Victoria's peak body for psychiatrists is supporting a push for the federal government to make it easier for providers to treat veterans.
Under DVA's Non-Liability Health Care provision, psychiatrists are unable to charge veterans' affairs patients a gap fee, leaving providers out of pocket.
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) Victorian branch chair Astha Tomar said the current scheme disincentivised treating DVA patients, who could be current or former defence force members.
"It just needs to be simplified," Dr Tomar said.
In addition to the renumeration arrangement, Dr Tomar said the "administrative burden" from the DVA scheme was creating unnecessary extra work for psychiatrists, which could impact patient care.
"Either you're using the appointment time to fill out those forms, and you can't really focus on that therapy work, or doing it outside appointment times which is not remunerated," Dr Tomar said.
"It just becomes really hard to accept patients.
"If we put more barriers in access to the care, it's not just harder for the psychiatrist … by putting in paperwork, forms … it's not helpful for the recovery [of patients]."
Dr Tomar said organising "ongoing support" for DVA patients, exclusive of inpatient care, was "next to impossible".
"The only ongoing support I can offer them is an appointment with myself as a psychiatrist or a psychologist," she said.
"But if you have private health insurance, you also have access to group programs, structured therapy programs ... all these options.
"That support isn't available to someone through DVA."
In a statement, a DVA spokesperson said it had a project underway to "streamline and simplify compensation medical forms to reduce any burden on health providers, including psychiatrists".
"Once liability has been established and treatment has commenced, the process for a health care provider to claim DVA payments is no more complex than the process for claiming under the Medicare Benefits Schedule," they said.
Calls for data
Looking more broadly at the demand for psychiatrists in Victoria, Dr Tomar said there was a need for a new, state government-led analysis into specialist care provider gaps within the health system.
"I don't think we have hard numbers in terms of system-wide, how much the gap is," she said.
Dr Tomar said fresh data would help inform where further support was needed.
"Seeing as though we are going through a reform process … that part of the system needs to be able to support delivery of that specialist care," she said.
The final report from the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System was tabled in parliament in 2021.
Helping people find and access treatment, care, and support was among 65 recommendations.
ABC has approached the state government for comment.
