GARP Chapter 21: Paired Organs, Explained Simply

Short chapter, simple idea, and it can lift your rating significantly.

The idea

You have two eyes, two kidneys, two ears. If service damaged one of them, the other one now matters far more than it used to.

Losing your second kidney is not twice as bad as losing your first. It is much worse than that. The paired organs rule recognises this.

How it works

Three steps:

1. Take the rating for the damaged organ and double it.
2. Work out what losing both would be worth.
3. Take the lesser of those two.

The Guide's example

One eye is accepted, and scores 20 points on its own.

• Doubled: 40.
• The binocular rating for the level of loss: 35.
• Lesser of the two: 35.

So the veteran gets 35 instead of 20. That is a 15-point lift from a rule that fits on one page.

Where it applies

• Vision
• Hearing (though hearing has its own version inside Chapter 7, not this chapter)
• Kidneys
• Testes, ovaries and adrenals

It applies only when the accepted condition affects one of the pair, and when losing both would be worth more than double losing one.

Where it does not apply

Arms and legs. The Guide is explicit about this. Limbs are already rated as functional units in Chapter 3, so the effect is built in.

That is the answer to the question veterans always ask: no, you cannot get this for one bad knee.

What this means for you

• If service damaged one eye, one kidney, or one ear, ask whether this rule was applied.
• Check the arithmetic. It is two lines. Doubled rating versus both-organ rating, lesser wins.
• Hearing has its own version inside Chapter 7. Ask about that one specifically.
• Do not expect it for limbs. Chapter 3 already handles that.

Common questions

My other kidney is healthy. Does that mean no rating?

No. The rule exists precisely because the healthy one now carries all the risk.

Why not for legs?

Because Chapter 3 already rates both legs as one working unit. The allowance is built in.

Who applies it?

The assessor should. If it is missing from a one-eye or one-kidney assessment, it is a reasonable thing to query.

Next in this series

Chapter 22: your lifestyle rating — the part you control.

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.

More reading

What is the GARP? · The chapter map · DVA Claims: PI points calculator · Permanent Impairment Assessments · DVA claims · SoP library

This is general information for Australian veterans. It is not legal advice. It explains Chapter 21 of the Guide to Determining Impairment and Compensation 2026 (F2026L00595), which started on 1 July 2026. The full rules are on the Federal Register of Legislation. Check your own situation with DVA on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372).