DVA Clients
If you hold a DVA Gold Card or White Card, you may be eligible for exercise physiology services — often at no out-of-pocket cost. Project 97 accepts DVA-funded clients.
What Is DVA Exercise Physiology?
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) funds a range of allied health services for eligible veterans, war widows, and dependants — and exercise physiology is among them. DVA-funded EP is accessed through the Community Nursing and Allied Health program, which allows eligible cardholders to receive services from registered providers without upfront payment in most cases.
Eligibility depends on the type of DVA card held. Gold Card holders receive the broadest coverage: EP services are available for any medical condition, not limited to service-related injuries. This makes the Gold Card a genuinely comprehensive entitlement — a veteran with a Gold Card who has chronic lower back pain, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, or a mental health condition can access EP services for any of these presentations.
White Card holders have more specific coverage: EP is available for conditions that have been accepted as service-related by DVA. This means a White Card holder with an accepted musculoskeletal condition from service can access EP for that condition — but not necessarily for unrelated health issues. If you’re unsure whether your condition is accepted, DVA can confirm this, or get in touch and we can help clarify the pathway.
A referral from a GP is not required to access EP services under DVA for most presentations, though a GP Management Plan may be involved in some cases. The administrative process is straightforward once card type and eligible conditions are confirmed.
How Exercise Physiology Helps
The health challenges common in the veteran community are well-suited to exercise physiology. Musculoskeletal conditions — back pain, shoulder injuries, knee problems, and joint degeneration from years of physically demanding service — are among the most prevalent and most amenable to targeted exercise rehabilitation. EP addresses these through the same progressive loading, strength rebuilding, and movement retraining that applies to any musculoskeletal presentation, with the added dimension of understanding the service context and the demands it placed on the body over many years.
Mental health conditions — PTSD, depression, anxiety — are significantly more prevalent in the veteran population than in the general community. The evidence for exercise in these conditions is well-established (see the mental health article for detail), and the EP approach in this context is person-centred, low-pressure, and built around engagement rather than performance. For veterans who may be reluctant to engage with traditional mental health services, structured physical activity with a trusted practitioner can be a meaningful entry point.
Cardiovascular conditions, deconditioning, and chronic pain — each common in older veterans — are all conditions where EP has a demonstrated clinical role. The DVA Gold Card effectively removes the financial barrier to accessing that care, which matters for veterans on fixed incomes or those who have been managing conditions without support due to cost.
DVA funding for exercise physiology requires no referral for many presentations. Sessions are typically fully covered, with no gap payment, for Gold Card holders. White Card holders are covered for accepted service-related conditions.
What to Expect
The process begins with confirming your DVA card type and the conditions you want to address. A service agreement is established, and the relevant DVA item numbers are used for claiming — meaning no out-of-pocket cost in most cases for Gold Card holders. An initial assessment covers your health history, current conditions, and goals, and a program is built from there.
Sessions can be delivered face-to-face in Brisbane or online via remote delivery, which is particularly relevant for veterans in regional areas or those with mobility limitations. Regular reviews and progress documentation are standard components of the program. Where appropriate, coordination with your GP, specialist, or other DVA-funded providers is maintained.
- Confirmation of DVA card type and eligible conditions
- No gap payment for most Gold Card presentations
- Individualised program for your specific conditions and goals
- Flexible delivery: face-to-face in Brisbane or online
- Regular reviews and progress documentation
Is Exercise Physiology Right for You?
If you’re a veteran managing musculoskeletal, chronic pain, cardiovascular, or mental health conditions — and you hold a DVA Gold or White Card — exercise physiology is a clinically effective and financially accessible option. Get in touch to discuss your card type, eligible conditions, and what a program tailored to your needs would look like. No referral is needed to make contact.
References
Verify any citation by clicking its PMID link to view the original paper on PubMed.
- 1. Rosenbaum S, Vancampfort D, Steel Z, Newby J, Ward PB, Stubbs B (2015). Physical activity in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research, 230(2):130–136. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.10.017 · PMID: 26500072
- 2. Rosenbaum S, Sherrington C, Tiedemann A (2015). Exercise augmentation compared with usual care for post-traumatic stress disorder: a randomized controlled trial. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 131(5):350–359. DOI: 10.1111/acps.12371 · PMID: 25443996
- 3. Pedersen BK, Saltin B (2015). Exercise as medicine — evidence for prescribing exercise as therapy in 26 different chronic diseases. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 25(Suppl 3):1–72. DOI: 10.1111/sms.12581 · PMID: 26606383
DVA-funded EP services — at no cost to eligible veterans.
Let’s have
a conversation.
No referral needed. No commitment. Just a free discovery call to understand your situation, confirm your eligibility, and work out whether exercise physiology is the right fit — before anything is booked or signed.