Position statement on ensuring veteran access to osteopathy care under the DVA

The current prescribed fee schedule for DVA is significantly lower than other government schemes and market value. With consistently low fees and no ability to charge gap fees, servicing DVA clients has become financially unviable for many osteopaths, and allied health practices. As such, a comprehensive review of the osteopathy fee schedule should take place.

What is Osteopathy Australia advocating for?

Fairer rebates and fees to help ensure ongoing veteran access to osteopathy services and care. By ensuring practitioners are appropriately remunerated for their work, it will in turn ensure that veterans can more easily access and receive the quality care they need as well as help to keep the DVA scheme sustainable in the future.

Why this benefits Australians

• Improve access and equity for Australian veterans to healthcare.

• Increases the supply of allied health professionals and clinics willing to service under the DVA scheme.

• Promotes sustainability of the scheme and ease of access to care for veterans.

Policy issues and barriers

• After extended periods of rebate freezes and lack of CPI, the DVA fee schedule continues to remain well below market value.
• The scheme will continue to see a decline in practitioners willing to provide quality services to DVA clients, reducing access and risk sustainability.
• As a result, service provision wait times will increase and availability of services will decrease, with impacts felt nationwide and acutely for those in regional, rural and remote areas resulting in many veterans going without the essential care they need.
• Often more junior staff choose to provide services to veterans, who may not yet hold the experience needed to provide high-quality services to a complex cohort of health consumers. Ultimately costing the scheme more in the long run.

Review

This statement will be reviewed as often as required to align with legislative, regulatory, policy and/or practice change. Last review: January 2026.

Need more information or help?

For further information, a suggestion or to discuss this topic, please:

• Email your enquiry to [email protected]
• Call Osteopathy Australia on 1800 467 836
• Access further information via osteopathy.org.au

A downloadable version of this position statement can be found here.