- 3/22 Magnolia Drive, Brookwater QLD 4300
- Mon to Thurs 0900 to 1700, Fri 0900 to 1200
- (07) 3069 6455
- Emergencies: 000
See a DVA GP for Veteran Health Checks, everyday care on your Veteran Card, and referrals to DVA-funded mental health and allied health services. DVA Gold and White Card holders are bulk billed, and pathology collection is onsite.
Veterans Care
The care veterans most often book in for at the practice.
Partners and children can see the same practice, and children under 16 are bulk billed.
Veteran health checks
DVA funds two versions of the check, and which one you can have depends on when you left the ADF.
If you left the ADF on or after 1 July 2019 with at least one day of continuous full-time service, you can have an annual Veteran Health Check in each of the first five years after you leave. If you left before then, you can have a one-off Veteran Health Check at any time. Both are fully funded.
The check uses an assessment tool DVA built around the health problems most common after service. Alongside your physical health, it screens for sleep problems, alcohol and substance use, psychological distress and post-traumatic stress, so a problem can be picked up before it starts to affect work or family life.
The one-off check is funded through Medicare and the annual check through DVA, and both can be done by your usual GP.
Veteran Cards
DVA issues two treatment cards, and they cover different things.
The Veteran Gold Card covers treatment for all medical conditions. The practice bills DVA directly, so Gold Card holders pay nothing for a GP visit.
The Veteran White Card covers treatment for conditions DVA has accepted as related to your service. Visits for those conditions are billed to DVA. Mention which condition you are coming in for when you book, because a visit for an unrelated problem is billed as a standard appointment.
You can have a White Card without an accepted claim. Under Non-Liability Health Care, anyone with at least one day of continuous full-time ADF service can have treatment for any mental health condition paid for by DVA, without proving that service caused it. Call DVA on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372) to arrange it.
Partners and children are welcome as patients too.
Blood and urine samples are collected at the practice.
Book an appointment through HotDoc online or by phone;
Children under 16, concession card holders, and DVA white and gold card holders.
Your GP
Veterans’ health is one of Dr Afraz Ghafoor’s listed clinical interests.
Dr Ghafoor holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP). Dr Ghafoor’s other clinical interests include chronic disease care plans and mental health care plans, and consultations are available in English, Hindi, Sinhalese and Urdu.
For Gold Card holders with a chronic condition, the Coordinated Veterans’ Care program pairs your GP with a care coordinator, usually a practice nurse. The coordinator keeps in contact with you at least monthly and organises your appointments and services around a written care plan.
Mental Health Support
Your GP is usually the first step, and DVA pays for the treatment.
Your GP can assess and treat anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, sleep problems and alcohol use, and refer you to a psychologist when you need more support.
Referrals to DVA-funded allied health services such as physiotherapy and exercise physiology are written on a DVA referral. Each referral covers up to 12 sessions or one year, whichever comes first, and your GP reviews how you are going before writing the next one.
Open Arms, the counselling service founded by Vietnam veterans, offers free and confidential support to veterans and their families 24 hours a day on 1800 011 046. In an emergency, call 000.
What to expect
Four steps, from booking to your results:
Book Online through HotDoc, or call (07) 3069 6455. Tell reception if you are booking a Veteran Health Check, so a longer appointment can be set aside.
Please bring your Veteran Card and Medicare card, your discharge date, any ADF medical records you have, and a list of the medicines you take.
Your GP talks through your health and service history, examines you where needed and orders any tests.
Samples are collected onsite, and your GP goes through the results with you at a follow-up appointment.
Your Health is Our Priority
Book online with HotDoc or call us directly. New patients are always welcome at Brookwater Medical Centre.
No. Any veteran can book as a regular patient, and the Veteran Health Check does not depend on having an accepted claim. A Veteran Card changes who pays for the visit.
Yes. The one-off Veteran Health Check is open to every former ADF member, however long ago you left.
Reservists with at least one day of continuous full-time service can have mental health treatment funded by DVA. For anything else, DVA can confirm what your service history covers on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372).
Children under 16 are bulk billed. Partners and older children are privately billed unless they hold a concession card or their own DVA card.
