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GARP Chapter 17: Disfigurement, Explained Simply

Scars, limps, stammers and tremors all count. And this is one of the few ratings that adds on top of everything else rather than competing with it.

Veterans Health Centre · 7 September 2026 · 4 min read

Chapter 17 is about being seen. Scars, limps, stammers, tremors — anything that makes you self-conscious in public.

It is short, and it has one feature that makes it unusually valuable: this rating is combined with your other ratings, not compared against them. It adds on top.

What counts as disfigurement

Wider than most people assume. The Guide lists:

facial scarring
flaking or peeling skin conditions
an odd walk or posture
involuntary facial movements, or unusual body movements
speech problems — stammering, slurring
smells that cannot be covered up
visual field loss that makes you bump into people
pain that makes you cry out
severe itching that makes you scratch in public

So a limp counts. A stammer counts. A stoma odour counts. A tremor counts.

The scale

visible but you do not consider it disfiguring — nil
noticeable, slight embarrassment — nil
noticeable, causing significant embarrassment and avoiding some activities — 2
very noticeable, marked embarrassment, avoiding some normal activities — 5
very noticeable, avoiding many normal activities, or severe facial disfigurement — 10
extreme embarrassment, avoiding public places and company as much as possible — 15

Only one rating comes from this table, whatever the number of conditions.

The word that decides your rating: avoidance

Look at that scale again. What moves you up it is not how bad it looks. It is how much you have changed your life because of it.

The Guide defines avoidance precisely: restricting yourself to times when few people are about, or staying away entirely at certain times — when school kids will be around, for example.

So the useful answers are:

"I shop at night."
"I stopped going to the pool."
"I always wear long sleeves, even in summer."
"I sit at the back so nobody sees the left side of my face."
"I let my wife order for me because of the stammer."

Where "ordinary public places" stops

Streets, shopping centres, buses, theatres, clubs and most sporting venues count.

Beaches and swimming pools do not, because people are undressed there anyway. So do not build your case on the pool alone.

Playing it down works against you

The Guide has a specific rule for this, and it is fair.

If you have something objectively disfiguring but you insist it does not bother you, the assessment is based on how much it would embarrass an average person in your situation. Your denial is not held against you.

Both sides are considered: how it actually looks, and how you actually react to it.

What this means for you

Ask for this chapter to be applied. It is regularly skipped. It combines on top.
Talk about avoidance, not appearance. That is what moves the rating.
Include gait, speech and tremor, not just scars.
Take photographs.
Do not shrug it off to seem tough. It costs you points.

Common questions

Do I get this as well as my skin or scarring rating?

Yes. This chapter combines with the other ratings for the same condition.

My scar is on my chest. Does that count?

If it causes embarrassment or avoidance in domestic or intimate situations, or made you give up sport or recreation, yes.

Can a limp really be disfigurement?

Yes. Disorders of gait or posture are on the Guide's own list.

Next in this series

Chapter 18: how the numbers are joined.

Want a hand with yours?

If you have a permanent impairment assessment coming up, we do these every week. Call 0429 146 039 or email reception@vhc.org.au.