DRCA Partners

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From 1 July 2026, the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA) and Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence related claims) Act 1988 (DRCA) will close to new claims for rehabilitation and compensation and DVA will consider claims submitted from that date under an improved Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA).
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What will happen from 1 July 2026?

Any compensation being received under the VEA and/or DRCA before 1 July 2026 will continue to be paid. They will also continue to be indexed as normal. However, people in receipt of incapacity payments under the DRCA will have those payments transitioned into the more beneficial MRCA system from that date.

Any new or updated claim lodged from 1 July 2026 will be assessed under the MRCA, irrespective of service. 

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Wholly Dependent Partners

Dependants under the MRCA are known as ‘Wholly Dependent Partners’. Should you need to make a new claim from 1 July 2026, it will be subject to the eligibility criteria (and benefits) under the MRCA. 

Visit the DVA website Compensation for Dependants page for more information on additional supports that may be eligible to you.

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Additional Resources

There is a range of additional resources available on the Legislation Reform website covering a variety of topics. These include: the Veteran Card, and Compensation for Dependants.

There are individual pages for different veteran cohorts including VEA veterans, MRCA veterans, DRCA veterans and family members of veterans.

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