Understanding your travel for treatment entitlements

DVA provides support for all eligible clients who need to travel for DVA-approved health treatment within Australia. This is usually done through reimbursement of transport costs or payment of allowances. 

While you can attend approved treatment Australia-wide with a provider of your choice, the amounts we reimburse you for travel are calculated based on the location of the provider considered appropriate to deliver your care. A DVA staff member determines this by assessing your travel claim against your legislative entitlement and individual circumstances.  

While DVA decisions are not made based solely on the distance you have travelled, please be aware that what you are reimbursed for travel may not cover the full costs incurred. We encourage you to visit providers in your local area whenever possible to minimise out-of-pocket costs. 

We understand there may be reasons why you need to travel greater distances for treatment. These could include:

  • provider availability, including those who accept Veteran Cards in rural and remote areas
  • type of treatment, including specialist referrals and reasonable continuity of care 
  • public transport accessibility.

Sometimes DVA may need further information or clarification to support the payment of a travel claim, such as a letter from your GP or specialist. If you’re unsure whether you’ll be able to receive full reimbursement for travelling to your provider, please contact DVA’s Transport Claims team on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372) before you travel to discuss your circumstances.

Once you’ve travelled, you can submit your claim for reimbursement of travelling expenses using DVA’s online service, MyService or by completing the D800 form Claim for Travelling Expenses available for download on the DVA website.  

The terms we use

We calculate travel reimbursements based on the distance to either the:

  • Closest Practical Treatment Location (CPTL) or 
  • Place Where Appropriate Treatment is Available (PWATA).  

These are two different terms because of the differences in legislation, however their intent is the same.

Clients with eligibility under the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA) are entitled to reimbursement of travelling expenses when receiving treatment delivered at the CPTL. 
 
Clients with eligibility under the Military and Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA) or the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988 (DRCA) are entitled to reimbursement of travelling expenses when receiving treatment delivered at the PWATA.  

Minimum distance

Under the MRCA or DRCA, we will reimburse you for travel costs if you are travelling by taxi or public transport. There is no minimum distance requirement. 
 
However, if you are travelling by private vehicle, the distance must be more than 50 kilometres (return) for us to reimburse you. 
 
Journeys under 50 kilometres (return) may still be considered on a case-by-case basis if there are exceptional circumstances that make using other forms of transport unreasonable. For example, if there is no public transport available or you have a condition that makes travelling on public transport difficult.
 
There is no minimum distance requirement under the VEA.

Get in touch

To learn more about travel for treatment entitlements, including information about how to claim, please visit the Travel for Treatment page of the DVA website or you can phone us on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372).

If you disagree with a decision about the calculation of your travel claim, please contact DVA’s Transport Claims team at transport.claims [at] dva.gov.au to request a review.