National Servicemen

What will happen from 1 July 2026?

From 1 July 2026, all claims lodged by National Servicemen will be investigated and determined under the MRCA. This includes those who rendered part-time service in the Citizen Military Forces (CMF).

Any compensation being received under the VEA and/or DRCA before 1 July 2026 will continue to be paid. Payments will continue to be indexed as normal. 

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

1971 and 1930 Act

The Compensation (Commonwealth Government Employees’) Act 1971 (1971 Act), uses a table of maims approach for permanent impairment compensation which only covers a limited number of impairments. Conditions such as mental health and back pain are not included as compensable conditions. 

From 1 July 2026, veterans with coverage under the 1971 Act will be brought under the MRCA and can claim under the MRCA. 

Similarly, from 1 July 2026, veterans with coverage under the Commonwealth Employees’ Compensation Act 1930 (1930 Act) will be brought under the MRCA and can claim under the MRCA. 

Veteran Gold Card

From 1 July 2026 DRCA veterans with high levels of impairment may, for the first time, be able to qualify for Special Rate Disability Pension (SRDP) and a MRCA Gold Card. 

They will require acceptance of a new claim for initial liability under the MRCA from 1 July 2026 or for a previous impairment to have worsened by at least five impairment points as a trigger for eligibility/assessment under the MRCA.

Whilst you can start the process of gathering documents to apply under the MRCA, only claims from 1 July 2026 will be considered under this expanded eligibility. 

Visit the Legislation Reform Veteran Card page for more information. 

Additional Resources

There are a range of additional resources available on the Legislation Reform website covering a variety of topics. These include: Permanent Impairment compensation, Special Rate Disability Pension (SRDP) and the Veteran Card.  

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