Who Is Eligible for the Veterans Home Care Program? A Complete Guide

What Is the Veterans' Home Care Program?

The Veterans' Home Care (VHC) program is a Department of Veterans' Affairs initiative that provides small amounts of practical help at home so eligible veterans can continue living independently. It's a low-level support program, not a substitute for complex or clinical care.

According to the Department of Veterans' Affairs guide to the Veterans' Home Care program, VHC delivers four main service types: 

• Domestic assistance
• Home and garden maintenance
• Personal care
• Respite care

Services are delivered by approved providers after a phone assessment by a VHC Assessment Agency, and small co-payments apply for most services.

VHC is designed for veterans who need a helping hand, not round-the-clock support. If you have complex or clinical needs, the DVA Community Nursing Program may be more appropriate.

Who Is Eligible for the Veterans' Home Care Program?

Eligibility for VHC comes down to three things: the DVA card you hold, whether you live at home, and whether you have a functional limitation that affects your day-to-day tasks. Below, we break down each group of people who can request an assessment.

Veteran Gold Card Holders

If you hold a Veteran Gold Card for all conditions within Australia, you can request a VHC assessment for the full range of services. The DVA's Veterans' Home Care eligibility flyer confirms that Gold Card holders have the broadest access to the program, provided they live at home and have difficulty performing activities of daily living.

Gold Cards aren't something you apply for directly. They are issued as an outcome of a successful DVA claim, typically once you reach 60 or more MRCA impairment points, or through other specific eligibility pathways.

Veteran White Card Holders

White Card holders can also request a VHC assessment, but the context matters. If you're an Australian veteran with a White Card for an accepted service-related condition, the DVA advises that your VHC assessment is not limited to your accepted condition, meaning you can be assessed for the full range of services based on your actual needs at home.

White Card holders covered under Non-Liability Health Care for mental health conditions may also be eligible, depending on how the assessment agency views the functional limitations caused by those conditions.

War Widows, Widowers, and Dependants

War widow(er)s are eligible to be assessed for VHC services. If you were receiving VHC services as a partner of a veteran at the time of their death, those services can continue for a period while your War Widow(er)'s Pension claim is determined.

Wholly dependent partners and eligible young persons under MRCA don't have access to household services provisions directly, so the CLIK policy guidance on the VHC program explains that domestic assistance and home and garden maintenance can only be accessed for these family members through VHC.

Carers and Family Members

Here's something many veterans don't realise. Carers of Gold and White Card holders may be eligible for respite care through the Veterans Home Care program. This recognises the load that carers take on and the role respite plays in keeping a family going.

If you're caring for a veteran at home and starting to feel the strain, it's worth checking whether respite care is available for your situation.

British and Allied Veterans

If you're a British or Allied veteran with a White Card, your eligibility is more limited. The DVA confirms you're only eligible for respite care under VHC, not the full range of services. If you're eligible under the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 and your partner or dependants are eligible under MRCA, you can be assessed for all VHC services.

The Functional Limitation Requirement

Holding the right card is only half of it. You also need to live at home and have an assessed functional limitation that affects your ability to perform activities of daily living. This is what the VHC Assessment Agency is checking when they call you for the phone assessment.

Functional limitations can stem from:

• Physical injury
• Chronic pain
• Mobility issues
• Mental health conditions

The assessor makes the call based on your specific situation.

How Eligibility Flows From Your DVA Claim

This is an important part of the process that is often overlooked. You don't apply for VHC in isolation. For many veterans, VHC eligibility is linked to the DVA card they hold, and that card may follow a successful claim. If you're a serving member or recently discharged veteran without a card yet, your pathway to VHC may start with a claim.

Initial Liability Is the Gateway

Before you can access many DVA entitlements, DVA needs to formally accept your service-related conditions. That's what an initial liability claim does. Our initial liability claims guide supports veterans in preparing claims so they can access treatment cards and entitlements linked to accepted conditions, including some White Card pathways, VHC access, and future permanent impairment entitlements under MRCA.

For many veterans, an accepted condition is what leads to a White Card, while a Gold Card may follow once you reach the relevant eligibility threshold through permanent impairment or another qualifying pathway. The earlier you get this right, the sooner more of the system can open up to you.

Reaching the 60-Point Threshold for the Gold Card

Under MRCA, a Gold Card is issued once you reach 60 or more impairment points across your accepted conditions. Impairment points are assessed under the Guide to the Assessment of Rates of Veterans' Pensions, and each condition is rated individually before being combined.

If you're tracking several accepted conditions, a well-prepared permanent impairment claim can help ensure your conditions are clearly documented and assessed against the relevant criteria. This process is about accessing the care, support, and entitlements linked to accepted conditions, including programs like VHC, the Coordinated Veterans' Care Program, and broader Gold Card entitlements.

How Veterans First Consulting Supports Your Claim

We are an independent, paid service provider that works only for veterans. We don't represent DVA, and we're not a free ex-service organisation. Our team includes a large, experienced group of veteran advocates, and we've supported over 9,000 veterans through their claims.

When we work on your claim, we focus on preparing clear, well-supported evidence, medical assessments, and legislative references at each stage of the process. 

What Services Can You Access Through VHC?

Once you're found eligible, the VHC Assessment Agency will build a Service Plan tailored to your assessed needs. The services available fall into four categories. Here's what each one actually covers.

Domestic Assistance

Domestic assistance covers the kind of household work that becomes harder when you're:

• Managing pain
• Mobility issues
• Fatigue

According to the CLIK guidance on VHC services, this includes: 

• Internal household cleaning
• Dishwashing
• Washing and ironing
• Bed making
• Some help with meal preparation

In rural and remote areas, it can extend to activities like collecting firewood.

Home and Garden Maintenance

This service keeps your home safe and habitable. It covers tasks like:

• Replacing light bulbs
• Cleaning gutters
• Cleaning windows
• Cleaning ceiling fans
• Basic lawn mowing

It isn't designed for major home modifications or construction work, which fall under separate DVA programs.

Personal Care

Personal care covers assistance with: 

• Bathing
• Showering
• Toileting
• Dressing and grooming
• Eating

It's limited to low-level support. If you have complex personal care needs, VHC isn't the right fit and DVA will usually point you towards the Community Nursing Program instead.

Respite Care

Respite gives your regular carer a break. Three types are available: in-home respite, residential respite in a government-subsidised aged care facility, and emergency short-term relief of up to three days when a carer suddenly can't provide care. Respite services do not attract a co-payment.

How the VHC Assessment Works

The assessment process is straightforward, but knowing what to expect helps. Most VHC services are arranged over the phone by a VHC Assessment Agency, and the DVA's detailed VHC program guidance sets out exactly how it runs.

Booking Your Assessment

To request an assessment. The VHC Assessment Agency will guide you through a questionnaire over the phone and work out which services you're eligible for. You don't need a GP referral specifically for VHC, which makes it easier to access than some other DVA programs.

What Happens During the Assessment

The assessor will ask about your:

• Daily routine
• The tasks you struggle with
• Your living situation
• Your accepted conditions

Based on that, they identify the range, frequency, and duration of services you need and put together a Service Plan.

The assessor also checks for overlaps with other DVA programs. If you already receive MRCA household services or attendant care, they'll make sure you're not double-dipping, because you can't receive the same type of service through two programs at once.

Service Plan and Co-payments

Once approved, the Service Plan is sent to you and your VHC Service Provider. You'll pay a small co-payment for most services, set and capped by DVA. There is no co-payment for respite care. If you can't afford the co-payments, you can apply for a waiver using DVA's application form, and each request is assessed on individual circumstances.

How VHC Fits With Other DVA Support Programs

VHC doesn't sit on its own. It's part of a wider system of DVA support, and understanding how it connects with other programs helps you get the right mix of help for your situation.

MRCA Household Services and Attendant Care

If you have accepted conditions under MRCA, you may have access to household services or attendant care as a compensation entitlement, separate from VHC. The key point is: you can't receive the same type of service through both. The DVA's legislative reform resources confirm that if you're already receiving household services through MRCA, you can't also get domestic assistance or home and garden maintenance through VHC.

Coordinated Veterans' Care Program

The Coordinated Veterans' Care (CVC) Program is a separate GP-led program for Gold Card holders with chronic conditions and White Card holders with accepted chronic mental health conditions. Our deeper guide on care options for veterans explains how CVC, VHC, and Community Nursing sit alongside each other.

Community Nursing Program

If you have complex or clinical personal care needs, the DVA Community Nursing Program is the right path, not VHC. Community Nursing is delivered by registered and enrolled nurses in your home, and access is usually through an authorised referrer such as a GP, nurse practitioner, or hospital discharge planner.

My Aged Care and Support at Home

Veterans aged 65 and over may also access Commonwealth aged care through My Aged Care's support for veterans and war widows. You can receive both DVA and My Aged Care services at the same time, so long as you're not receiving the same type of service from both programs.

Upcoming Changes From 1 July 2026

There's a legislative change coming, and it's worth knowing where it lands. Under the Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Act 2025, from 1 July 2026, all new claims for Household Services and Attendant Care compensation will be assessed under MRCA, regardless of when or where you served.

The good news is that the VHC program itself is not affected by this change. Eligible Gold and White Card holders will continue to have access to VHC and the DVA Community Nursing Program. If you already have accepted conditions under the VEA or DRCA, you may want to review your current claims situation now through a claim reassessment so you're in the best position before the transition.

Support at Home Starts With the Right Claim

The Veterans' Home Care program can make daily life easier, but access depends on your DVA card and an assessment of your needs at home. If you want clear advice on where you stand and what to do next, contact Veterans First Consulting to discuss your DVA entitlements and the support available to you, with guidance focused on your health, wellbeing, and living at home.