Veteran Payment affects your income support payment

What are Veteran Payment and income support payments

Veteran Payment is for current and former members of the Australian Defence Force and their partners. The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) pays it. It can be paid to you while DVA assess your claim for a mental health condition.

Income support payments help you with your living costs. We make these payments if you’re eligible.

You can’t get the Veteran Payment and an income support payment at the same time. You’ll need to choose the right payment for you.

Read more about Veteran Payment on the Department of Veterans’ Affairs website.

What you can get with the different payments

If you’re already getting an income support payment, you can choose to keep getting it while DVA assess your claim for a mental health condition. If you do, you may also be eligible for any of the following:

• a Pensioner Concession Card or Health Care Card
• an Advance Payment.

Veteran Payment is paid at a higher rate than most income support payments. The only exception is ABSTUDY for Masters or Doctorate students.

If you decide to get a Veteran Payment instead of an income support payment from us, you may still be eligible for non-income support payments and assistance. This may include any of the following:

• Family Tax Benefit
• Child Care Subsidy
• Additional Child Care Subsidy
• Parental Leave Pay
• Carer Allowance
• Low Income Health Card.

You can use our Service Finder to find support services in your local area. This can include counselling and mental health services for veterans and their families.

How your claim for a DVA payment can affect you

The outcome of your DVA claim may affect you, depending on the payment you’ve chosen.

If your DVA claim is unsuccessful and you:

• kept your income support payment, your payment will continue from us
• got Veteran Payment, DVA will stop paying you and you’ll need to claim an income support payment from us.

If your DVA claim is successful and you:

• kept your income support payment, your payment may stop
• got Veteran Payment, DVA will stop paying Veteran Payment when they start paying your new DVA payment.

Read more about how DVA payments may affect your income support payment from us with compensation recovery and Getting a Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) payment - Services Australia.

Read more about income support on the Department of Veterans’ Affairs website.