplements, if the supplements are clinically necessary to support the client’s referred condition.

Your recommendation needs to be sent to the client’s GP and to the Veterans’ Affairs Pharmaceutical Advisory Centre (VAPAC).

The doctor will need to obtain prior approval for an RPBS Authority prescription. This is done by contacting the VAPAC. The approved prescription is dispensed at the client’s pharmacy.

For full details, please refer to this form: Request for nutritional supplementation.

For inquiries, call VAPAC on 1800 552 580.

Rehabilitation Appliances Program (RAP)

Dietitians can prescribe aids and appliances to eligible Veteran Card holders through the RAP National Schedule of Equipment.

The item must be clinically necessary and support the patient’s referred condition.

You cannot supply these items yourself. You need to place an order through RAP, using the relevant RAP Form. The items will be supplied directly by a DVA-contracted RAP supplier.

Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF)

From 1 October 2022, access to allied health care services and the Rehabilitation Aids Program (RAP) was expanded to eligible DVA clients in residential aged care, regardless of their care level.

For full details, please refer to DVA Provider News article, All veterans in age care now eligible to access allied health services.