DVA Claims for Perth Veterans
Western Australian veterans are among the worst served in the country for DVA-literate medical reporting, almost entirely because of distance. A records-based claim is unaffected by it.
At a glance
- Chart Review$600 + GST
- Diagnostic Assessment$600 + GST
- Permanent Impairment$1,500 + GST
Where Perth veterans served
HMAS Stirling at Garden Island and the submarine force, Campbell Barracks at Swanbourne and the Special Air Service Regiment, RAAF Base Pearce, and Irwin Barracks at Karrakatta.
The claims we see most from Perth
- Submarine service claims: noise, confined space, shift work and sleep disruption
- Surface fleet musculoskeletal injury and hearing loss
- Cumulative load, parachute and diving injury from the Swanbourne cohort
- Spinal degeneration from years of heavy carriage
- Mental health conditions from high-tempo deployment cycles
What makes a Perth claim different
The WA difficulty is that almost every provider is on the other side of the country, so claims either do not get made or get made badly. Since the chart review and diagnostic assessment are produced entirely from your file, the three-hour time difference is the only practical inconvenience.
For veterans still in WA, the practical approach is to complete the records stages first and decide about an impairment assessment once you know what the file actually supports.
Nearby and related
Working with veterans in Perth and Western Australia
Submariners carry a distinctive and under-claimed profile: noise exposure in confined machinery spaces, atmospheric contaminants, severe sleep disruption from watch rotations measured in six-hour blocks, and the musculoskeletal consequences of working in spaces designed around equipment rather than people. Special operations veterans carry parachuting and load-carriage injury, blast exposure, and the cumulative psychological weight of sustained deployment.
Western Australia's veteran population is concentrated around two very different establishments. HMAS Stirling at Rockingham is the Navy's western fleet base and the home of the submarine force; Campbell Barracks at Swanbourne is the home of the Special Air Service Regiment.
Distance is the practical issue in the west, and it is smaller than it looks. The chart review, the diagnostic assessments and any appeal work are produced from your file. Psychiatric assessment is frequently done by telehealth. Only a physical impairment examination genuinely requires the room — and where that applies we will tell you plainly whether travelling east is worth it.
The stages that decide a claim are documentary. A chart review and the diagnostic assessments that follow it are produced from your service and civilian medical records, so where you live changes nothing about the quality of the evidence. Read the complete guide to DVA claims, or find the Statement of Principles for your condition.
Chart reviews, diagnostic assessments, diagnosis forms, evidence packs, determination analyses and appeal documents. No attendance required at any point.
Consultations and psychiatric assessment, where clinically appropriate — well established and accepted for these purposes.
Physical examination for permanent impairment, at the Ipswich clinic. Range of motion and function cannot be estimated from a screen, and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth travelling for.
Where Perth veterans served, by service.
The establishments in and around Western Australia that produce the claims we see most. Every trade leaves a different mark on a medical record, and knowing which unit you were in tells us what to look for before we open the file.
Army
- Campbell Barracks — Swanbourne
Special Air Service Regiment - Irwin Barracks — Karrakatta
13th Brigade and reserve units - Bindoon Training Area — north of Perth
Field training
Navy
- HMAS Stirling — Garden Island, Rockingham
Fleet Base West — the submarine force and Anzac-class frigates
Air Force
- RAAF Base Pearce — Bullsbrook
2 Flying Training School and 79 Squadron (Hawk 127) - RAAF Base Curtin and RAAF Base Learmonth — the north-west
Bare bases activated for exercises and operations
Units raise, move and re-role over time, and this list reflects the establishments as they are generally understood rather than a current order of battle. What matters for a claim is where you served and when — which your service record establishes, not this page.
Perth questions
Can you actually help from Queensland?
For the records stages, yes, entirely. That is most of a claim.
What about submarine service?
Submarine claims have a distinctive profile — noise, confined space and disrupted sleep — and are worth assessing across all three rather than one at a time.
How much does it cost?
$600 + GST per stage; $1,500 + GST for a permanent impairment assessment. See fees.
Dr Thomas Perkins
The expert in veterans’ medicolegal medicine — Expert DVA Doctor.
Dr Thomas Perkins is the founding doctor at the Veterans Health Centre in Ipswich, Queensland, and the leading expert in veterans’ medicolegal work in Australia. He has spent over 13 years working exclusively with current and former Australian Defence Force members — treating conditions, writing reports, and navigating the DVA system alongside them.
With 100,000+ DVA claims submitted and over 2,000 Permanent Impairment Assessments completed, Dr Perkins brings a depth of experience that simply cannot be replicated from a textbook. He understands the Statements of Principles, the GARP tables, the imaging that proves what a physical examination alone cannot — and the difference that a properly written report makes at every level, from initial liability through to the VRB.
Every chart review, every diagnostic assessment, and every impairment rating is personally overseen by Dr Perkins. If you’re looking for a doctor who knows veterans medicine inside and out, you’ve found the right clinic.
Contact us0429 146 039 reception@vhc.org.au
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