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Home / In retirement / Age Pension / What is the DVA (Department of Veterans’ Affairs) Service Pension?

What is the DVA (Department of Veterans’ Affairs) Service Pension?

Barbara DruryBarbara Drury

A Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) Service Pension is an age-based, means-tested pension like the Age Pension but paid to veterans, their partners, widows or widowers.

You may be eligible if you are a veteran of the Australian Defence Force (the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force) and you:

  • Have had active military service
  • Are over the age of 60 or are an invalid
  • Satisfy residency requirements
  • Pass both income and assets tests.

Despite their similarities, it’s important to understand that the Service Pension is different from the Age Pension. A Service Pension is paid by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and the Age Pension is paid by Services Australia (via Centrelink).

Can you receive a Service Pension and the Age Pension?

No, you can’t receive both payments.

About the author

Barbara Drury
Barbara Drury
Barbara is a financial journalist and author with over 30 years’ experience in Australia and the UK. She is a contributor to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age Money section, and has worked for the Australian Financial Review and The Australian. Barbara is the author of Alan Kohler’s Eureka Report Guide to Personal Investing, Sorting Out Your Finances for Dummies and Personal Finance for Dummies and co-author of Investing for Dummies with James Kirby.
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Responses

  1. Ray Brown Avatar
    Ray Brown

    Hi, I’m a recent DVA service pensioner recipient with active service and I have recently (along with my wife as a partner) started to receive a “part” DVA Service pension. At the moment I believe they are paying us too much and I have expressed my concerns to them via phone and email with no reply yet. The anomaly arises because I have two defined benefit incomes. One is via MSBS (a military fund) and the other is via PSS (an APS federal fund). In DVA’s calculation of the “deductible” amount for income assessment, from the PSS fund, they are excluding the ENTIRE tax-free portion from that payment which is about 27% of the gross. On 1 July 2016 the Govt “capped” this deductible amount to 10% of the gross pension (for non-military defined benefit funds). What is your opinion of this? Are they wrong or right? I don’t want to be the subject of a “you owe us” claim like the Robodebt debacle! – Ray

    1. SuperGuide Avatar
      SuperGuide

      Hi Ray – This is a common question and we will be writing a guide on this next month. With regards to your situation, it sounds like there could be an error here, and unfortunately you will need to chase it up with DVA to ensure they get the correct assessment. Please also ask them to document any conversation you have with them.
      Best wishes
      The SuperGuide team

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