Veterans Health Care

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What Is A Veterans Health Care Plan?

Are you a veteran who has been discharged due to illness or injury acquired during your time in service? Veterans Health Care or VA Health Care provides cover for all essential medical treatment for veterans with ‘service linked’ health challenges.

A Coordinated Veterans Health Care or Veterans Health Care Plan is where numerous specialists collaborate to create a comprehensive care plan for veterans. This collaboration makes it easier for veterans to access essential medical care and resources and achieve an enhanced quality of life.

This care is provided to veterans for any injury or illness deemed to be linked with their ADF service.

As per the DVA:

“[This] program proactively manages Veteran Gold Card holders with chronic conditions and Veteran White Card holders with accepted mental health conditions. Providers and participants work as a team to improve their health care in a general practice setting. It aims to decrease unplanned hospitalisation.”

Through this approach, the needs of veterans and their ongoing care are met. They achieve a better understanding of their situation and learn the tools and information required to facilitate better self-management.

At the Veterans Health Centre, we offer a range of specialist services aimed at supporting eligible veterans to secure the high-quality care they need. As ex Australian Defence Force members, our team understand veterans in a way other clinics cannot.

Our genuine and empathetic approach is unique in that it involves an initial assessment with both a nurse and general practitioner as well as support completing and submitting DVA claims.

Dr. Tom Perkins working on Veterans Health Care Plan
Dr. Tom Perkins performing a test to a VHC specialist
VHC specialist talking at the reception area

Benefits Of A Veterans Health Care Plan

There are numerous benefits to engaging the support of specialists to create a Veterans Health Care Plan. Rather than a one-dimensional approach to your healthcare, a health care plan reviews multiple aspects, allowing for a more effective approach.

Through your Veterans Health Care plan, every aspect of your health both physical and mental can be addressed. Allowing for a more holistic approach to your care that delivers optimal outcomes and is focused on your overall wellbeing.

Access To Mental Health Services And Mental Health Support

Defence Service is incredibly tough on mental health. Be it due to the nature of the duties, toxic workplaces, the unique aspects of the general stress of service and deployment, or exposure to harrowing circumstances.

To facilitate the management and support of mental health conditions linked with time spent in service with the ADF the DVA has awarded “streamlined acceptance” to mental health conditions as a standard level of care.

Conditions that we frequently see and treat include:

  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorders
  • Generalised Anxiety Disorders
  • Major Depressive Disorders
  • Adjustment Disorders

These conditions may be co-morbid with other factors. These factors can include alcohol, prescription or recreational drug use, relationship difficulties and pain from chronic injuries. These situations are often exacerbated by employment challenges and the general cognitive experience of the period of service.

Our approach to management is to identify all of the contributing factors, and combine:

  • solution-based therapy
  • psychotherapy
  • potential financial improvement through DVA claim progression
  • judicious medication use
  • optimal pain management

lifestyle – exercise, diet, meditation, mindfulness, relaxation, alcohol minimisation.

Dr. Tom Perkins listening to a patient
Dr. Tom Perkins processing a client's DVA claim request on a computer
VHC specialist doing a reflex test on a patient

Injury, Pain And Chronic Disease Management

The nuances of chronic disease management involve identifying all present medical conditions as well as taking into account all of your personal and lifestyle factors. From this, we then develop organised plans for a schedule of care that covers weeks, months or possibly years.

In collaboration with you, we then identify achievable goals based on this schedule. We create structured plans designed to help you work towards the management and improvement of these goals, within manageable timeframes.

When this process is done well and implemented properly, it becomes the very cornerstone of the overall approach to the management of all present conditions. It also contributes to substantial improvement in quality of life and general well-being.

Management Of Musculoskeletal Injuries And Pain

Musculoskeletal issues are some of the most common medical issues arising from service in the ADF.

Management of these issues takes care and time. It’s important to get an accurate history, examine properly, investigate judiciously to get an accurate diagnosis of the condition and its severity, and then use evidence-based medicine to manage these conditions.

The mainstay of management of musculoskeletal conditions is movement. Physical rehabilitation and conditioning are critical aspects of optimal treatment. We institute this through structured rehabilitation programs that have been designed by experienced physiotherapists and exercise physiologists.

We can use judicious pain management techniques, such as oral medication, targeted injections and surgery when needed to complement this. However, the mainstay of management is remains tied to physical movementwithin the context of an overall lifestyle medicine approach.

VHC specialist lifting a patient's foot

Through your Veterans Health Care plan, every aspect of your health both physical and mental can be addressed. Allowing for a more holistic approach to your care that delivers optimal outcomes and is focused on your overall wellbeing.

What Does Veterans Health Care Cost?

Veterans Health Care is either free or heavily subsidised depending on your level of approved compensation. This health care is obtained through a detailed assessment and claims process, whereby the Department Of Veterans Affairs will assess the level of medical compensation available.

At Veterans Health Centre our team is made up of ex ADF members who deeply understand the complex needs of those who have served. We offer confidential, bulk-billed treatment aimed at ensuring veterans can access quality care no matter their circumstances.

How Do I Access Veterans Health Care?

The first step to accessing Veterans Health Care should be to book an appointment with our clinic. Our experienced nurse will carry out a preliminary assessment of your situation, followed by an in-depth assessment from our skilled, ex DF doctor.

From here we will develop a care plan specific to your needs, connecting you with our trusted network of psychiatrists, psychologists, physiotherapists, exercise physiologists and other specialists.

We prepare all required reports for the Department Of Veterans Affairs and assist with the completion and submission of claims. This helps to expedite the payment of any financial compensation related to your required medical care.

VHC specialist conducting a tuning fork test
VHC specialist using a stethoscope

We Simplify Dealing With Veterans Affairs

Managing engagement with the DVA alongside your health concerns is both overwhelming and confusing. For many veterans handling the claims process and waiting on an eligibility judgement only serves to exacerbate their physical or mental health issues.

At Veterans Health Centre we assign each of our veterans a paralegal Case Manager to go through all claims in detail before submission. We set aside an hour per claim to create the medicolegal reports, organise the supporting documents and submit your claim through the DVA’s MyService portal within MyGov. This submission can be done via Telehealth or in-person at the clinic.

Our goal is to make the entire process as stress free as possible, keeping the focus on your health and wellbeing first and foremost at all times.

Practical Help Paired With Genuine, Tailored Care

At Veterans Health Centre, we recognise your unique healthcare needs and work to create a balanced, in-depth health care plan. We can set up all of your referrals, establish your new healthcare provider network (GP, Physio, Psychologist, Psychiatrist etc), set your health goals, and ways to measure these.

We review this plan every 3 months, to ensure your healthcare is on track and that you are best equipped to optimise your health and enjoy your life. All of the elements involved in this service is bulk-billed to the Department Of Veterans Affairs and Medicare, making it available at no cost.

As ex ADF members, we deeply understand the challenges involved in readjusting to civilian life. Our shared experience as part of the ADF family helps us create meaningful bonds with our patients that enables us to deliver one-of-a-kind care.

No matter where you are at in your journey to secure quality veterans health care, Veterans Health Centre can help. Contact our friendly, professional team of experts today at 1300 VETERAN (8383726).

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