GARP Chapter 26: Working Out Your Baseline, Explained Simply

The last chapter. It works out the number that gets deducted in Chapter 25 — your baseline impairment rating.

Think of it as your starting line. Everything above it is what you get paid for.

Five groups

Which method applies depends on which group you are in.

Group 1 — old DRCA conditions only, never paid MRCA permanent impairment.

1. List each old DRCA accepted condition.
2. Take each whole person impairment percentage and run it through the conversion rules in the Guide's Appendix A.
3. Express those as impairment points.
4. Join them using the Combined Values Chart. That is your baseline.

Group 2 — old VEA conditions only, never paid MRCA permanent impairment.

Simpler. Take the unrounded impairment rating that was used for your last VEA pension entitlement. That is your baseline.

Group 3 — both old VEA and old DRCA.

Take the VEA rating, add the converted DRCA ratings for conditions that are not also VEA conditions, and join them all through the Combined Values Chart, highest first.

Groups 4 and 5 — you have already been paid MRCA permanent impairment.

Easiest of all. Your baseline is simply the last overall impairment rating from your previous MRCA assessment. Group 4 is for claims made before 1 July 2026; Group 5 for claims after.

Two things worth knowing

"Unrounded" matters. For VEA conditions, the baseline uses the unrounded rating. Rounding at the wrong point can shift your figure. It is a fair thing to check.

Some old payments do not count. Compensation received under the Compensation (Commonwealth Government Employees) Act 1971 and the Commonwealth Employees' Compensation Act 1930 is not included in the baseline for Groups 1 and 3. That is old, but if it applies to you it works in your favour.

Why the baseline is worth checking

Every point of baseline is a point you have to clear before you are paid anything under Chapter 25.

A baseline that is too high does two things to you:

• it makes the 5 point step harder to clear, and
• it increases the amount deducted, which shrinks what you actually receive.

So it is worth asking for the working: which conditions went in, what rating each was given, and how they were joined.

What this means for you

• Ask DVA for your baseline figure and how it was calculated.
• Dig out the old determinations. VEA pension percentages, DRCA whole person impairment figures, dates.
• Check for rounding on VEA ratings. The baseline uses the unrounded number.
• Check that pre-1988 payments were excluded if they apply to you.
• Then read Chapter 25, which is what the baseline feeds into.

Common questions

Can I find my baseline myself?

You can estimate it from your old determinations, but the conversions are technical. Ask DVA for the figure and the working.

Does my baseline change over time?

It is recalculated at each assessment. Once you have been paid MRCA permanent impairment, your baseline becomes your last overall rating.

Is this the end of the series?

It is. You have now been through all 26 chapters. Start back at the chapter map if you want to find the ones that apply to you, or try the PI points calculator.

Next in this series

That is all 26 chapters. Go back to the chapter map to find the ones that matter to you.

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 26 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).