DVA guides & news
Doctor-written guides to DVA claims, impairment assessments, appeals and discharge — written for veterans, not for lawyers.
Aggravation, Worsening and Material Contribution: The Second Door Into a DVA Claim
Every SoP lists its factors twice: once for clinical onset, once for clinical worsening. The second set exists for conditions that predate service or arose during it without being caused by it. What aggravation and material contribution mean, the two tests a worsening claim must pass, and the evidence it needs.
DVA policyDVA Presumptive Liability: The Full List, and the Criteria Everyone Misses
Presumptive liability commenced 1 July 2026 under F2026L00740. It is not blanket acceptance: every condition carries a named diagnosis, an onset window, and a service type and length requirement. The four gates, the exact criteria for the common conditions, and the 45 sequelae that accepted conditions unlock.
DVA policyThe Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide: What It Was, What It Found, and What It Recommended
Three years, 122 recommendations and a warning that there would not be another inquiry like it in our lifetime. What the Royal Commission found, what it recommended across all seven volumes, the Commissioners’ own summary, and what has actually been delivered two years on.
CSCInitiating Your Own Medical Discharge from the ADF
Most members think a medical discharge is something done to them. It can also be something you initiate. The CMECR and MECRB process, the forms that decide it, the separation health examination, and why DVA and CSC are asking completely different questions.
ConditionsReferred to Hearing Australia for Your Tinnitus? Here's What That Means for Your Claim
Lodge a permanent impairment claim for accepted tinnitus and DVA may refer you to Hearing Australia for assessment and treatment — often including CBT with a psychologist. What the pathway is, why it exists, and how it interacts with your impairment rating.
DVA policyThe $5,000 Allied Health Cap: What It Is and Why Veterans Are Furious
From 1 July 2027 DVA will cap funded allied health at $5,000 a year per Veteran Card holder. What the policy actually says, what the numbers mean in practice, and why the veteran community has reacted the way it has.
DVA claimsHow to Make a DVA Claim: Step-by-Step Guide for Veterans
Everything the DVA claim process involves in 2026 — getting each condition diagnosed, what the Statements of Principles actually test, lodging through MyService, realistic timeframes, and what to do if you are refused.
DVA claimsStatements of Principles: The Rulebook Your DVA Claim Is Judged Against
Every DVA claim is decided against a Statement of Principles. What an SoP is, how factors are proved, and why the wording of your medical evidence decides the outcome.
Permanent impairmentPermanent Impairment Assessments: How DVA Turns Your Injury Into a Payment
Once liability is accepted, compensation is decided by the impairment rating. How GARP works, what permanence and stability mean, and why the assessment is worth getting right.
AppealsYour DVA Claim Was Rejected. What Now?
A rejection is a document with reasons in it, and reasons can be answered. How review works, what actually overturns a decision, and the mistake that sinks most appeals.
CSCRetrospective Medical Discharge: What It Is and Who Should Apply
Left the ADF without a medical discharge while your health was already affecting your capacity to work? CSC can look back at the day you separated and reclassify it.
ConditionsHearing Loss and Tinnitus: The Most Under-Claimed Injuries in the ADF
Almost every veteran has noise exposure in their record, and almost none claim for it. What DVA needs to accept hearing loss and tinnitus, and why they are claimed together.
ConditionsMental Health Claims: PTSD, Depression and What DVA Actually Needs
Mental health claims are among the most commonly lodged and most commonly under-evidenced. What a proper diagnosis looks like, how stressors are documented, and what you can access now.
The GARP, in plain English
Every chapter of the DVA impairment guide
The GARP is the rule book DVA uses to turn your accepted conditions into impairment points, and points into payment. We have written the whole thing up in ordinary words, one chapter at a time.
Start here
- What is the GARP? A Plain English Guide for Veterans
- GARP Chapter Map: Which Chapter Covers Your Condition
Chapter by chapter
- GARP Chapter 1: Heart and Lung Conditions, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 2: Blood Pressure and Blood Vessels, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 3: Backs, Knees and Shoulders, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 4: Mental Health, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 5: Brain and Nerve Conditions, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 6: Stomach and Bowel, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 7: Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 8: Eyes and Vision, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 9: Kidneys and Bladder, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 10: Sexual Function and Fertility, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 11: Skin Conditions, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 12: Diabetes, Thyroid and Blood, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 13: Conditions Rated at Nil, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 14: Cancer, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 15: Conditions That Come and Go, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 16: Daily Living, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 17: Disfigurement, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 18: Why 20 Plus 20 Is Not 40
- GARP Chapter 19: When Something Not Accepted Is Part of the Problem
- GARP Chapter 20: Splitting One Score Between Two Conditions
- GARP Chapter 21: Paired Organs, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 22: Your Lifestyle Rating, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 23: Turning Points Into Dollars, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 24: Weekly Payments and Lump Sums, Explained Simply
- GARP Chapter 25: If You Already Had a VEA or DRCA Condition
- GARP Chapter 26: Working Out Your Baseline, Explained Simply
Before your assessment
Dr Thomas Perkins
The expert in veterans’ medicolegal medicine — Expert DVA Doctor.
Dr Thomas Perkins is the founding doctor at the Veterans Health Centre in Ipswich, Queensland, and the leading expert in veterans’ medicolegal work in Australia. He has spent over 13 years working exclusively with current and former Australian Defence Force members — treating conditions, writing reports, and navigating the DVA system alongside them.
With 100,000+ DVA claims submitted and over 2,000 Permanent Impairment Assessments completed, Dr Perkins brings a depth of experience that simply cannot be replicated from a textbook. He understands the Statements of Principles, the GARP tables, the imaging that proves what a physical examination alone cannot — and the difference that a properly written report makes at every level, from initial liability through to the VRB.
Every chart review, every diagnostic assessment, and every impairment rating is personally overseen by Dr Perkins. If you’re looking for a doctor who knows veterans medicine inside and out, you’ve found the right clinic.
Contact us0429 146 039 reception@vhc.org.au
Book appointmentReady to find out what you can claim?
Contact us for more information.