Every GARP and DVA Word, Explained in Plain English

DVA letters are full of words nobody explains. Here they are, in plain English.

The main ones

GARP. The rule book. It turns your conditions into a number, and the number into money.

Impairment points. Your score. Zero to 100. The higher the number, the more you get paid.

Accepted condition. A condition DVA has agreed is service related. Only accepted conditions get paid for.

Permanent impairment. Lasting damage. The payment for it is called PI.

Lifestyle rating. A second score, 0 to 7. How much your life has changed. You can fill it in yourself.

Compensation factor. A decimal like 0.377. Points and lifestyle meet on a table and this comes out. Multiply it by the maximum weekly amount to get your payment.

Words about the assessment

Functional loss. What you can no longer do. Walking, sitting, hearing, lifting.

Other Impairment. A shortcut based on your diagnosis or your treatment. You get the higher of this and functional loss, never both.

Age adjustment. Some tables give younger veterans a higher number. Because you have longer to live with it.

Assessment period. The window of time being looked at. Your tests have to be current for it.

Stabilised. Your condition is not expected to change much. Compensation is usually assessed once things have stabilised.

Words about the maths

Combined Values Chart. The chart that joins your scores. It is why 20 and 20 makes 36, not 40.

Whole person impairment. The idea behind that chart. You are one whole person, so each condition takes a share of what is left.

Partially contributing impairment. When something not accepted is part of the problem. Your score gets reduced. Chapter 19.

Apportionment. Splitting one score between two accepted conditions. This one can increase your total. Chapter 20.

Paired organs. A rule for one eye, one kidney or one ear. It can lift your rating.

Words about your claim

SoP. Statement of Principles. The rules that decide whether a condition is service related. Different from the GARP, which decides how much.

Initial liability. The decision that a condition is service related. This comes first.

DA. Diagnostic Assessment. A report confirming what you have.

TRN. A reference number DVA uses to track a request.

Sequelae. Conditions that came from another condition. A bad knee leading to a bad hip, for example.

Aggravation. Service made an existing condition worse. This can be accepted even if service did not cause it.

Words about the schemes

MRCA. The current Act. Most modern service is under this.

VEA. The older Act. Pays a disability pension.

DRCA. The other older scheme. Paid lump sums for whole person impairment.

Baseline impairment rating. What you have already been compensated for. It gets deducted.

Whole person impairment (WPI). The old DRCA way of measuring. It gets converted into impairment points.

The two numbers people mix up

10 points. Generally what you need before permanent impairment compensation is payable. Some conditions have a lower threshold of 5.

5 points. How much your rating has to rise before a reassessment pays you anything extra.

Different numbers, different jobs. People confuse them constantly.

Next in this series

The mistakes that cost veterans points.

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 the Guide 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).