Departments of Veterans Affairs (DVA) and Tinnitus Management
DVA Hearing &
Tinnitus Services
If you're a veteran living with hearing difficulties, tinnitus or hyperacusis, you may be eligible for support through the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA).
This guide explains how DVA-funded services work, when a TRN may be required, how tinnitus management is approved and how to access care with us.
In summary
White Card holders with tinnitus and/or hearing loss as an accepted condition, and eligible Gold Card holders, may access DVA-funded care.
If tinnitus is not yet an accepted condition and you are seeking an initial DVA-funded tinnitus assessment, a TRN may be required before the assessment.
The tinnitus assessment is completed first. If ongoing management or treatment is clinically indicated, the appropriate DVA approval is then sought before funded treatment begins.
If you're unsure what applies, contact us before booking and we can help you identify the correct pathway.
Eligibility at a glance
Your eligibility depends on the type of DVA card you hold, your accepted conditions and the particular hearing or tinnitus service you need.
White Card holders
A White Card provides treatment for conditions that DVA has accepted as service-related.
If tinnitus, hearing loss or another relevant condition is listed on your White Card, you may be eligible for DVA-funded hearing or tinnitus services relating to that accepted condition.
Gold Card holders
Gold Card holders may be eligible for DVA-funded hearing and tinnitus services where there is an appropriate clinical need.
How the process works
The pathway differs depending on whether tinnitus is already an accepted DVA condition or whether you are seeking an initial assessment as part of having tinnitus considered.
Start with the correct referral
If tinnitus is already an accepted condition and you are seeking tinnitus management, your GP or ENT must refer you for tinnitus management.
This may be a written referral clearly requesting tinnitus management or a D904.
TRN for an initial assessment
If tinnitus is not yet an accepted condition and you are seeking an initial DVA-funded tinnitus assessment, a Treatment Reference Number (TRN) may be required.
Having the correct TRN pathway in place allows the eligible initial assessment to be billed through DVA rather than treated as a private appointment.
Initial tinnitus assessment
Once the appropriate referral or TRN pathway is in place, we can complete your hearing and tinnitus assessment.
This allows us to establish your clinical needs and determine whether ongoing tinnitus management, rehabilitation or devices should be recommended.
DVA prior approval for management
If the assessment identifies a clinical need for specialist tinnitus management or rehabilitation, we can then submit the required information to DVA for approval.
Prior approval relates to the funded management or treatment that follows the assessment.
Approval can take time, so treatment begins once the required DVA approval is received.
Treatment & follow-up
Once the proposed management or treatment is approved, we can begin the funded tinnitus rehabilitation or other clinically appropriate care.
We then support you through treatment and ongoing follow-up.
Quick answers
Not necessarily. The initial tinnitus assessment is used to determine your clinical needs and what management should be recommended. Where DVA approval is required for ongoing tinnitus management or treatment, this is then sought after the assessment.
A TRN may be required when tinnitus is not yet an accepted DVA condition and you are seeking an eligible DVA-funded initial tinnitus assessment.
If tinnitus is already an accepted condition and you are seeking tinnitus management, your GP or ENT must refer you for tinnitus management. This can be through a written referral clearly requesting tinnitus management or via a D904.
Following your tinnitus assessment, we can determine the recommended management and prepare the relevant clinical information required for the DVA approval process.
DVA-funded tinnitus management or treatment cannot commence until the required approval has been received.
Important things to know
For further information about DVA hearing services and eligibility, you can also visit the Department of Veterans' Affairs hearing services information.
DVA Hearing Services →Is DVA tinnitus treatment the same as the Hearing Services Program?
No. The Hearing Services Program and DVA tinnitus treatment are related but distinct funding pathways.
Eligible veterans may receive hearing services through the Hearing Services Program, while specialist tinnitus assessment, rehabilitation or non-standard tinnitus-related services may follow a separate DVA referral and approval pathway.
This is one of the reasons we recommend contacting us before booking. We can help identify which pathway applies to the service you need.
Not sure where to start?
We're here to help you understand your options and guide you through the DVA hearing and tinnitus pathway.
