RSL and peak medical bodies call for increase in veteran healthcare funding

The Albanese government is being urged to increase funding for veterans healthcare amid concern that thousands of former defence personnel are missing out on critical medical services including physiotherapy and psychological counselling.

The Albanese government is being urged to increase funding for veterans healthcare amid concern that thousands of former defence personnel are missing out on critical medical services including physiotherapy and psychological counselling.

The Albanese government is being urged to increase funding for veterans’ health care amid concern that thousands of ­former Defence personnel are missing out on critical medical services, including physiotherapy and psychological counselling.

Veterans advocates and peak medical bodies have joined forces to call on Labor to significantly increase co-payments paid to doctors, warning comparatively low levels of payment for treating veterans in comparison to other government subsidised services are preventing them from offering health care.

The call comes from a number of national groups, including the Returned & Services League of Australia, the Australian Medical Association, the Australian Psychology Society and the Australian Physiotherapy Association, who are teaming up ahead of the federal budget in May.

In a submission to the federal government, the RSL said the DVA remuneration for healthcare providers for common doctors appointments was anywhere between 45 and 175 per cent less than remuneration for NDIS clients and up to 115 per cent less than for private patients.

For example, a GP providing care for a veteran may receive $47 from the government compared to $102 for a private patient. For a psychological service, a clinician would receive $147 treating a veteran compared to up to $300.

“Health and allied healthcare providers have shared with the RSL that they struggle to refer their clients to specialist and clinician services because of the lesser remuneration from DVA,” the submission said.

“We are aware that this is particularly acute for veterans who need access to psychology and psychiatric services.”

RSL Australia president Greg Melick said it was “incumbent on the government to address these disparities as a matter of high priority to improve health outcomes for veterans and their families”.

“The situation is critical, with peak professional healthcare groups reporting practitioners have ceased or limited the treatment of DVA patients, with more clinicians predicted to do so if funding does not increase,” Mr Melick said.

Minister for Veterans Affairs Matt Keogh said it was “disappointing” to hear medical professionals were withdrawing their services from veterans due to payment rates and said any changes to payment rates required consideration through the budget process.

“This is a business decision for the individual provider concerned,” Mr Keogh said.

AMA president Steve Robson said current levels of funding from the government resulted in doctors losing money by treating veterans, meaning many just can’t afford to see them.

Dr Robson, a former navy medical officer who served on HMAS Sydney in the First Gulf War, called for a total overhaul to how health care was funded for former Defence personnel.

Australian Physiotherapy Association national president Scott Willis said the current level of DVA funding did not meet levels of demand, with nine out of 10 physiotherapists reporting they could not sustain care for veterans. According to APA figures, just 12,200 physiotherapists across the country were available to treat almost 208,000 veterans in 2021-2022.