Medical care while overseas

You may be able to claim expenses if you need medical care overseas.

What you should do before you go

Notify us and get information

Tell your medical provider about your plans

Organise travel insurance

Sometimes things go wrong when you are overseas. You should know what to do if you can't pay for treatment.

Notify us and get information

Before you travel, tell us your plans so we can let you know if we will cover you. To do this, you can:

• complete and return the D0578 Notification of Overseas Travel form 
• call us on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372)

We will then give you information about:

• what medical care you are entitled to receive overseas
• requesting pre-approval for non-urgent care
• which countries may agree to treat you
• any limits that may apply to some services
• contact details for DVA officers who can help when you are away
• how to apply for reimbursement of medical expenses

You should know that being overseas can affect your income support pension and supplements.

Tell your medical provider about your plans

Before you travel, you should see your medical provider about your health and go prepared. This includes getting any vaccinations you need.

If you have a Veteran Gold Card, you can claim the cost of travel vaccinations if you received them in Australia.

Organise travel insurance

We encourage you to organise travel insurance that covers treatment for all general health conditions.
This is because when you are overseas, we will only cover you for your accepted service-related condition or injury.

Overseas medical expenses

While you cannot use your DVA Veteran Gold or White Card outside of Australia, you may be able to seek reimbursement for medical expenses if:

• You have an accepted service-related condition (contact us if you don't know what this is); 
• The treatment being requested is for the treatment of an accepted service-related condition;
• A medical professional has assessed that you have a clinical need for treatment; and
• The care and costs are similar to, or the same as in Australia.

What DVA can't fund

Below is a list of some of the treatments that are not covered by a DVA Veteran Gold or White Card:

• Treatment of a condition that DVA has not accepted liability for
• Medical evacuation
• Overseas travel expenses e.g. transport between appointments or flights to or from Australia
• Translation services
• Treatment overseas when your reason for travel was to receive the treatment
• Treatment or surgery that is purely cosmetic
• Cosmetic dental such as teeth whitening or Invisalign (clear sequential aligners)
• Alternative Therapies
• Surrogacy 
• Cancellation fees
• Fees for letters or reports
• Administration fees
• Transfer of medical records

We can't pay for your treatment overseas under our:

• Non-Liability Heath Care (NLHC); and/or
• Provisional Access to Medical Treatment (PAMT)

How to apply for reimbursement 

To seek reimbursement for medical treatment for your accepted service-related condition/s you must: 

• Complete and sign the D1181 Application for Reimbursement of Medical Expenses Privately Incurred form; and 
• Submit this form to DVA along with:
  • Itemised invoices / receipts for the treatment received 
  • Supporting clinical information from your treating health provider outlining the condition/s being treated 

All documentation supplied must be in English. If the relevant document is not in English, it should be accompanied by a translation by an appropriately qualified translator.

Supporting clinical information

You must provide clinical information such as a supporting letter from a medical practitioner and or a referral which outlines the condition/s for which you were referred and or treated. 

Supporting clinical information may include a referral; clinical notes; and or supporting letters from your treating health providers.

Types of supporting clinical information needed include: 

• Imaging/Radiology (MRI/PET Scan/X-Rays/Ultrasounds): all invoices/receipts must be itemised showing the date, cost and item of each scan and be accompanied by a referral from the doctor who requested the scan and/or the scan report. 
• Hospital Accounts including surgeries and day procedures: all invoices/receipts must show the date of admission and discharge from hospital, include an itemised list of all charges, and provide any operation reports and/or doctors letters that state what condition/s is being treated.
• Aids and Appliances (i.e. dressings, knee brace, hire of crutches, continence aids, compression garments): all invoices/receipts must be itemised showing the type of product supplied including the date and cost, any doctor/allied health professional or occupational therapist letters or referrals.
• Specialist or General Practitioner Consultations & Allied Health Services (i.e. Specialist, Physiotherapist, Dentist, Podiatrist, Spectacles, Footwear, Orthotics, Wound Dressings): all invoices/receipts must show the date & cost of each treatment and a doctor/allied health professional letter or referral that shows treatment was related to your accepted condition/s.
• Pathology and Blood Tests: all invoices/receipts must be itemised showing the date, cost and item of each test and be accompanied by a referral from the doctor who requested the test and/or the test report.
• Pharmaceutical Items: all invoices/receipts must be itemised showing the date, cost and item of each prescribed medicine.

Prior Financial Approval

DVA Veteran Gold or White Card holders should seek prior financial approval in writing from DVA before receiving medical services overseas if you are unable to fund the treatment for an accepted service-related condition/s and request reimbursement.

If you would like to check your eligibility for DVA funding for the treatment you are planning to have, you can also use the below form to request confirmation of eligibility for treatment for reimbursement.

You can do this by submitting a D9334 Prior Approval Request form completed by the provider involved in the requested treatment. This can be submitted to the Health Approvals team at Health.Approval@dva.gov.au 

If you have further questions regarding this, you can email Health.Approval@dva.gov.au or call +61 2 6289 1133 and ask to speak to the DVA Health Approvals team.

What to do if you can't pay

If you can't pay for medical expenses required to treat your accepted service-related condition while you are overseas, you should get in touch with:

• the DVA officers we gave you contact details for (after you notified us about your travel plans)
• email us at overseas.treatment@dva.gov.au; or
• your nearest Australian high commission, embassy or consulate

In an emergency, Australian officials can contact us to arrange payment. This payment can only be for your accepted service-related condition or injury.

Contact us

Applications for reimbursement can be submitted via email: 

• Email: overseas.treatment@dva.gov.au

If you need assistance or have any questions regarding reimbursement please contact DVA via the below:

• Phone: 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372)
• Outside Australia phone:  +61 2 6289 1133 
• Email: overseas.treatment@dva.gov.au