Veterans’ access to allied health care depends partly on whether government reimbursement rates allow providers to offer services sustainably. Significant differences between DVA fees and NDIS price limits are drawing greater scrutiny as a new $5,000 annual review threshold approaches, raising questions about provider participation, continuity of treatment and how additional care will be approved.
Veterans facing a new annual $5,000 threshold on their allied health care are already receiving treatment under government fee schedules substantially less for some services than those paid under the NDIS.
A comparison of current Commonwealth fee schedules shows significant differences in what allied health practitioners can be paid depending on whether they’re treating a veteran through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs or a participant in the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
DVA fee rates trail NDIS payments
Under fee schedules that took effect from July 1, 2026, an NDIS speech pathologist can charge up to $193.99 per hour compared to $128.80 for an hour-long consultation through DVA. The difference amounts to $65.19 an hour, with the maximum NDIS rate about 50 per cent higher than the DVA rate.
Psychologists treating veterans are currently paid $167.65 for an in-room consultation of 50 minutes or more, compared with an NDIS maximum price of $252.99 an hour.
Different services reveal a wider funding gap
Other allied health professions operate under markedly different fee structures, although differences in consultation lengths and the way the services are priced mean direct hourly comparisons cannot always be made.
DVA currently pays $77.10 for a standard physiotherapy consultation, while the NDIS maximum hourly rate is $183.99. An exercise physiologist can bill $77.05 to DVA for a consultation of at least 20 minutes, compared with a maximum hourly rate under the NDIS of $161.99. For podiatry, DVA pays $97.10 for a subsequent consultation, while the NDIS maximum hourly rate is $188.99.
New threshold brings access concerns
The disparities come as the Federal Government prepares to introduce major changes to veterans’ allied health services, including a $5,000 annual expenditure threshold from July 2027.
The Government announced in the May Budget that veterans who reached $5,000 in allied health expenditure would require further approval from DVA to be entitled to additional government-funded treatment, but at the time could not say what the criteria would be.
DVA says veterans with a demonstrated clinical need would continue to receive treatment above the threshold and argued the measure was designed to address unusually high expenditure and integrity concerns. The changes were accompanied by $169.7 million over five years to increase allied health fees, after the department acknowledged the current fee schedule could be a barrier to veterans accessing providers.
Consultation delays leave critical questions unanswered
DVA, during Senate Estimates in May, said consultation with allied health, veterans and their families on the changes would roll out in August, however stakeholders are still yet to hear when the consultations will take place, nor details on what requirements veterans will have to meet to receive DVA-funded treatment above the $5,000 threshold.
Government faces political pressure over the changes
The proposed threshold has attracted fierce criticism from federal politicians, including Coalition Shadow Veterans’ Affairs Minister, veteran Phillip Thompson OAM, who accused the government of cutting allied health care for veterans during Question Time in Parliament.
“How many veterans will be out of pocket and forced to pay for another Labor broken promise because the Prime Minister has chosen to rip the guts out of allied health services for our veterans?” Mr Thompson asked Veterans’ Affairs Minister Matt Keogh.
Mr Keogh rejected the claims veterans would be left without treatment, saying those with a genuine clinical need would continue to receive treatment.
“We’re changing that to the $5,000 limit to make it easier for veterans,” he told Parliament.
Mr Keogh said the average expenditure by veterans on allied health services was just $1,900 annually and the $5,000 threshold was the point at which DVA would undertake extra scrutiny before approving further treatment.
Provider rates could shape access to care
Senator Jacqui Lambie has also raised concerns about DVA allied health reimbursement rates and the effect they could have on veterans’ access to care. Senator Lambie warned a parliamentary inquiry that healthcare providers could be reluctant to treat veterans where DVA reimbursement rates failed to compete with other government-funded schemes.
The NDIS describes its published prices as maximum amounts providers can charge, meaning actual prices could be negotiated below those limits. DVA, by contrast, publishes set fees for approved services provided to eligible Veteran Card holders.
DVA has said about one in 10 veterans eligible for allied health treatment are expected to reach the $5,000 threshold once it is introduced.
Further details about how veterans will access treatment above the new threshold, how clinical need will be assessed and how the changes will be implemented across multiple allied health disciplines are expected to form part of the consultation with allied health professionals, veterans and their families.
