Fee schedule
DVA podiatry fee schedule 2026-27
From 1 July 2026 DVA pays $97.10 (GST-free) for a podiatry consultation in rooms (items F004, F010, F012), up from $94.60 under the 1 January 2026 schedule, about 2.6 per cent. Custom orthoses such as F202 now pay up to $433.65. The 12 session treatment cycle still applies, and orthomechanical items are claimable maximums, not set prices.
Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
- Payer
- DVA
- Effective from
- 1 Jul 2026
- Official schedule
- Source document
What changed this year
- Every dollar fee in the schedule rose by about 2.6 per cent against the 1 January 2026 schedule. The rooms consultation items (F004, F010, F012) moved from $94.60 to $97.10, and the home initial consultation (F024) from $106.65 to $109.45.
- The custom-made ankle/foot orthosis (F202) and the custom moulded thermoplastic rigid orthoses pair (F222) both moved from $422.65 to $433.65.
- Surgical items rose too: nail edge avulsion and matrix sterilisation (F546, F547) moved from $477.05 to $489.50, and the avulsion of nail plate (F470) from $180.35 to $185.05.
- No item numbers or claiming rules changed between the two schedules. The definitions, treatment cycle carve-outs and telehealth conditions are identical word for word.
- The treatment cycle still applies to consultation and footwear assessment items. Diagnostic (F104 to F118), orthomechanical (F201 to F386), consumables (F986 to F987), reports (F990 to F991) and special services (F984 to F998) sit outside the 12 session cycle.
All 46 podiatry items
| Item | Description | Fee | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| F004 | Initial consultation, initiates new care plan, rooms (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F010 | Short consultation or treatment up to 15 minutes, rooms (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F012 | Subsequent consultation, rooms (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F008 | Initial footwear assessment, initiates new care plan, rooms (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F019 | Follow-up footwear assessment or fitting, rooms (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F024 | Initial consultation, initiates new care plan, home (GST-free) | $109.45 | $106.65 |
| F031 | Short consultation up to 15 minutes, home (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F033 | Subsequent consultation, home (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F700 | Short consultation up to 15 minutes, video conference (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F701 | Short consultation up to 15 minutes, phone, only when video is unavailable (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F702 | Subsequent consultation, video conference (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F703 | Subsequent consultation, phone (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F991 | End of cycle report, once per cycle (taxable) | $35.40 | $34.50 |
| F076 | GP initiated case conference, 15 to less than 20 minutes (GST-free) | $58.50 | $57.00 |
| F077 | GP initiated case conference, 20 to less than 40 minutes (GST-free) | $100.30 | $97.75 |
| F078 | GP initiated case conference, 40 minutes and over (GST-free) | $166.85 | $162.60 |
| F065 | Private hospital, initial consultation (GST-free) | $109.45 | $106.65 |
| F045 | Private hospital, short consultation, 1st client (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F055 | Private hospital, subsequent consultation, 2nd and subsequent clients (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F029 | Residential aged care, initial consultation (GST-free) | $109.45 | $106.65 |
| F047 | Residential aged care, short consultation, 1st client (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F057 | Residential aged care, subsequent consultation, 2nd and subsequent clients (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F075 | Public hospital, initial consultation, prior authorisation only (GST-free) | $109.45 | $106.65 |
| F046 | Public hospital, short consultation, 1st client, prior authorisation only (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F104 | Peripheral flow study (Doppler), arterial and venous (GST-free) | $102.25 | $99.65 |
| F111 | Muscle testing, manual (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F114 | Range of motion study measurements (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F117 | Gait analysis, visual (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F118 | Neurological diabetes foot assessment, diabetes-listed clients only, limit two a year, in rooms only (GST-free) | $97.10 | $94.60 |
| F125 | Paraffin wax bath (GST-free) | $86.45 | $84.25 |
| F145 | Electrophysical therapy, for example ultrasound or TENS (GST-free) | $83.70 | $81.55 |
| F147 | Manipulation of joints of the feet (GST-free) | $76.70 | $74.75 |
| F984 | Non-DVA schedule services, taxable | FBN | FBN |
| F985 | Non-DVA schedule services, GST-free | FBN | FBN |
| F998 | Postage, exclusive of GST up to the maximum, DVA adds GST (taxable) | $12.90 | $12.55 |
| F202 | Ankle/foot orthoses, custom-made, includes follow-up consultations (GST-free) | $433.65 | $422.65 |
| F222 | Custom moulded thermoplastic rigid orthoses, pair, limit one per 365 days (GST-free) | $433.65 | $422.65 |
| F261 | Insole, single, plain, customised (GST-free) | $36.20 | $35.25 |
| F264 | Insole, pair, padded, customised (GST-free) | $149.05 | |
| F986 | Consumables required immediately during the consultation, invoiced cost up to the maximum (GST-free) | $64.15 | $62.50 |
| F987 | Consumables required for treatment after the consultation, invoiced cost ex GST up to the maximum, DVA adds GST (taxable) | $64.15 | $62.50 |
| F470 | Avulsion of nail plate, partial or complete, includes 2 follow-ups (GST-free) | $185.05 | $180.35 |
| F546 | Nail edge avulsion and matrix sterilisation, single edge, includes 2 follow-ups (GST-free) | $489.50 | $477.05 |
| F548 | Nail edge avulsion and matrix sterilisation, each additional edge (GST-free) | $132.55 | $129.15 |
| F990 | Report or service specifically requested by DVA, prior authorisation (taxable) | FBN | FBN |
| F999 | Kangaroo Island consultation (GST-free) | $108.70 | $105.90 |
What changed on 1 July 2026
DVA reissued the podiatrists' schedule of fees effective 1 July 2026, replacing the version that started on 1 January 2026. The change is indexation, not a rule change: every fee rose by roughly 2.6 per cent and the definitions, treatment cycle carve-outs and telehealth conditions read the same in both PDFs.
The rooms consultation items clinics bill most often, F004 (initial), F010 (short) and F012 (subsequent), all moved from $94.60 to $97.10. Home visits pay more: F024 (initial, home) is now $109.45, up from $106.65. The permanent telehealth items (F700 to F703) pay the same $97.10 as a short or subsequent consultation in rooms.
Orthotic and appliance fees are maximums, not set prices
Podiatry is the only DVA discipline in this batch with a large orthomechanical section, F201 to F386, covering ankle/foot orthoses, insoles, heel lifts, splints, nail braces and orthosis covers. These prices include supply and fitting, and most cover follow-up consultations for that device. The custom-made ankle/foot orthosis (F202) and the custom moulded thermoplastic rigid orthoses pair (F222) are the highest priced items in the whole schedule at $433.65 each.
Where an item falls under sections 38-45 of the GST Act it is GST-free only for a recognised professional, marked with a double dagger in the schedule. Second devices made from the same unaltered plaster cast are charged at 70 per cent of the original fee using a "B" suffix on the item number, and repairs or modifications within 3 months of supply are included in the original price.
Nail procedures pay differently to consultations
Surgical podiatry sits in its own section with its own fee logic. Avulsion of nail plate (F470) pays $185.05 and includes 2 follow-up consultations or dressings. Nail edge avulsion and matrix sterilisation for a single edge (F546) or the total nail (F547) both pay $489.50, also including 2 follow-ups, with each additional edge (F548) billed separately at $132.55. None of these are consultation items, so they do not use the F004/F010/F012 rooms fee and they are not capped by the treatment cycle.
The DVA does not publish item-level clinical criteria for surgical podiatry beyond the fee schedule. Clinics doing nail surgery on DVA clients should refer to the Podiatrists' Procedural Terminology Manual published by the Australasian Podiatry Council, which the schedule itself points to for further detail on each surgical code.
Where clinics get F-code billing wrong
The most common error is billing a rooms code for a home visit or vice versa: F004 (rooms) and F024 (home) both cover an initial consultation but pay different fees, and using the wrong one either under-claims or gets rejected. The second is claiming an orthomechanical maximum as a flat fee. F986 and F987 consumables, and most of the F2xx and F3xx orthomechanical items, are capped at the schedule figure but must be billed at the invoiced cost, not automatically at the maximum.
The third is stale pricing in practice software. Podiatry has close to 50 billable line items across rooms, home, hospital, RACF and orthomechanical categories, so a manual re-key each indexation round is where errors creep in. Importing the full F-code list once and bulk updating prices each cycle removes that risk.
Claiming notes
- Card types: a Veteran Card, All Conditions (the Gold Card) covers clinically necessary podiatry for all conditions. A Veteran Card, Specific Conditions (the White Card) covers accepted conditions only, and eligibility must be established before treatment starts.
- No gap: accepting a Veteran Card means accepting the DVA fee as full payment. You cannot charge the veteran a gap fee.
- Treatment cycle: each cycle must start with an initial consultation or initial footwear assessment, and only one initial item can be claimed per cycle. A subsequent consultation cannot be claimed on the same day as an initial for the same client, and two subsequent consultations cannot be claimed on the same day unless the client is in hospital.
- Orthomechanical items (F201 to F386) are maximum fees for supply and fitting of customised or manipulated devices. Second devices from the same unaltered cast are charged at 70 per cent of the original fee. Plain vinyl covers are included in the device price.
- Consumables (F986, F987) and small aids (within F201 to F386) are claimed at invoiced cost only, up to the maximum fee. Do not claim items the veteran should buy through a pharmacy or supermarket for ongoing self-management.
- The neurological diabetes foot assessment (F118) needs a Diabetes accepted condition on the card, is limited to two services a year, cannot be claimed more than once a day, cannot be claimed with F104, F111, F114, F117 or the telehealth short consultation items, and is in-room only.
- Shaded items need prior financial authorisation before you treat. Email health.approval@dva.gov.au or call 1800 550 457 (option 3, then option 1).
- How to claim: DVA Webclaim through Health Professional Online Services (HPOS) via PRODA is free and pays within 2 business days. Compatible practice software is the second option, and mail to Veterans' Affairs Processing, Services Australia, GPO Box 964, Adelaide SA 5001 is the slowest.
- Claims must reach Services Australia within 2 years of the date of service. Your provider number cannot be shared, and you are responsible for errors even if staff or software submit the claim for you.
Load these fees into your practice software
- Cliniko's Data imports tool under Settings, then Data & docs, then Data imports, has a Billable items option that accepts a CSV, so you do not have to key in 47 F-codes by hand.
- Add a GST tax type first if you have not already, since the import matches the Taxable column in your CSV against existing tax types in the account.
- Build the CSV with the headings Item code, Name, Price (ex. tax), Taxable and Item type. Put the F-code in Item code, a name starting with DVA (for example "DVA F004 Initial consultation, rooms") in Name, the fee from the table above in Price (ex. tax), and service in Item type.
- Leave Taxable blank for GST-free items and set it to your GST tax type for taxable ones: F991, F984, F987, F998 and F990.
- F201 to F386 and F986 to F987 are maximums, not fixed prices. Either leave them out of the import and type the invoiced cost on the day, or import at the maximum and edit each invoice line.
- Cliniko can bulk update prices each July: export billable items to CSV from Data exports, keep the Item ID column, change the Price column, then re-import with only the price field enabled. There is no undo, so keep the original export as a backup.
- Claiming DVA payments inside Cliniko needs the Tyro Health (formerly Medipass) integration. Cliniko's own help centre notes that if you already process Medicare bulk bills through Tyro Health, DVA claiming is almost exactly the same process. Store the client's DVA number in their patient file so the claim form fills it in automatically.
Sources
- From 1 July 2026 DVA pays $97.10 (excluding GST, GST-free) for F004 initial consultation, F010 short consultation and F012 subsequent consultation in rooms. Department of Veterans' Affairs, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Under the schedule effective 1 January 2026, F004, F010 and F012 were $94.60, and the custom-made ankle/foot orthosis F202 and orthoses pair F222 were $422.65. Department of Veterans' Affairs, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Orthomechanical items F201 to F386 must be either covered by section 38-45 of the GST Act or customised or manipulated for the exclusive treatment of the client, and prices include supply and fitting unless stated otherwise. Department of Veterans' Affairs, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- By accepting a Veteran Card you agree to accept the DVA fee as full payment and cannot charge the card holder a gap fee. Department of Veterans' Affairs, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- DVA Webclaim is free via HPOS through PRODA, pays within 2 business days, and all claims must be submitted within 2 years of the service. Department of Veterans' Affairs, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Cliniko's data import tool can create billable items from a CSV with the fields Item code, Name, Price (ex. tax), Taxable and Item type. Cliniko, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Cliniko can update billable item prices in bulk by exporting, editing and re-importing a CSV keyed on Item ID, and there is no undo. Cliniko, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Cliniko's help centre says DVA claiming needs the Tyro Health integration, and if a practice already processes Medicare bulk bills through Tyro Health, DVA claiming is almost exactly the same process. Cliniko, checked 25 Sep 2026.