Mercy Health recognises the special needs of veterans and their loved ones. We are proud to be an approved provider of veterans’ services, offering in-home support with personal and household tasks through the Veterans’ Home Care Program, as well as nursing and personal care services through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Community Nursing Program.
Veterans’ Home Care
Veterans’ Home Care (VHC) is a Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) program. It is designed to assist veterans, war widows, and widowers to keep living at home, by providing practical help around the house.
Who can access Veterans’ Home Care?
To be eligible for support through the Veterans’ Home Care program, you must first be assessed as needing home care assistance by a Veterans’ Home Care Assessment Agency.
In order to qualify for an assessment, you must be:
- the holder of a Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold or White card, living at home
- an Australian veteran or mariner
- a widow or widower of an Australian veteran or mariner.
Please be aware that some restrictions may apply to accessing the full range of Veterans’ Home Care services. Your Veterans’ Home Care Assessment Agency will be able to provide more information about your specific circumstances.
How can I arrange an assessment with a Veterans’ Home Care Agency?
To arrange an assessment, contact the Veterans’ Home Care Assessment Agency on 1300 550 450. If you are deemed eligible, you may be required to pay a small fee.
You can nominate Mercy Health to provide your services at any time during the assessment.
What do I do if I am not eligible for Veterans’ Home Care?
There are many other home care options available, including Home Care Packages, which may provide additional support to keep you comfortable at home.
The first step is to find out more about your options and register with My Aged Care. My Aged Care is an Australian Government website and phone line (1800 200 422) providing you with up-to-date information about services for older people. Including Commonwealth-funded and non-funded services, how they can be accessed and the fees involved.
If you require aged care services in Australia, you must be assessed to determine your level of need. Assessments are conducted by the Aged Care Assessment Service (ACAS). My Aged Care will refer you to an ACAS.
Mercy Health offers detailed information on My Aged Care to help you start your journey.
Alternatively, our friendly staff can guide you through the process. Please call us on 1300 478 776 or send us a message.
Community Nursing
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) provides entitled people with access to the DVA Community Nursing Program to meet their assessed clinical and personal care needs. Delivered in the home, these nursing services aim to improve health outcomes, and to avoid hospital or admissions into an aged care home.
Who can access Community Nursing?
To access nursing services through the DVA Community Nursing Program, you must hold either a DVA Health Card (Gold Card) or a DVA Health Card (White Card).
Referrals to the Community Nursing program
We accept referrals to our Community Nursing service through the following sources:
- general practitioner
- treating doctor in hospital
- hospital discharge planner
- Veterans’ Home Care (VHC) Assessment Agency.
Mercy Health is an approved service provider of DVA Community Nursing services in the following regions:
- metropolitan Melbourne
- Barwon region in Victoria (Colac and Geelong)
- Australian Capital Territory.
You can nominate Mercy Health to provide your services when your doctor or hospital completes the referral to the DVA.
For more information on veterans’ support services, please call us on 1300 478 776 or send us a message.
Last reviewed March 26, 2019.