Playbook

I need support this month

Separate income, ASP, household services, and crisis services so you ask for the thing that can actually pay.

When: Rent, food, children, or household function is breaking because of accepted (or claimed) conditions and delayed payments. · 1–2 hours to prepare, then a phone call

1. Step 1If anyone is unsafe, call 000 or Open Arms first1800 011 046. ASP will not arrive tonight.
2. Step 2List the need in three columnsIncome (incapacity / veteran payment), services DVA can pay to a provider (ASP, HHS), and one-off child costs. Do not mix them in one vague “hardship” email.
3. Step 3Call 1800 VETERAN for Acute Support PackageNo form. Have the new circumstance, who is affected, and providers ready. Email a written confirmation of the call the same day.
4. Step 4If incapacity is nil or tiny because of an offset, get the calculation sheetYou cannot negotiate a number you have not seen. Ask for the workings, then read the incapacity guide before you offer a redemption. If the amount jumped after 1 July 2026, that can be the lawful VETS Act change — do not reverse it until you can see the arithmetic.
5. Step 5If you already paid a doctor out of pocket, use MEPI, not a hardship rantVeteran Card holders can claim Medical Expenses Privately Incurred on DVA’s webform (D1181). Itemised receipts, not quotes. That is reimbursement of treatment your card should have covered — different from ASP.
6. Step 6If the house itself is failing, lodge Household Services as a separate claimForm D9319 to hhs@dva.gov.au. That is compensation for domestic tasks, not ASP. Use the household-services playbook.
7. Step 7Put unpaid invoices in a folderThey are later CDDA exhibits if a flagged request goes nowhere.