Veterans' Home Care or nursing?
Your dad has a Gold Card. He’s coming home soon, and he’ll need help. Someone mentions Veterans’ Home Care. Someone else says community nursing. A friend says to ring My Aged Care. Now you have three names and no idea which one to ask for.
These programs sound alike, and they overlap in places. Asking for the wrong one can mean a slow start and a lot of phone calls.
This guide sets out Veterans’ Home Care, DVA Community Nursing and Support at Home side by side. It’s for families, OTs and social workers. We’re a community nursing team in Lalor, and families often ask us these questions.
What’s the difference between the three programs?
DVA Community Nursing is nursing and personal care at home, for a clinical need. Veterans’ Home Care (VHC) is practical help, such as cleaning, some personal care, respite and garden upkeep. Support at Home is the government’s aged care program for older Australians, run through My Aged Care. Each one has its own front door.
| DVA Community Nursing | Veterans’ Home Care (VHC) | Support at Home | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Clinical nursing and personal care at home, led by nurses | Practical help at home for people with a functional limitation | The aged care program for older Australians living at home |
| Examples | Wound care, medication management, continence care, palliative care | Domestic assistance, some personal care, respite, home and garden maintenance | A range of help at home, from nursing to domestic help, based on an assessment |
| Who can use it | Gold Card holders with an assessed clinical need. White Card holders for an accepted condition. | Gold Card and White Card holders with an assessed need | Older people assessed as eligible through My Aged Care |
| How to start | A written referral from a GP, hospital doctor, discharge planner or nurse practitioner | Call the VHC assessment agency on 1300 550 450 | Contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 |
| Cost | No cost to eligible clients. DVA pays the provider. | A small co-payment applies to some services. Check dva.gov.au. | Contributions may apply. Check myagedcare.gov.au. |
What is DVA Community Nursing?
DVA Community Nursing is clinical nursing and personal care at home, led by nurses. It’s for Gold Card holders with an assessed clinical need, and White Card holders for a condition DVA has accepted. A nurse assesses the person at home and writes a care plan. The client’s GP stays in charge of the clinical side.
Community nursing covers care that needs a nurse’s skills. Think dressings after surgery, help with medicines, or catheter care. It also includes personal care, like showering, when there’s a clinical reason for it.
If DVA covers the care, the client pays nothing. The provider claims from DVA. You can read DVA’s own overview on its community nursing services page.
If you’d like to see the kinds of care involved, our community nursing services page lists all eight.
Who can refer someone for DVA Community Nursing?
Only four types of health professional can refer for DVA Community Nursing: a GP, a treating doctor in hospital, a hospital discharge planner or a nurse practitioner. The referral goes straight to the community nursing provider. It doesn’t go to DVA. Families, OTs and social workers can’t refer directly, but they can ask one of those four.
The referral can be on DVA’s community nursing referral form (D9389). It can also be on the doctor’s letterhead. Our DVA nursing referral checklist lists what to include.
So if you’re a family member, the first step is simple. Ask the GP, or the discharge planner if your loved one is in hospital. Tell them you’d like a community nursing referral.
If you’re a referrer, our referral page has what you need.
What is Veterans’ Home Care?
Veterans’ Home Care (VHC) is a DVA program for practical help at home. It covers domestic assistance, some personal care, respite care, and safety-related home and garden maintenance. It’s for Gold Card and White Card holders who live at home and have an assessed need. VHC doesn’t provide nursing care.
DVA’s examples include cleaning, washing and shopping. They include help with showering and dressing. They also include mowing, gutter cleaning and respite, so a carer can take a break.
There are a few limits. For example, DVA says you can’t get domestic assistance or garden help from VHC if you already get Household Services. The details are on DVA’s Veterans’ Home Care page.
How do you get Veterans’ Home Care, and what does it cost?
To get Veterans’ Home Care, call the VHC assessment agency on 1300 550 450. An assessor talks with you, often over the phone, about what help you need. If services are approved, you’ll get a VHC Care Plan. It shows the services, how long they’re approved for, any co-payment, and who will provide them.
You don’t need a GP referral for VHC. The veteran, a family member or a health professional can make the call.
On cost, DVA’s VHC flyer says a small co-payment applies to domestic assistance, home and garden maintenance and personal care. It says there’s no co-payment for respite care. Co-payment rules can change, so check the current details on dva.gov.au or ask the assessor.
What is Support at Home?
Support at Home is the Australian Government’s aged care program for older people living at home. It started on 1 November 2025. It replaced Home Care Packages and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme. You access it through My Aged Care, which arranges an assessment. You don’t need a DVA card to use it.
People who had a Home Care Package moved across to Support at Home automatically. New applicants start with My Aged Care, online or on 1800 200 422.
You may be asked to contribute to some Support at Home costs. The current rules are on the My Aged Care Support at Home page.
Can DVA clients use Support at Home as well as DVA programs?
In many cases, yes. You may be able to use both, as long as they don’t cover the same care. Each service should come from one program only. If you refer a client to us, we’ll check with DVA.
The same kind of help, like personal care, can appear in more than one program. The rule is simple, though. DVA won’t pay for help that another program is already giving.
The Department of Health has a page on how Support at Home works with other programs. DVA also has a guide to navigating aged care. If you’re unsure, ask your GP, the VHC assessor or My Aged Care which program should do what.
Which one should you ask for?
Start with the kind of help needed. If it needs a nurse, like wound care or help with medicines, ask the GP about DVA Community Nursing. If it’s practical help around the house, call Veterans’ Home Care. If the person has no DVA card, or needs more than DVA covers, contact My Aged Care.
Here are some common situations.
- Coming home from hospital with a wound to dress. Ask the discharge planner for a community nursing referral before the discharge date. Our guide to Gold Card nursing after hospital explains the steps.
- Struggling with cleaning and the lawn. Call the VHC assessment agency on 1300 550 450.
- Needs both nursing and help around the house. You can ask for both. Ask the GP for the nursing referral, and call VHC for the practical help.
- No DVA card. Contact My Aged Care about Support at Home.
- A White Card holder whose need isn’t linked to an accepted condition. DVA may not cover the nursing. My Aged Care is a good next call.
Not sure which card covers what? Our page on who is covered explains Gold Card and White Card cover in plain words.
What should OTs and social workers know?
OTs and social workers often spot the need first. You can’t refer for DVA Community Nursing yourself. You can ask the treating doctor, discharge planner or GP to send the referral. You can also help the family call the VHC assessment agency, or My Aged Care, for practical support.
A few things make the handover smoother. Tell the referring doctor what nursing care you’ve noticed is needed. Note any equipment or home set-up the nurse should know about. And let the family know a nursing provider will be in touch.
What to do next
If you think your loved one needs nursing care at home, talk to their GP. Ask about a referral for DVA Community Nursing. If they’re in hospital, ask the discharge planner before the discharge date.
You’re also welcome to call us first. We’re Registered Nurses, and we’re happy to explain the options. We can help you work out what to ask the GP for. See who is covered, or get in touch.
This is general information, current at the date shown (29 September 2026). DVA and aged care rules change. Please check the linked dva.gov.au and myagedcare.gov.au pages, or ask your GP, before making decisions about care.