Repatriation Health Cards, White and Gold

There are two Repatriation Health Cards:

White - for specific conditions; and
Gold - for all conditions.

The White Card

The white card is issued to Australian veterans or mariners with:

an accepted war or service-caused injury or disease;
malignant cancer (neoplasia) whether war-caused or not;
pulmonary tuberculosis whether war-caused or not; and
post-traumatic stress disorder whether war-caused or not.

A white card is also issued to ex-Service personnel who are eligible for treatment under agreement between the Australian Government and New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom for disabilities accepted as war-caused by their country of origin.

Services available to these veterans may be different to those available to Australian veterans. Check first with DVA as to what services are available to you.

In certain circumstances you will need approval from DVA before receiving treatment, for example, admission to public and private hospitals and day surgeries. If you require specific tratement your doctor will contact DVA for approval.

For further information on the White Card, contact your nearest DVA office or visit their web site at www.dva.gov.au and look up fact sheet HSV61.

The Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia can assist any veteran of any conflict, their widow/er's and children by providing advice and assistance in regard to all pensions matters. Simply contact your nearest sub-branch.

The Gold Card

The gold card is issued to veterans of Australia's Defence Forces who:

are ex-prisoners of war (POW);
receive a disability pension at or above 100% of the general rate;
receive a disability pension at or above 50% of the general rate and also receive any amount of service pension;
receive a disability pension including an additional amount under Section 27 of the VEA 1986 for specific service-related amputations or blindness in one eye;
receive a service pension and satisfy the treatment benefits eligibility income and assets test;
receive a service pension and are permanently blind in both eyes;
received a disability pension for pulmonary tuberculosis before 2 November 1978;
served in World War 1;
are returned servicewomen of World War 2 - that is, who served in Australia's Defence Forces between 3 September 1939 and 29 October 1945 and who have qualifying service for that conflict; or
are World war 2 veterans who served in Australia's Defence Forces and mariners who served in Australia's merchant navy between 3 September 1939 and 29 October 1945 and who are aged 70 years or over and have qualifying service from that conflict.
are veterans who served in Australia's Defence Force after World War 2, who are aged 70 years or over and have qualifying service under Section 7A of the Veterans Entitlements Act.

Some veterans of Commonwealth or Allied forces are eligible for a gold card if they are:

a veteran who served with a Commonwealth or Allied force during World War 2 and were also domiciled in Australia immediately prior to enlistment in the Commonwealth or Allied force; or
a mariner who served on a Commonwealth or Allied ship during World War 2, if they or their dependants were residing in Australia for at least 12 months immediately prior to the commencement of their service on that ship.

Certain dependents are also eligible for a gold card:

a widow or widower in receipt of the War Widow/er's Pension;
a dependant child of a deceased veteran whose death has been accepted as war-caused, who is under 16 or between the ages of 18 and 25 and undertaking full-time education;
a child of a deceased veteran whose death is not war-caused and who had operational service, if the child is not being cared for by the remaining parent;
an invalid child of a deceased veteran whose death has been accepted as war-caused and who had treatment entitlement before 6 June 1985;
a widowed mother or widowed step-mother who was dependant on an unmarried deceased veteran whose death ahs been accepted as war-caused, who had treatment entitlement before 6 June 1985.

Your gold card identifies you as being eligible for treatment for all your health care conditions at DVA expense.

In some cases such as admission to a private hospital, for example, you will need DVA prior approval before receiving treatment. Your doctor will contact DVA for approval if you need treatment according to the prescribed criteria.

You can use your gold card anywhere in Australia but not overseas. If you are travelling overseas contact your DVA office for information regarding treatment overseas.

For further information on conditions relating to the Gold Card, contact your nearest DVA office or visit their web site at www.dva.gov.au and look up fact sheet HSV60 .