Secondary conditions: what an accepted condition opens up
Statements of Principles routinely list other conditions among their factors. That means an accepted condition is not only compensable in itself — it can be the documented pathway to further claims. We indexed all 357 instruments to find every one of those links.
138 accepted conditions, 649 documented factor links. Pick your accepted condition to see what it opens.
Why sequelae are the most under-claimed thing in the DVA system
Veterans claim the injuries they remember. They rarely claim the conditions those injuries went on to cause, because doing so requires reading 357 legislative instruments looking for your own accepted condition in someone else's factor list. Nobody does that. The result is that the most straightforward claims available to a veteran — the ones where the causal condition is already accepted, dated and documented on file — go unlodged for years. Every accepted condition also widens what DVA funds in treatment, and adds to the combined impairment figure that decides compensation and Gold Card eligibility.
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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