Want to better support veterans?
Want to better support veterans?
GP information
Want a better way to support your veteran patients to improve their mental and physical health?
We’re a one-stop-shop for all the support veterans need to get back on track.
Our fully funded* Veterans’ Better Life Program offers three allied health services (including psychology, physiotherapy, and exercise physiology) concurrently within a relaxed health club environment. Our evidence-based framework reduces barriers to improve treatment outcomes.
Our clinicians work shoulder-to-shoulder with each veteran to achieve personally relevant, realistic, and achievable goals. They do this by offering tailored, integrated, and adaptive treatment that gets meaningful results from just six weeks.
Since 2015, our program has been helping hundreds of veterans each year to get go to website their minds and bodies back on track.
Our program helps veterans to:
Improve injuries & reduce pain
Improve mobility
Better manage diseases, & addictions (diabetes, alcohol, or drug)
Improve mental health (anxiety, depression, or PTSD)
Find direction & improve job prospects
Enhance relationships
Improve fitness & lose weight.
How it Works
We work in partnership with you to help veterans live a better life.
In our program, you’ll have one dedicated team with just one appointment at one location.
How the program works:
One referral for three clinical treatments
- With just one referral, your veteran patients can join our multidisciplinary program which includes three clinical treatments (psychologist, physiotherapist and exercise physiologist). This ensures that the veteran is being treated as a whole addressing the often interconnected physical and emotional conditions.
One appointment for all three clinicians
- In our program, there’s no running around or regurgitating the same story. Veterans attend one health club session and get treated by all three clinicians. This reduces known barriers and helps veterans get their minds and bodies back on track!
Individualised treatment backed by evidence
- Our successful program is evidence based. Guided by its framework, clinicians work together to develop and deliver a tailored plan that addresses the veteran’s unique needs.
To learn more about the program check out the program factsheet.
Results from just
six weeks
Our program helps hundreds of veterans each year to get back on track. From just six weeks, veterans report living a better life and show meaningful improvements in physical and mental health.
Easy referral process
One referral for three disciplines.
With just one referral, veterans get access to a psychologist, physiotherapist, and exercise physiologist.
One referral provides veterans access to a multidisciplinary program that supports them to improve their mental and physical health. A program referral includes access to psychology, physiotherapy and exercise physiology.
Our program in action
Why Choose Us?
Our program improves treatment outcomes.
To help GPs better support their veteran patients, we created a program that lowers barriers to improve treatment outcomes.
Traditionally, GPs wanting to support their veteran patients were limited to referring them to individual providers (e.g. a physiotherapist for chronic pain and psychologist for depression). While this can yield results, success may be limited as it neither recognises the possible link between the conditions nor addresses known barriers to seeking help or complying with treatment.
Treating the individual (and their conditions) as an interconnected whole
- Our program adopts a biopsychosocial model which research clearly demonstrates is superior in achieving better health and wellbeing outcomes.
Addressing known barriers to increase engagement
- We know the barriers that prevent veterans from seeking support and sticking it out. We’ve designed a program that reduces these barriers to improve engagement, adherence, and outcomes.
Multidisciplinary treatment
- Veterans don’t want to go from provider to provider regurgitating their story. In our multidisciplinary program, three allied health treatments are delivered concurrently at one location.A dedicated team integrates a psychologist, physiotherapist and exercise physiologist with each discipline playing an integral role in the program’s delivery and overall outcomes.
Integrated, tailored and adaptive treatment
- Veterans can present with complex needs that may vary over time; inflexible treatment plans just don’t work. That’s why we develop tailored treatment that adapts to their changing needs. Our team works with each veteran to develop tailored, integrated, and adaptive treatment plans that support them to achieve personally relevant goals while adapting to their presenting conditions.
Delivered in a relaxed veteran friendly environment
- Veterans want to deal with providers that understand veteran culture. To reduce the stigma of getting treatment, our program is delivered in health clubs by a team that understands veteran culture.
Shaped by veterans for veterans
- No one understands the needs of veterans better than veterans themselves. That’s why our program has been shaped by veterans for veterans. It offers support the way they like it.
How we partner
with you
Our program ensures safe and effective behavioural activation through:
- identify treatment requirements.
- maintain motivation, self-efficacy, and perceived control.
- ensure prescribed exercises, activities and treatments:
- align with the GP assessment.
- are safe given the patient’s presenting conditions.
- ensure correct execution of prescribed exercises.
- monitor physiological/metabolic outcomes.
- ensure common focus.
Reporting
We are committed to working with you to achieve the best health outcomes for your veteran patients. We will provide you with an end of cycle report upon completion of the current treatment cycle or on request.
At risk veterans
The DVA At Risk Client Assessment form enables the GP to select a tailored referral arrangement where they determine the patient’s health, treatment or wellbeing is being adversely affected by the treatment cycle requirements.
What our clients say about us!
Would just like to express my respect for the VHA crew! Going back 18 months to when I first started to attend their program at Goodlife Nerang, I was struggling with addiction, mental health issues and an overall lack of motivation to live a healthy lifestyle. They helped me get back on track, I still have my problems, but my quality of life is better than it ever has been since my discharge from defence. I highly recommend them to any veteran young or old! If you live on the Gold Coast and you want help to improve your quality of life I suggest you get in to see them!!
Luke G
Such a blessing that VHA is available to Veterans. The Coordinators have provided me with a great program for body and mind. Good to be in a routine again. Thank you.
Iain S
This organisations is awesome. Some really great people. If you live in proximity to the Gold Coast, do yourself a service and say g’day to these guys. Will work around any injury/illness with qualified support. I’m moving to Melbourne, but will sure miss these guys.
Brendan D
The team at Veteran Health Association have worked with me for the past 2 years helping me with recovery from my service related injuries and reintegration back into the workforce. They offer a professional service that is unmatched from any other provider around. Their team have helped 100’s of veterans of all ages and services and continue to break ground where others have failed. Thank you VHA!
Dean K
Eligibility and cost
Open to all Australian veterans
All Australian veterans who have served at least one day in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) can join our program.
We welcome DVA clients.
*Fully funded for DVA card holders
There are no out-of-pocket costs for the program. DVA Health Cards (Gold and White) are accepted as payment upon a GP referral. Some restrictions apply for white card holders.
If a veteran is not a DVA Health Card holder but wants to join our program, they can get in touch with us and we’ll discuss their options.
Additional Support
- Veterans’ Diabetes Program
- Veterans’ Dietitian Management Program
A nutrition service is available to support you to improve your health and achieve your goals.
FAQs
Who is eligible for the program?
The program is available to all Australian veterans who have served at least one day in the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
How is your program different?
- Shaped by veterans for veterans: our program has been shaped by veterans for veterans, so it offers support the way you like it.
- One team, one location, one appointment: there’s no running around town from one appointment to the next, regurgitating the same story. You’ll have one dedicated team (a physiotherapist, exercise physiologist and psychologist) with just one appointment at one location. We’re a one-stop-shop for all the support you need to get back on track.
- Relaxed environment: we’re based in health clubs, so it’s relaxed with no clinical feel. It’s just us in our PT gear and fun socks.
- Tailored program we understand that:
- every veteran is different and has different treatment needs.
- every veteran has different goals.
Instead of telling you what you should do, we start by asking what’s most important to you right now—then tailor the program from there.
- Integrated and evidence-based: our program is a multidisciplinary evidence-based health care service designed to support physical and mental wellbeing.
What is the cost of the program?
There are no out-of-pocket costs for eligible veterans. DVA Health Cards (Gold and White) are accepted as payment upon a GP referral.
Some restrictions apply.
We welcome DVA clients.
Can I join the program if I am not a DVA card holder?
If you’re not a DVA Health Card holder but want to join our program, get in touch and we’ll discuss your options.
How long is your program?
Our program’s duration is tailored for each person’s needs. Its duration is also based on regular reviews with you and your GP.
How many sessions does a referral cover?
A referral covers one 12-session treatment cycle. Veteran clients may have as many additional treatment cycles as their GP determines clinically necessary. Clients deemed a high risk may be eligible for a tailored referral and review arrangements if their health, treatment, or wellbeing would be adversely affected by the standard 12 session treatment cycle.
Where is the program delivered?
Our program currently runs out of health clubs on the:
- Gold Coast
- Brisbane
- Tweed Shire.
How often will I attend?
Can current ADF members join the program?
Current or former ADF members (including reservists with at least one day of continuous full-time service) may be eligible for the program through non-liability health care.
Does your program work?
Our program gets results.
Six weeks in, veterans report living a better life and show meaningful improvements in physical and mental health.
Since 2015, we’ve been supporting hundreds of veterans each year to get back on track.
This includes:
- improving fitness
- losing weight
- reducing injury and pain
- managing disease and addictions
- finding direction
- improving job prospects
- enhancing relationships.
How can I join the program?
Joining the program is easy. All you need is a referral from your doctor or hospital discharge planner, and we’ll do the rest.
What is the Veteran Health Association?
It’s an organisation that’s dedicated to improving the mental and physical health of Australian veterans.
Get in touch today
Get in touch today to chat about how we can work together to support veterans to live a better life!