Glossary

Accepted condition

An injury or disease DVA has accepted as related to service. Most later payments hang off this.

See: lodge a claim

ART

Administrative Review Tribunal

Replaced the AAT in October 2024. Second-tier merits review after the VRB for most veterans’ compensation decisions. Two official wordings: ART.gov.au counts 3 calendar months from when you receive the VRB decision; DVA’s single-review page says from a VRB decision. If those dates differ, lodge by the earlier expiry. Three calendar months, not 90 days. Count it on the Deadlines tool.

See: appeals vrb art

ASP

Acute Support Package

Short-term DVA-funded services (not cash) when a veteran or related person is in crisis because of new and challenging circumstances. Phone request — no form. New requests from 1 July 2026 are under the MRCA.

See: hardship asp

ATDP

Advocacy Training and Development Program

The training and accreditation system for ESO compensation and wellbeing advocates. Find one on the Advocacy Register.

See: advocates

CDDA

RMG 409

Scheme for Compensation for Detriment caused by Defective Administration. Discretionary payment when agency administration was defective and caused loss, even though there is no legal liability.

See: cdda

CSC / MSBS

Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation / Military Superannuation and Benefits Scheme. Invalidity pensions from here are often offset against DVA incapacity.

See: incapacity offsets

DRCA

Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988

Closed to new rehabilitation and compensation claims from 1 July 2026. Existing payments continue. Worsening PI after that date is generally assessed under MRCA/GARP M.

See: vets act 2026

Douglas

Douglas v FCT [2020] FCAFC 220

Full Federal Court tax case treating certain MSBS invalidity benefits as lump sums for tax. DVA’s position is that it does not rewrite compensation offsets. Arguable, not settled, as an offset theory.

See: incapacity offsets

DVA

Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Independent of this site.

Expedition

A request that a claim be actioned ahead of the ordinary queue because of urgency (hardship, clinical risk). A flag without action is still a delay.

See: delays

FOI

Freedom of Information

Legal right under the FOI Act 1982 to documents an agency holds. Use it for your claim file, call recordings, and the papers behind a SPOC. 14 days to acknowledge, 30 days to decide (extensions happen). Your own personal information is not charged. A practical refusal notice (s 24AB) gives 14 days after the day you are given it — silence is treated as withdrawal of the whole request. Review: internal review, then OAIC.

See: foi

PIR

Personal Information Request

DVA’s administrative path to your own personal information — often faster than FOI, no charge, aim 30 days. No OAIC review. If the release is thin, lodge FOI for the same documents.

See: foi

D8601

Information Access Application

DVA paper form for FOI or personal information requests if you are not using the webforms. Email or post to Information.Access@dva.gov.au with proof of identity.

See: foi

GARP M

Guide to Determining Impairment and Compensation 2026

The single impairment assessment tool from 1 July 2026. Chapter 26 is a Baseline Impairment Rating of impairment already compensated. Chapter 25 Step 2 requires an increase of at least five impairment points above that baseline before further MRCA PI is payable. Conversion of old VEA/DRCA ratings is in those chapters. Do not accept a baseline from anyone but DVA.

See: permanent impairment · vets act 2026

Gold Card / White Card

DVA health cards. White Card covers accepted conditions (and some mental health via NLHC). Gold Card (all conditions) under MRCA is usually 60 combined impairment points (s 281), or 30 points plus a Service Pension. DRCA-only veterans generally need a new MRCA condition or a 5-point worsening after 1 July 2026. Confirm on the live DVA Veteran Card page.

See: permanent impairment

Household services (HHS)

D9319

Compensation for routine domestic tasks (cleaning, laundry, meals, shopping, some garden work) you can no longer manage because of accepted conditions. Form D9319 to hhs@dva.gov.au. New claims from 1 July 2026 are under MRCA, including for VEA-accepted conditions. Different from Veterans’ Home Care.

See: household services

Attendant care

D1351

Compensation for regular personal care you can no longer do — bathing, toileting, grooming, dressing, feeding. Not nursing. Form D1351 (doctor completes part) to hhs@dva.gov.au. Separate weekly cap from household services.

See: household services

VHC

Veterans’ Home Care

Domestic assistance, home and garden maintenance, personal care, and respite for Gold or White Card holders with functional limitation. Call 1300 550 450. Not the same as household services compensation. Approving HHS generally stops VHC domestic/garden; approving attendant care generally stops VHC personal care.

See: household services

Incapacity payments

Wage replacement while accepted conditions stop you working. Different from PI. From 1 July 2026 VEA general-rate DCP and MRCA incapacity can both be paid; only above-general-rate DCP is reduced by incapacity. CSC / MSBS invalidity pensions are a different offset and often still collapse the weekly rate.

See: incapacity offsets

Liability

The decision that a condition is service-related. The gate for almost everything else.

See: lodge a claim

MRCA

Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004

The Act that now covers new claims from 1 July 2026, in an “improved” form under the VETS Act.

See: vets act 2026

MyService

DVA’s online portal for lodging and tracking claims. Initial liability in MyService is one condition per claim (DVA how-to, 18 September 2026). Accepted conditions for your Veteran Card are listed there — White Card holders can show that list to a GP.

NEL

Non-economic loss

The pain, suffering, and loss-of-amenities part of some PI assessments. Delegates sometimes rewrite these scores — get the basis in writing.

See: medical evidence

NLHC

Non-Liability Health Care

DVA-paid treatment for any mental health condition without having to prove service caused it. Usually available after one day of full-time ADF service. Not a compensation claim. Call 1800 VETERAN or NLHC@dva.gov.au.

See: abuse support

OAIC

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. IC review of FOI decisions (no fee). Published windows: 60 days from an access-refusal notice, 30 days from an internal review decision — check the letter.

See: foi

Open Arms

Free 24/7 veterans and families counselling. 1800 011 046. Not a claims advocate.

PI

Permanent impairment

Tax-free payment for permanent non-economic loss from accepted conditions. GARP M from 1 July 2026. Periodic, lump, or mix under MRCA.

See: permanent impairment

SoP

Statement of Principles

RMA instruments listing factors that connect a condition to service. Match your facts to a factor — unless presumptive liability applies.

See: lodge a claim · presumptive liability

Presumptive liability

From 1 July 2026, DVA can accept listed conditions as service-related without proving a SoP factor, if you lodge after that date with a confirmed diagnosis and meet the service/onset tests. Not automatic, not for pre-1 July claims. DVA says an eligible claim may be determined in less than two weeks. Confirm on DVA’s presumptive-liability page and Determination F2026L00740.

See: presumptive liability · lodge a claim

MEPI

Medical Expenses Privately Incurred · D1181

Reimbursement of out-of-pocket treatment, listed on the MBS, DVA fee schedules, RPBS or RAP, if you hold a Veteran Card. Lodge the MEPI webform (fastest) or paper D1181. Receipts, not quotes. Unsolicited medical assessments without a DVA TRN are not MEPI.

See: allied health

Treatment cycle

The current GP-referral loop for a block of allied-health visits on a Veteran Card. The 2026 Budget proposed replacing it as part of a $5,000 yearly cap package. On 17 September 2026 the Minister took the cap off the table and did not say the cycle has already been abolished. Until DVA publishes a replacement, assume you still need the referral your provider asks for.

See: allied health

Travel for treatment

From 1 July 2026, travel for Veteran Card treatment is assessed under the improved MRCA. Private vehicle reimbursement is 68 cents a kilometre. The old 50 km minimum for MRCA/DRCA private-vehicle claims no longer applies. Claim in MyService. Confirm on DVA’s travel page.

SPOC

Single point of contact

A restricted communication arrangement. Ask for the documents, reasonable adjustments, and an advocate in the channel.

See: contact restrictions

SRDP

Special Rate Disability Pension

Periodic MRCA payment for severe ongoing incapacity meeting statutory tests (including 50+ MRCA impairment points and a work test). Eligibility and election are not the same: DVA says once you are eligible, even if you decline the payment, you get a Veteran Card — All Conditions embossed TPI, high-rate MRCA Supplement, and MRCAETS for dependent children. Election is 12 months from the written offer and irreversible. Run the numbers against PI and incapacity before you choose.

See: permanent impairment

VEA

Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986

Closed to new rehabilitation and compensation claims from 1 July 2026. Existing Disability Compensation Payments continue.

See: vets act 2026

Veteran Payment

A payment that was available in some hardship situations while claims were processed. Interaction with incapacity and means tests is messy — get the decision in writing. New claims sit in the post-1 July 2026 MRCA world; do not assume old MyService prompts still apply.

See: hardship asp

VETS Act

Veterans’ Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) legislation that took effect 1 July 2026: one Act for new claims, GARP M, grandfathered payments. See What changed in the top menu for the traps.

See: vets act 2026

Redemption

commutation · lump sum incapacity

Converting ongoing MRCA incapacity payments into a single lump sum. Only available if weekly entitlement is below a ceiling. DVA’s MRCA rates page (20 September 2026 – 31 December 2026) lists the lump sum redemption level as $287.94 gross per week — check the live figure. A DRCA redemption is not one of the three SRDP incapacity tests.

See: incapacity offsets

Baseline impairment rating

Chapter 26

Under GARP M 2026, a number representing impairment already compensated. Chapter 25 Step 2 requires at least five impairment points above this baseline before further MRCA PI is payable. Most veterans have never been told theirs. Only DVA’s figure counts.

See: permanent impairment · vets act 2026

VRB

Veterans’ Review Board

First external, informal, no-fee merits review of most DVA compensation decisions. For most decisions from 21 April 2025 you have 12 months. VEA pension rate and attendant allowance: 3 months. Check the letter. Count it on the Deadlines tool.

See: appeals vrb art

WPI

Whole person impairment · combined values

Combined impairment points under GARP M, using C = round(A + B − AB/100), highest first — not simple addition. 44 and 40 combine to 66, not 84. Being 4 combined points short of Gold Card is not 4 points on a new letter: a new independent condition is combined with the old total, so it has to be larger. Worsening an existing rating replaces that number, then the set is recombined. The calculator on this site does that locally.

See: permanent impairment