DVA Physiotherapy · Gold & White Card

Physiotherapy for veterans, billed direct to DVA.

If you hold a DVA Gold Card or a White Card with a physio-relevant condition, your physiotherapy at Ace Health Centre is bulk-billed under the DVA fee schedule. No out-of-pocket, no claim forms, no gap.

Book an assessment Call (07) 5572 6222

Gold Card or White Card — here’s the difference at the front desk.

A Gold Card covers all clinically necessary physiotherapy. You book in, we treat you, we bill DVA directly under the DVA fee schedule. No referral, no condition restriction, no paperwork on your end.

A White Card covers physio only for conditions DVA has formally accepted as service-related — usually the conditions listed on the back of your card or in your DVA acceptance letter. Bring that letter or the card itself to the first appointment and we’ll work out what’s covered before we treat. Anything outside the accepted conditions you can still see us for, just on a normal physio rebate basis.

Either way, you don’t pay us a cent for the covered visit. DVA pays the fee schedule; we wear the gap.

What we treat under DVA

Six physiotherapy concerns DVA cards routinely cover.

The injuries that build up over years of load show up in patterns. These are the ones we see most often from Gold Coast veterans.

Low back, neck and shoulder pain

The cumulative load of decades of packs, plate carriers, vehicle vibration and field work catches up with most veterans somewhere in the spine. Hands-on treatment plus a structured loading program to put the function back.

Knee and hip arthritis

Pre-surgical conservative management, post-replacement rehab, or just keeping things moving for as long as possible. Strength, range of motion, and load tolerance — the things that decide whether stairs and standing are a problem.

Post-surgical rehabilitation

Joint replacement, ACL reconstruction, rotator cuff, spinal surgery. Structured rehab from week one through return to full function. We coordinate with your surgeon and report progress back through DVA.

Chronic pain management

Pain that’s outlasted the original injury. Graded movement, pacing, hands-on work where it earns its place, and a frank conversation about what physio can and can’t do for chronic pain in 2026.

Balance and falls prevention

Recurrent falls, near-misses, declining confidence on stairs or uneven ground. Strength, balance, gait and vestibular work with measurable goals — the kind DVA likes to see documented.

Aids, braces and orthoses (RAP)

Walking aids, knee braces, lumbar supports, orthoses — all available to Gold Card members through the DVA Rehabilitation Appliances Program when clinically justified. We assess, prescribe, fit and review.

How DVA billing works at our clinic

Three steps from booking to bulk-billed visit.

Bring the card.

Book online or by phone. On the first visit, bring your Gold or White Card and (for White Card) your DVA acceptance letter. We photograph and verify the card details, file them, and the rest is admin you don’t see.

Standard physio assessment.

Identical to any first physio visit — history, functional movement, strength and range testing, and a hands-on examination. Everything we do gets coded to the DVA fee schedule items so the claim goes through cleanly.

We bill DVA, you walk out.

No payment at the desk, no claim form, no Medicare card swipe. We submit the claim electronically to DVA after the appointment; they pay us under the fee schedule. The fee covers our time, so there’s no gap for you.

What a DVA physio appointment actually looks like.

The first visit takes 45 minutes — we’re building your history from scratch and putting together a plan that DVA can sign off on. Return visits are 30 minutes. Same room, same physio, same chair each time as much as we can arrange.

We’re happy to talk through your service history if it’s relevant to what we’re looking at — load, postures, kit, injuries on deployment. But we don’t need it for billing. The card and acceptance letter are all DVA needs from us.

If you’d rather skip the small talk and just get on the table, that’s fine too. We work the way you want to work.

Gold vs White Card — quick reference

What each card opens up at the front desk.

Gold Card.

All clinically necessary physiotherapy, no referral required, no condition restriction. We bulk-bill DVA. RAP-funded aids, braces and orthoses are available when clinically justified. Book any time.

White Card — accepted condition.

If the condition is on your DVA acceptance letter, you’re covered the same as a Gold Card holder — bulk-billed, no out-of-pocket. Bring the letter (or photograph it on your phone) so we can confirm before treating.

White Card — condition not accepted.

We can still see you for anything that falls outside your accepted conditions — on a normal physio rebate basis, HICAPS’d on the spot through your private health fund. Same clinic, same standard of care; only the billing changes.

Questions we get asked

Common DVA physio questions.

01 Do I need a GP referral?

No. DVA cardholders can self-refer to a physiotherapist. Gold Card members can book directly with no paperwork at all; White Card holders should bring their acceptance letter so we can confirm the condition is on the list. If it isn’t, we can still see you — just via a different billing path.

02 Will there be a gap to pay?

No. We bulk-bill DVA at the fee schedule and that’s the end of it. No out-of-pocket, no co-payment, no “DVA top-up” charge. If a particular item isn’t covered by your card type we’ll tell you up front before doing it.

03 Can I get a brace or walking aid under DVA?

Yes — Gold Card members are entitled to aids, braces and orthoses through the DVA Rehabilitation Appliances Program (RAP) when there’s a clinical reason. We do the assessment, prescription, fit and review, and the RAP item is billed through your card. White Card members get the same when the device is for an accepted condition.

04 How often can I come in?

As often as it’s clinically warranted. For chronic pain or arthritis management that’s usually every two to four weeks; for acute rehab (post-surgery, fresh injury) it might be weekly for a while then taper. DVA doesn’t impose a session cap, but we won’t book you in more frequently than the clinical need.

05 Can I bring my partner or a carer?

Always welcome. Many of our veterans come in with a spouse or carer, especially for first visits or when mobility is an issue. The clinic is wheelchair-accessible and our consult and gym spaces have room for a support person.

06 What if I’ve lost my card?

Come in anyway. We can verify DVA cover through your name, date of birth and service number — or you can ring DVA on 1800 555 254 from our front desk and have them email you a copy of your card on the spot. We’ve done that more than once.

DVA Gold & White Card welcome · HICAPS on the spot with every major fund · NDIS self/plan-managed too.