Nurses & nurse practitioners

Last updated:

8 March 2024

We recognise the important role of registered and enrolled nurses, nurse practitioners and other nurse specialties in providing treatment and services to the veteran community.

Find out more about programs and services we fund that help you deliver healthcare to eligible DVA clients.

Community nursing (CN)

We contract CN providers to deliver home-based services that meet the clinically assessed needs of eligible Veteran Gold and White Card holders across Australia.

The providers we contract employ relevant staff to deliver CN services. Their teams may include:

registered nurses
nurse practitioners
enrolled nurses
other nursing specialists.

Nurse practitioner referrals

Nurse practitioners are authorised under the Community Nursing Program to refer eligible DVA clients to a contracted CN provider. Referrals are valid for 12 months if made by a nurse practitioner, medical specialist or GP.

Hospital discharge planners can also make referrals, but these are only valid for 7 days. The client will then need a referral from a nurse practitioner, GP or medical specialist for ongoing care.

Panel of community nursing providers

We have established a Panel of community nursing providers. Eligible providers can apply to join the panel at any time.

For full details about the community nursing program and the panel, please visit Information for community nursing (CN) providers.

Coordinated Veterans’ Care (CVC)

The CVC Program proactively manages the health of Veteran Gold Card holders with chronic conditions and Veteran White Card holders with accepted mental health conditions.

Providers and participants work as a team to improve patients’ health care in a general practice setting. The aim of the program is to decrease unplanned hospitalisation.

We provide funding to the GP to deliver the CVC Program. The GP receives additional funding if a practice nurse acts as the care coordinator. It is at the discretion of the GP whether the practice nurse is a:

registered nurse
enrolled nurse
nurse practitioner
other nurse specialist.

If a GP does not have a nurse working in their clinic, they can contract out to a DVA-contracted CN provider to deliver the nursing services.

Visit Coordinated Veterans’ Care to find:

full details about the CVC Program
useful resources for nurses who are delivering CVC services.

Rehabilitation Appliances Program

The Rehabilitation Appliances Program (RAP) provides aids, equipment and modifications to help eligible DVA Gold and White Card holders live safely and independently.

Registered nurses are authorised to prescribe a wide range of aids and appliances for eligible DVA clients from the RAP National Schedule of Equipment.

The items must be clinically necessary and, if the patient has a Veteran White Card, support the patient’s DVA-accepted condition. Items include, but are not limited to:

personal emergency response systems
adjustable beds, bed rails and pressure mattresses
manual recliners, ergonomic chairs and pressure supports
household adaptive and assistance appliances
communication, cognition and memory assistance items
personal hygiene, bathing and toileting items.

Some specialised providers can prescribe RAP items that relate to their specialty. Here are some examples.

Continence advisors can prescribe:

bedding and chair protection
catheters
pads
briefs.

Diabetes educators can prescribe:

blood glucose monitors
syringes
pen injection devices
Diabetes Education and Support Service.

Nurses who specialise in rehabilitation can prescribe:

Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Lower Limb Neuroprosthesis
Hand Rehabilitation System and Neuroprosthesis.

How to order

These items can only be ordered through RAP using the relevant RAP Schedule Form. The items will be supplied by a DVA-contracted RAP supplier.

Pharmaceuticals

A nurse practitioner is authorised to prescribe certain items listed under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

If those items are for an eligible DVA client, you need to check the ‘RPBS’ (Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) box on the prescription. This will ensure the pharmacist can see the prescription is for a DVA client, and the item is supplied under the RPBS arrangements.

While a nurse practitioner can prescribe items listed on the PBS for eligible veterans, they are not able to prescribe items that are only available to eligible veterans under the RPBS (for example, RPBS wound care items).

Open Arms – Veterans and Families Counselling

Open Arms – Veterans and Families Counselling provides mental health services for current and ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and their families.

Services include:

free and confidential counselling for individuals, couples and families
group treatment programs.

For more information, visit the Open Arms website or call 1800 011 046 for support 24/7.

Resources for health professionals and their patients

The health professionals page on the Open Arms website includes a suite of mental health resources and information to support you when treating DVA clients. These include:

case formulation tools
online training courses
free CPD-accredited webinars on veteran mental health.

Open Arms has also developed innovative self-help tools and resources for veterans and families, including mobile apps, videos, publications, case studies and peer stories.

Veteran health programs

We provide the following programs and services to support veteran health and wellbeing.

Veteran Health Check

All veterans are entitled to a single comprehensive Veteran Health Check, any time after they leave the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

For veterans who left the ADF after 30 June 2019, GPs can provide a veteran health check every year for 5 years after they leave the ADF.

Go to Veterans’ Health Check – Providers for more details.

Non-Liability Health Care (NLHC)

Eligible veterans can get treatment for all mental health conditions, cancer (malignant neoplasm) and pulmonary tuberculosis without the need to prove it was caused by their ADF service. We call this Non-Liability Health Care (NLHC).

Veterans’ Home Care (VHC)

Eligible DVA clients who need low levels of care can access help at home through the VHC program. This can include:

domestic help
personal care
respite care
safety-related home and garden maintenance.

Call 1300 550 450 to arrange an assessment for a veteran patient.

Medicine organiser service

Go to Help clients access our medicine organiser service for details.

Wound care

Access our popular e-resource: Wound Identification and Dressing Selection Chart. A training Wound Care Module is also available.

Heart Health

This is a free, year-long program for returned veterans and peacekeepers to help improve their physical strength through exercise, nutrition and lifestyle. It is delivered by Corporate Health Management. Go to Heart Health Program or call 1300 246 262.

Caring for veterans in hospital

Visit Delivering hospital based care to find information on caring for veterans in hospital. The page includes a link to the Discharge Planning Resource Guide, which covers best practice for achieving sustainable discharge for DVA clients, including: