Fee schedule
DVA speech pathology fee schedule 2026-27
From 1 July 2026 DVA pays $128.80 an hour (GST-free) for a speech pathology consultation, assessment or LSVT LOUD session (items SH01, SH11, SH28), up from $125.40 under the January schedule. A swallow study (SH80) pays $257.35, capped at 3 a year. The 12 session cycle applies to consultations, not to assessment, LSVT LOUD or reports.
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 hourly and flat fee in the schedule rose by about 2.7 per cent against the 1 January 2026 schedule. The single hourly rate covering consultation, assessment and LSVT LOUD (SH01 and the rest) moved from $125.40 to $128.80.
- The specialised diagnostic procedure (SH80, swallow studies and similar) moved from $250.80 to $257.35, and group treatment (SH81) from $70.00 to $71.85 per client.
- The out of rooms loading, added automatically to consultations delivered away from the clinic, moved from $31.35 to $32.20.
- No item numbers or eligibility rules changed. Speech pathology keeps a single hourly rate structure, unlike podiatry or physiotherapy which price initial, short and subsequent consultations separately.
- The end of cycle report (SH90) rose the smallest amount in dollar terms, from $34.50 to $35.40, matching the flat $35.40 report fee used across every other DVA allied health discipline in this schedule round.
All 23 speech pathology items
| Item | Description | Fee | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| SH01 | Consultation, rooms, hourly rate (GST-free) | $128.80 | $125.40 |
| SH11 | Conduct clinical assessment, rooms, hourly rate (GST-free) | $128.80 | $125.40 |
| SH21 | Evaluate clinical assessment, rooms, hourly rate, outside the treatment cycle (GST-free) | $128.80 | $125.40 |
| SH02 | Consultation, home, hourly rate (GST-free) | $128.80 | $125.40 |
| SH12 | Conduct clinical assessment, home, hourly rate (GST-free) | $128.80 | $125.40 |
| SH70 | Consultation, video conference, hourly rate (GST-free) | $128.80 | $125.40 |
| SH71 | Consultation, phone, only when video is unavailable, hourly rate (GST-free) | $128.80 | $125.40 |
| SH72 | Conduct clinical assessment, video conference, hourly rate (GST-free) | $128.80 | $125.40 |
| SH74 | LSVT LOUD, video conference (GST-free) | $128.80 | $125.40 |
| SH90 | End of cycle report, once per cycle, outside the treatment cycle (taxable) | $35.40 | $34.50 |
| SH76 | GP initiated case conference, 15 to less than 20 minutes (GST-free) | $58.50 | $57.00 |
| SH77 | GP initiated case conference, 20 to less than 40 minutes (GST-free) | $100.30 | $97.75 |
| SH78 | GP initiated case conference, 40 minutes and over (GST-free) | $166.85 | $162.60 |
| SH80 | Specialised diagnostic procedure, for example swallow study or video stroboscopy, limit 3 a year, rooms only (GST-free) | $257.35 | $250.80 |
| SH81 | Group treatment session, per client, 3 to 8 patients, at least 45 minutes (GST-free) | $71.85 | $70.00 |
| SH04 | Private hospital, consultation, hourly rate (GST-free) | $128.80 | $125.40 |
| SH14 | Private hospital, conduct clinical assessment, hourly rate (GST-free) | $128.80 | $125.40 |
| SH06 | Residential aged care, consultation, hourly rate (GST-free) | $128.80 | $125.40 |
| SH03 | Public hospital, consultation, prior authorisation only, hourly rate (GST-free) | $128.80 | $125.40 |
| SH28 | LSVT LOUD, in rooms, 18 session program, certified clinicians only (GST-free) | $128.80 | $125.40 |
| SH29 | LSVT LOUD, out of rooms, 18 session program, certified clinicians only (GST-free) | $128.80 | $125.40 |
| Loading | Out of rooms loading, automatically added, one per visit (GST-free) | $32.20 | $31.35 |
| SH99 | Report or service specifically requested by DVA, prior authorisation, fee set at time of request (taxable) | Fee specified at time of request |
One hourly rate covers almost every service type
Speech pathology's DVA schedule is structurally simpler than podiatry's or physiotherapy's. Rather than separate initial, short and subsequent consultation fees, nearly every face to face, home, hospital, RACF and telehealth item bills at the same $128.80 hourly rate. The exceptions are the specialised diagnostic procedure (SH80, $257.35), group treatment (SH81, $71.85 per client), the end of cycle report (SH90, $35.40) and case conferencing (SH76 to SH78, banded by duration like every other DVA allied health discipline).
This flat structure changed by about 2.7 per cent on 1 July 2026, the same order of indexation as podiatry (2.6 per cent) and physiotherapy (2.6 per cent), all of which were reissued alongside speech pathology in January and again in July 2026.
LSVT LOUD is a fixed program, not a per-session fee
The Lee Silverman Voice Treatment program for Parkinson's-related voice disorders is billed under SH28 (in rooms), SH29 (out of rooms) or SH74 (video conference, the only telehealth-eligible LSVT LOUD delivery). All three pay the standard $128.80 hourly rate, but the program itself is fixed at 18 sessions: one pre-treatment assessment, 16 sixty-minute treatment sessions delivered on 4 consecutive days a week for 4 consecutive weeks, and one post-treatment review. Only speech pathologists who have completed the specialist LSVT LOUD Certified Clinician training can bill these items, and DVA does not require prior approval up to the 18 session maximum in a 12 month period.
Because LSVT LOUD sits outside the ordinary treatment cycle, a client already partway through a 12 session cycle for other speech pathology work can still access the full LSVT LOUD program without it counting against that cycle's session limit.
Swallow studies and group work have their own caps
The specialised diagnostic procedure item (SH80) is the schedule's highest single fee at $257.35, and it is deliberately narrow: modified barium swallow studies, video fluoroscopic swallow studies, fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing and video stroboscopy, done jointly with a specialist doctor. It cannot substitute for a standard clinical assessment, cannot be claimed with SH11 or SH12 on the same visit, is capped at 3 services a year, and must happen in rooms, not by telehealth.
Group treatment (SH81) is priced per client rather than per session, needs 3 to 8 patients and at least 45 minutes, and unlike DVA's psychology or podiatry group items, it can be delivered by telehealth as well as in person.
What clinics get wrong billing DVA speech pathology
The most common error is treating the flat hourly rate as a reason to skip proper item selection. SH01 (rooms), SH11 (assessment) and SH28 (LSVT LOUD) all pay the same $128.80, but DVA's claiming records and treatment cycle counting depend on which one you use, since assessment and LSVT LOUD sit outside the cycle while an ordinary consultation counts toward it. Billing everything as SH01 for convenience will overstate the client's remaining sessions in the cycle.
The second is missing the out of rooms loading on home, hospital or RACF visits. It is a separate automatic addition on top of the base fee, not folded into a higher home visit item the way podiatry and physiotherapy structure their schedules.
Claiming notes
- One hourly rate for almost everything: speech pathology's schedule does not split initial from subsequent consultations. SH01 (rooms), SH02 (home), SH70 (video) and SH71 (phone, video unavailable only) are all billed at the same hourly rate regardless of visit type or whether it is a first or later session.
- Treatment cycle carve-outs: SH21 to SH27 (evaluate clinical assessment), SH28/SH29/SH74 (LSVT LOUD), SH76 to SH78 (case conferencing) and SH90 (end of cycle report) sit outside the 12 session treatment cycle. Ordinary consultations and assessments (SH01/SH02/SH11/SH12) count toward the cycle.
- LSVT LOUD is restricted to speech pathologists who have completed the specialist training and hold LSVT LOUD Certified Clinician status. The program is fixed at 18 sessions (1 pre-treatment assessment, 16 sixty-minute sessions across 4 consecutive weeks, 1 post-treatment review), and prior approval is not needed up to that maximum in a 12 month period.
- The specialised diagnostic procedure (SH80) covers modified barium swallow studies, video fluoroscopic swallow studies, fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing and video stroboscopy, done with a specialist doctor such as a radiologist or ENT. It is limited to 3 services a year, cannot be claimed more than once a day, cannot be claimed with SH11 or SH12, and must be delivered in rooms, not by telehealth.
- Group treatment (SH81) needs a minimum of 45 minutes and between 3 and 8 patients, and can be delivered in rooms or by telehealth, unlike the psychology and podiatry group items in this DVA batch which are in-person only.
- The out of rooms loading is added automatically once per visit to consultations delivered away from your rooms; it is not claimed as a separate line item.
- No gap: accepting a Veteran Card means accepting the DVA fee as full payment. Treatment for White Card holders must relate to an accepted disability, confirmed before treatment starts.
- Shaded items need prior financial authorisation. Email health.approval@dva.gov.au or call 1800 550 457 (option 3, then option 1).
- Claims must reach Services Australia within 2 years of the date of service. DVA Webclaim via HPOS through PRODA is free and pays within 2 business days.
Load these fees into your practice software
- Because speech pathology bills one hourly rate across most service types, Cliniko only needs one price point ($128.80) applied to several differently named line items, which keeps the CSV import short compared with podiatry or physiotherapy.
- Under Settings, then Data & docs, then Data imports, choose Billable items and upload a CSV with the headings Item code, Name, Price (ex. tax), Taxable and Item type.
- Name each item by what it is, not just the fee, since several SH-codes share the $128.80 rate: for example "DVA SH01 Consultation, rooms" and "DVA SH28 LSVT LOUD, rooms" so reception and clinicians pick the right claim category even though the price is identical.
- Set the out of rooms loading (Loading, $32.20) up as its own billable item so it can be added to a home, hospital or RACF visit alongside the base consultation fee, since DVA treats it as an automatic addition rather than a substitute item.
- Leave Taxable blank for the GST-free items and set it to your GST tax type for SH90. SH99 has no fixed price, since DVA sets the fee at the time of request, so leave it out of the bulk import and bill it manually.
- Update prices in bulk each indexation round: export billable items to CSV from Data exports, edit the Price column keyed on Item ID, then re-import with only the price field enabled. Keep the original export, since Cliniko warns there is no undo.
- DVA claiming inside Cliniko needs the Tyro Health integration. Cliniko's help centre says a practice already using Tyro Health for Medicare bulk bills has DVA claiming as almost the same process, and storing the client's DVA number on their patient file fills the claim form automatically.
Sources
- From 1 July 2026 DVA pays $128.80 an hour (excluding GST, GST-free) for SH01 consultation, SH11 conduct clinical assessment and SH28 LSVT LOUD in rooms. Department of Veterans' Affairs, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Under the schedule effective 1 January 2026, the standard hourly rate items were $125.40, the specialised diagnostic procedure (SH80) was $250.80, group treatment (SH81) was $70.00 per client and the out of rooms loading was $31.35. Department of Veterans' Affairs, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- The LSVT LOUD program consists of 18 sessions (1 pre-treatment assessment, 16 sixty-minute treatment sessions over 4 consecutive weeks, 1 post-treatment review) and can only be delivered by speech pathologists who are LSVT LOUD Certified Clinicians. Department of Veterans' Affairs, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- The specialised diagnostic procedure item is limited to 3 services a year, cannot be claimed more than once a day, cannot be claimed with SH11 or SH12, and must be delivered in-room, not by telehealth. Department of Veterans' Affairs, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- A referral to an allied health provider lasts up to 12 sessions or one year, whichever ends first, and by accepting a Veteran Card you agree to accept the DVA fee as full payment. 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'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.