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When to Ask for a DVA Reassessment

Your rating has to rise 5 points overall before anything is paid. Which means asking about one small thing is usually a wasted trip.

Veterans Health Centre · 7 September 2026 · 4 min read

Your conditions get worse over time. Your payment does not move on its own.

You have to ask.

The rule

A reassessment pays extra only if your overall impairment rating rises by at least 5 points.

Not 5 points on one condition. Five points on the total.

Why that is harder than it sounds

Because of how the numbers are joined.

If you are already on 60 points, only 40 of you is left. A new 10 point condition only adds about 4.

If you are on 15 points, the same condition adds nearly 9.

So the higher your rating already is, the more has to change.

What this means in practice

Do not ask for a reassessment for one small thing. It will probably be rejected, and a rejection is discouraging.

Wait and bundle. Put several changes together. Two conditions that have got worse plus one new accepted condition is a much better ask.

Good reasons to ask

You have had surgery and the result was poor
You now use a walking aid
Your walking distance has clearly dropped
You have started needing help washing or dressing
Your mental health has got worse, or you have gone back on treatment
Your attacks are more frequent than they used to be
A new condition has been accepted
A condition has spread — one knee has become both, or a back has become a back and a leg

Your rating does not go backwards

Worth knowing. If you improve, your existing payment is not cut.

So there is no risk in asking. The worst outcome is that nothing changes.

Build the case first

The evidence is what decides it. Before you ask:

Get recent tests. Hearing and lung function must be under six months old.
Keep a diary if anything comes in attacks. Six months minimum.
Get your numbers. Metres, minutes, pads, hours of sleep.
Compare with last time. "I used to walk 500 metres, now it is 150" is powerful.
List what you have stopped doing since the last assessment.
Check for missed conditions. Sequelae are common and often unclaimed.

The one people forget

Sequelae. Conditions caused by your accepted conditions.

A bad knee changes how you walk. That loads the other knee, the hip and the back. Years later those are real conditions.

They have to be claimed and accepted first. Then they count.

Our free what else can I claim tool lists what commonly follows from what.

Common questions

Can my payment be reduced?

Your paid rate does not drop if you improve.

How often can I ask?

There is no fixed limit, but there is no point asking without something to show. Wait until you have real evidence of change.

What if I already took a lump sum?

You can still be reassessed. The same 5 point rule applies.

What if I was rejected before?

Often it was the 5 point step, not the condition. Adding other unclaimed conditions can change the answer.

Next in this series

Start back at the chapter map to find the chapters that cover your conditions.

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.