Optical dispensers

Find the information you need to deliver and claim for optical dispensing services to Veteran Card holders below. If you’re a member of the veteran community, please refer to the DVA website page about available Optical Services  to assist you and your family.

DVA Forms

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

Applications to supply optical dispensing services

Optical Dispensers wishing to provide services to entitled persons are required to register with DVA by filling out the Optical Registration Form and returning it to:

Department of Veterans' Affairs
Primary Health Partners
GPO Box 9998
Melbourne VIC 3001

or:

provider.registration [at] dva.gov.au (provider[dot]registration[at]dva[dot]gov[dot]au)

Optical Appliances Covered by Veteran Cards – Gold and White

Please check full details about card entitlements to ensure your client’s condition is covered at What DVA health cards cover.

A Veteran Card covers optical services for clients that have an assessed clinical need and a:

• Veteran Gold Card; or
• Veteran White Card and the treatment is for an accepted service-related condition that affects the client’s vision

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

What optical appliances are Veteran Card holders entitled to?

In any two-year period, providing an entitled person has a clinical necessity, entitled persons are entitled to:

• one pair of reading and one pair of distance spectacles; or
• one pair of spectacles with either bifocal, trifocal or progressive power lenses.
• one six month supply of disposable contact lenses per eye once every six months; or
• one pair of non-disposable contact lenses once every 12 months - refer to the DVA schedule of visual aids for more information on contact lens supply.

Devices for low vision aids can also be provided, please see the pricing Fee schedules page for visual aids schedule for more details.

Significant change in visual function within two years

Entitled persons may have their lenses replaced within a two-year period if they have undergone a significant change in visual function (e.g. a change in refraction) or a change in their clinical condition.

Where there is a significant change in visual function within a two-year period, the ophthalmologist or optometrist can apply for approval for new spectacles.

To submit a request, you must complete the form and tick the ‘change in refraction’ box on the Spectacles Prescription form (D931) and email it to health.approval [at] dva.gov.au (health[dot]approval[at]dva[dot]gov[dot]au).

For enquiries, contact DVA on 1800 550 457.

Supply of spectacle frames

Quality and in-store range

Service agreements with optical dispensers include quality assurance clauses to govern the quality of frames supplied. DVA monitors contracted optical dispensers to ensure proper compliance with these clauses.

Each optical dispenser location is required to stock a minimum range of 20 different appropriate frames (representative of the various age groups of entitled persons) to ensure clients have plenty of choice. These frames must be on display and easily identifiable.

Schedule of Fees – Optical Dispensers

Contracted optical dispensers are able to obtain frames for entitled persons from the supplier of their choice. Optical dispensers are able to choose which frames they stock, although the frames still need to be provided at the prices outlined in the visual aids pricing schedule.

For more information view the Fee schedules page for visual aids schedule.

DVA Notes for Optical Dispensers

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 and comply with them.

Notes for Allied Health Providers — Section 2(h) — Optometrists, Orthoptists and Optical Dispensers

Prescribing pharmaceuticals by optometrists under the Repatriation Pharmaceuticals Benefits Scheme (RPBS)

The list of pharmaceuticals approved for prescribing by optometrists can be found on the Department of Health website.

Enquiries regarding RPBS optometrical items, including prior approval applications, can be directed to the Veterans’ Affairs Pharmaceutical Advisory Centre (VAPAC) or contact DVA (VAPAC) (24hr free call).