DVA Family Support Package: What You May Access

What the DVA Family Support Package Means

The term "DVA family support package" is often used by veterans to describe a range of DVA family supports. In practice, it can include:

• Short-term crisis support
• Education assistance
• Dependant payments
• DVA-funded health services
• Mental health support

The main current DVA program in this area is the Defence, Veterans' and Families' Acute Support Package. DVA says this program provides short-term, flexible support to help eligible veterans and veteran families adjust to new and challenging life circumstances that may place the family at risk of crisis.

The earlier Family Support Package was replaced by the Acute Support Package from 14 October 2022, according to DVA's CLIK policy library.

The Acute Support Package is not the only form of DVA family support available. Depending on your circumstances, your family may also be eligible for education assistance, additional compensation linked to eligible young persons, DVA Veteran Card support or counselling through Open Arms.

The Acute Support Package: What It Is and What It Covers

The Acute Support Package is for eligible families dealing with new and challenging circumstances. It is not a general cost-of-living payment and it is not emergency crisis support.

What Counts as a New and Challenging Life Circumstance?

For this package, DVA looks at whether something has recently changed in a way that affects the family’s safety, wellbeing or ability to manage day-to-day life. This may be a new event, or an existing problem that has become more serious.

The issue needs to be more than ordinary stress or general financial pressure. It must be connected to circumstances that may place the veteran or family at risk of crisis.

Examples may include:

• A serious health episode affecting the veteran or family
• Self-harm risk, attempted suicide or a sudden decline in mental health
• Alcohol, drug or addiction-related problems
• Family violence, safety concerns or serious conflict at home
• Relationship breakdown or separation
• A death or other major event affecting the family
• A child or family member pulling away from school, study or community life
• Situations that may increase contact with the criminal justice system

The package does not cover every difficult situation. DVA generally excludes matters such as:

• Legal costs
• Court matters
• Fines
• Everyday cost-of-living pressure
• Medical or dental treatment
• Diagnostic services
• Some employment issues
• Natural disasters where other government support is available

What Services May the Package Fund?

DVA builds the support plan around the family’s assessed needs, so the services can look different from one household to another. The aim is to help the family manage the crisis period, restore day-to-day functioning and build practical skills for the future.

Support may include:

• Care arrangements for children, where approved
• Counselling for adults or children
• Help around the home, such as meals, cleaning, maintenance or garden tasks
• Practical skill-building, such as money skills, relationship support, cooking skills or mental health first aid
• Child-focused support, such as tutoring, sport, music or other approved activities
• Transport connected to services included in the support plan

The Acute Support Package does not provide direct financial assistance or income support payments. In most cases, DVA pays the approved service provider directly for the services included in the support plan.

What Service Limits Apply?

The amount DVA may fund depends on the person’s eligibility category and the support plan DVA approves.

For a veteran, former partner or related person, the service limits are:

• Up to $7,500 in the first 12-month period
• Up to $5,000 in the second 12-month period

These services can be used within a 48-month window from the start of the support plan. That means support may be used, paused and restarted if the family’s needs change during that period.

After the first 24 months of support, DVA may also approve further counselling for people included in the support plan. This can be up to four counselling courses in each 12-month period over a further 36 months.

For bereaved partners, bereaved parents or bereaved step-parents, the service limits are higher:

• Up to $27,835 in the first 12-month period
• Up to $27,835 in the second 12-month period

This support applies across a continuous 24-month period.

Children may receive support through the relevant family support plan. They may also receive extra child-specific support of:

• Up to $10,000 every 12 months before they start primary school
• Up to $5,000 every 12 months while they are at primary school but not yet in high school

Who May Be Eligible for the Acute Support Package?

Eligibility depends on who is seeking support, how they are connected to the veteran, the veteran’s DVA payment or claim status and whether the family is experiencing, or may be heading toward, crisis because of new and challenging circumstances.

Veterans and Current Serving ADF Members

A veteran or current serving ADF member may be considered for the package if they are younger than 65 and their DVA status falls within one of the program’s accepted payment categories.

This may include:

• MRCA or DRCA incapacity payments
• SRDP under MRCA
• Special Rate or Intermediate Rate disability compensation
• Veteran Payment under the VEA

There also needs to be a crisis connection. DVA must be satisfied that the veteran, or someone related to the veteran, is affected by new and challenging circumstances that create a current or possible crisis risk.

Former Partners and Related Persons

A former partner may also be considered if they are younger than 65 and the veteran meets the relevant DVA payment-status rules.

DVA also looks at the relationship circumstances. This may include whether the relationship ended in the past 12 months or whether an under-18 child of the veteran lives with the former partner.

The family must also be experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, crisis because of new and challenging circumstances.

A related person can include a current partner, child, parent, grandparent, sibling, step-family member or another person in a parent-like relationship with the veteran.

A related person does not always need to live with the veteran to be considered. They may also be able to seek support without involving the veteran, which matters where safety, privacy or family and domestic violence concerns are present.

Bereaved Partners and Parents

Bereaved partners may be considered where they are under 65, meet the relevant dependant status rules and the veteran partner’s death was related to service, including suicide, less than two years ago.

Bereaved parents or step-parents may also be considered where they are caring for a child under 18 who is the child of a deceased veteran. The veteran’s death must be service-related, including suicide, and the family must be experiencing or at risk of experiencing crisis.

Why Claim Status Can Matter 

For many family supports, DVA first needs to know where the veteran stands. That may include accepted conditions, payment status, card status or whether a death has been accepted as service-related.

This is why I do not treat family support as separate from the claim history. The right claim pathway can affect what DVA may consider, what evidence is needed and which support options are worth asking about.

If you are unsure whether your DVA claim status affects your family’s support options, my team and I can look at your situation and explain which claim steps may be relevant. You can learn more through our DVA claims services page.

What I Check Before Pointing a Family Toward the Right Support

When I look at family support options with a veteran, I do not start with the program name alone. I first look at who needs support, how they are connected to the veteran and whether the issue is an immediate safety concern, a short-term family crisis, an education need, a treatment question or a claim-linked entitlement.

That matters because Open Arms may be available even without an accepted DVA claim or Veteran Card. Other supports may depend on DVA accepting a condition, recognising a death as service-related, confirming payment status or issuing a card to the dependant in their own name.

This is where a clear claim history helps. It can show which supports are worth asking DVA about and which services sit outside the claim pathway.

DVA Education Support for Veterans' Children

Beyond the Acute Support Package, DVA provides education support for eligible children of veterans through the Veterans' Children Education Scheme (VCES) and the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act Education and Training Scheme (MRCAETS).

DVA's education scheme explains that an eligible child is generally someone under 16 or someone aged 16 to 25 who is in full-time education. This can include apprenticeships, traineeships and cadetships.

These schemes may provide financial assistance, student support services, guidance and counselling. They can apply across primary school, secondary school and full-time tertiary study where eligibility is met.

From 1 July 2026, there will be one education scheme for eligible children: the MRCAETS. DVA says current VCES recipients will automatically transfer to MRCAETS for the current study year without needing to reapply.

Additional Compensation for Veterans with Dependants

Some DVA compensation rules recognise that a veteran's service-related impairment can affect the whole family.

Additional Compensation for Eligible Young Persons 

If you are assessed at 80 or more impairment points under MRCA and you are paid, or entitled to be paid, permanent impairment compensation, you may be able to receive an additional tax-free lump sum for each eligible young person who depends on you for economic support.

DVA says each eligible young person must meet dependency, age and timing rules. They must generally be under 16, or between 16 and 25, in full-time education and not working full-time.

This is not simply a "payment for the child". It is additional compensation connected to the veteran's impairment and family responsibilities.

From 1 July 2026, DVA says section 80 MRCA payments may also be paid to the primary carer of the eligible young person or apportioned where primary caring arrangements are shared.

My article on the DVA 80 Points Child Payment explains this in more detail. My Eligible Young Person Payments service page also explains how I help veterans prepare this part of a DVA claim clearly.

Dependants After a Service-Related Death 

Separate rules apply to compensation for dependants after a service-related death. DVA's page on compensation for dependants under the MRCA explains support for eligible young persons, wholly dependent partners and other dependants in those circumstances.

Healthcare Support for Veteran Families

DVA-funded health services can be a major part of family stability, but the rules are easy to misunderstand. A veteran's own DVA card does not automatically cover every family member.

What Gold Card Dependants May Access

A veteran's DVA Gold Card does not work like a family private health insurance policy. It is not automatically extended to a spouse, partner or child.

DVA says a dependant may receive their own Veteran Gold Card in specific circumstances. This may include a person receiving a War Widow(er)'s Pension, a wholly dependent partner, an eligible young person, a dependant eligible for compensation for the veteran's death, a person eligible for the Orphan's Pension or a dependent child of a deceased veteran with operational service who is not being cared for by their remaining parent.

Where a dependant has their own Gold Card, DVA says the card covers clinically required medical treatment in Australia for all medical conditions. Treatment may involve:

• General practitioner and specialist consultations
• Hospital care
• Allied health services
• Dental and optical services
• Community nursing
• Pathology and medical imaging
• Medicines listed under the Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

My article on DVA Gold Card dependants explains these rules in more detail. You can also read my guide to how many points are needed for a DVA Gold Card if you are working through your own Gold Card pathway.

White Card treatment is more limited than Gold Card treatment. In general, it depends on the condition DVA accepts or covers under the card. My White Card eligibility guide explains how that works.

Mental Health Support for Families Through Open Arms

Open Arms is different from many DVA-funded programs because access does not depend on having an accepted DVA claim or a Veteran Card. It provides mental health and wellbeing support to anyone who has served at least one day of continuous full-time service in the ADF and their immediate family.

Some reservists and their immediate families may also be eligible under specific service-related criteria. Open Arms can provide individual, couple and family counselling. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

DVA's mental health programs overview also notes that Open Arms provides free 24-hour counselling and support. The Defence and Veteran Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2025–2030 also sets a shared focus on mental health and wellbeing across service, transition and post-service life.

The Connection Between Your DVA Claim and Your Family's Entitlements

The part I do not want you to miss is this: some family supports depend on your DVA claim, card status, payment status or whether DVA accepts a death as service-related.

Immediate family members may be able to access Open Arms counselling even if a DVA claim has not been accepted or a Veteran Card is not in place. But many other supports are tied to DVA's assessment of your service-related conditions, impairment level or payment eligibility.

That is why a clear, well-evidenced initial liability claim matters. If DVA accepts your condition, that decision can shape treatment access, future permanent impairment claims and some family-related support pathways.

Our Initial Liability Claims service helps veterans prepare that foundation properly. If DVA has already accepted your condition and you are working through impairment assessment, our Permanent Impairment Claims service can help present the evidence clearly for DVA's review.

DVA makes the decision. Our role is to help your claim clearly show your service history, medical evidence and the impact of your accepted conditions.

How to Access DVA Family Support

• For the Acute Support Package, DVA says there is no application form to complete. To apply or discuss your circumstances, call 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372). When you call, explain that you want to discuss the Acute Support Package. DVA may ask for information to assess eligibility, including proof of relationship to the veteran and evidence about the need for services.
• For education schemes, DVA says you need to complete an education scheme claim form. This can be submitted by post, through MyService via myGov or by emailing DVA's education schemes team.
• For Open Arms counselling, call 1800 011 046. Open Arms is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• If you are dealing with family and domestic violence, safety comes first. In an emergency, call triple zero (000). You can also contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

Your Family's Support Starts with a Clear Claim

DVA's family support programs can help eligible families through crisis, education needs, dependant support and mental health challenges. But many of these supports still depend on what DVA accepts, what payment or card status applies and what evidence sits behind the claim.

If you want to understand which DVA claim steps may affect your family's support options, contact Veterans First Consulting today. My team and I can help prepare a clear claim for DVA assessment and explain which eligible entitlements may be worth asking DVA about.