Presumptive liability checker

From 1 July 2026, DVA can accept certain conditions as service-related without you proving the link — but only where the condition, your service and the onset timing all match the instrument. Type a condition to see the exact criteria that apply to it.

Your condition

Try:

87 conditions are named in the determination — 47 as primary conditions, 45 as sequelae of an already-accepted condition.

How to read the result

A presumptive claim has to clear four separate gates. The checker shows you the last two; the first two are on you and your doctor.

The condition must be named in the instrument, by its exact name. Thoracolumbar spondylosis is listed; cervical spondylosis is not.
You must have a diagnosis. Presumptive liability removes the need to prove causation. It removes nothing about diagnosis.
Onset must fall inside the window. Onset means when an injury was sustained, or when all the signs and symptoms of a disease were first present — expressly not the date of diagnosis.
Your service must match the kind and length specified. Several items exclude the qualifying period itself from counting.

DVA can also decline to apply the presumption where there is clear evidence the condition was caused by something other than service. If it does not apply, the claim proceeds through the ordinary Statement of Principles route — nothing is lost.

The full explanation is in our guide to presumptive liability, and the instrument itself is F2026L00740 on the Federal Register of Legislation.

Other free tools

SoP Finder · SoP Factor Mapper · What else can I claim? · GARP impairment estimator · All tools

This tool reproduces criteria from the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation (Injuries and Diseases Attributable to Defence Service—Presumptive Liability) Determination 2026. It is general information, not advice, and the instrument is the authority. Confirm your position with DVA on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372).

Not sure where your claim stands?

Enquire now Call 0429 146 039

Your doctor

Dr Thomas Perkins

The expert in veterans’ medicolegal medicine — Expert DVA Doctor.

Dr Thomas Perkins with his RAAF squadron patches — Dr Thomas Perkins — RAAF aviation medical officer, 3 AME SQN and 2EHS patches behind him

In the consulting room at the Ipswich clinic

Every accepted condition examined face to face

Dr Perkins’ RAAF unit and deployment patches — Thirteen years of unit and deployment patches — 3 AME SQN, 2EHS, HOCU, Operation Resolute

Veterans Health Centre business card — Veterans Health Centre — Specialist Centre, 77 East St, Ipswich

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.

Book appointment