DVA PHYSIOTHERAPY PERTH

Physiotherapy is often called ‘medicine by movement’ and if you’re a veteran and have an injury or condition that impacts your musculoskeletal system and which causes pain and compromises your mobility, physio can help.

According to the Australian Government Department of Veterans’ Affairs website, DVA physiotherapy covers:

• exercise programmes to improve movement and control
• airway clearance techniques that help to decrease lung infections and improve lung function
• soft tissue massage to improve range of motion, joint flexibility and relieve pain
• dry needling that can provide pain relief and restore movement
• water therapy conducted in a heated pool
• aids and appliances

You first need to ascertain whether you qualify for DVA physiotherapy services.  You will require an assessed clinical need and need either a Veteran Gold Card or a Veteran White Card (in which case your treatment needs to be for an accepted service-related condition).

Yes. You can get a referral from a number of health professionals including your GP, a medical specialist, the treating doctor in hospital and the hospital discharge planner.

A physio needs to be registered through the Department of Human Services in order to provide DVA physiotherapy.  This requires them to have an agreement to treat DVA cardholders through special payment arrangements.  Trained Physio and Fitness in Perth is a registered DVA physio provider and is widely experienced in serving the veteran community.

When you visit us for DVA Physiotherapy in Perth, you will need to bring your:

• referral from your GP or other medical professional
• Gold or White Card
• Any other medical documentation associated with your injury including reports, scans, X-rays and MRI results

When you first contact us to make your booking, please could you notify our team that you are accessing DVA physio services.

Yes (provided you are eligible and have a valid referral).

Generally speaking, there aren’t any restrictions on the number of sessions you can have (unless you have a Totally and Permanent Incapacitated (TPI) Gold Card), but it is always worthwhile confirming your particular situation with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Referrals for DVA physiotherapy last for up to 12 sessions or for one year (whichever ends first), and there’s no limit to the number of treatment cycles you can have.  It’s also worth noting that you can have a separate treatment cycle for each allied health service that you need and these can run concurrently.  For example, you may need exercise physiology which we also offer at Trained Physio And Fitness, but you will need a valid referral from a doctor.

Yes. As mentioned in the previous answer, DVA Physiotherapy can involve treatment from other allied health professionals including exercise physiologists.

Absolutely! Physio is a highly successful treatment for pain management and relief as well as for improving functional movement and mobility.

According to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, an ‘accepted condition’ means an injury or disease that has been determined under the Veterans’ Entitlement Act (VEA) to be war-caused or defence-caused.  We recommend that you contact the DVA directly for up-to-date information which relates specifically to your circumstances.