DVA Claims for RAAF Scherger Veterans
Scherger sits on Cape York near Weipa — a bare base held by a caretaker staff and activated for exercises. Tropical, remote, and short-notice by design.
At a glance
- LocationWeipa, Cape York
- Chart Review$600 + GST
- Diagnostic Assessment$600 + GST
- Permanent Impairment$1,500 + GST
About RAAF Base Scherger
Like Learmonth and Curtin, Scherger is brought to life by units that arrive, work hard in difficult conditions, and leave. The service is real and the injuries are real; the documentation is the problem.
Who served at RAAF Base Scherger.
Caretaker and maintenance staff
The small permanent presence
Activating combat support units
Airfield operations, ground defence, logistics and health
Expeditionary engineering elements
Airfield activation and infrastructure work
Transient units
Aircrew and ground crew operating through Scherger during northern exercises
Units raise, move and re-role. What matters for your claim is where you served and when, which your service record establishes rather than this page.
Claims we see from RAAF Base Scherger.
- Heat illness from tropical Cape York operations
- Musculoskeletal injury from expeditionary set-up and load handling
- Hearing loss and tinnitus from flight line work
- Skin damage from extreme UV exposure
- Conditions arising during activations and never formally documented
Where you served on activation rather than posting, your parent unit's records are usually more useful than the base's.
How the claim is built
A claim succeeds on documentation. The work is to establish the diagnosis, establish when the condition began, and connect it to service against the factors in the relevant Statement of Principles — or, since 1 July 2026, under presumptive liability where the condition, onset window and service type match the instrument.
That begins with a chart review: every page of your medical record read, and every claimable condition identified. The records stages need no attendance, so distance from our Ipswich clinic is not an obstacle.
See also locations and bases, and DVA claims by service for Army, Navy and Air Force.
Frequently asked questions
I served at RAAF Base Scherger but live elsewhere now. Does that matter?
No. Chart reviews and diagnostic assessments are written from your medical record with no attendance required. Only a permanent impairment assessment must be in person with your treating doctor.
My injury was never written up at the time. Is it still claimable?
Frequently yes. Contemporaneous records help but are not the only evidence, and for operational service the standard of proof is a reasonable hypothesis rather than certainty.
What does it cost?
$600 + GST per stage; $1,500 + GST for a permanent impairment assessment. No commission on your payout. See fees.
How many conditions should I claim?
More than most veterans do. Impairment ratings combine rather than compete, so an unclaimed condition is a permanent loss.
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
Book appointmentReady to find out what you can claim?
Contact us for more information.