From 1 July 2026 a new compensation claim is an MRCA claim, regardless of when you served. You still lodge through MyService where you can. You can also lodge through an advocate. A phone claim still needs the attachments, or it sits.
Step 1
Name the condition the way a doctor would
“Bad back” is not a claim. “Lumbar spondylosis” or “chronic adjustment disorder with anxiety” can be matched to a Statement of Principles, or to the presumptive list. If you are unsure, lodge the diagnosis your treating specialist has already written, not a guess.
Step 2
Check presumptive liability before you grind the SoP
Claims lodged from 1 July 2026 for a listed condition, with a confirmed diagnosis, can be accepted without proving the SoP link. That is not every condition and not every old claim. Read the presumptive-liability guide. If you are not on the list, find the SoP next.
Step 3
Find the Statement of Principles (SoP) if presumptive does not apply
The Repatriation Medical Authority publishes SoPs that list the factors DVA uses to connect a condition to service. If you meet a factor (for example, a defined period of weight-bearing, a documented incident, a specified number of flying hours), say so in the claim and point to the evidence.
Step 4
Lodge one initial-liability condition at a time in MyService
DVA’s MyService how-to (updated 18 September 2026) says you can only submit an Initial Liability claim for one condition at a time in MyService. A second condition is a second claim. An advocate can still lodge on paper if that is the better pack.
Step 5
Attach a closed pack, not a breadcrumb
Service history or PMKeys print, incident or unit records if you have them, GP and specialist letters that actually diagnose the condition, imaging, and a short chronology. One PDF pack beats twelve “please see previous email” threads.
Step 6
Say what you want decided
Liability only? Liability plus PI? Incapacity? Household services? If you need treatment now, say that. Delegates decide the question in front of them. An unspoken PI request is not a PI claim.
Step 7
Keep a lodgement receipt
Screenshot the MyService confirmation, note the claim number, and diary a follow-up at the published processing timeframe — not “when I remember”. If it is a presumptive claim with a diagnosis attached, diary two weeks, not 116 days, then chase once.
Conditions that usually need a specialist, not just a GP
- Psychiatric conditions — treating psychiatrist reports carry more weight than a GP mental health care plan alone, especially for PI tables.
- Hearing, tinnitus, barotrauma — audiology plus ENT.
- Musculoskeletal PI — orthopaedic or occupational physician, with range-of-motion and functional limits written to the GARP M tables.
- Skin — dermatologist if you are claiming ongoing treatment and ADL impact.
- Vision / refractive change after hyperbaric exposure — optometrist or ophthalmologist with a documented history of exposure.