Have your say in remake of DRCA Permanent Impairment Guide

Part 2 of the current Guide to the Assessment of the Degree of Permanent Impairment – Edition 2.1 applies to the assessment of Defence-related compensation claims for permanent impairment and non-economic loss made under the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related claims) Act 1988 (DRCA). 

It is due to expire on 1 April 2023, and needs to be re-made before that date so that compensation claims can continue to be assessed and determined under the DRCA.

DVA proposes to re-make Part 2 of the current Guide as a new standalone Guide to the Assessment of the Degree of Permanent Impairment.

DVA is not proposing any substantive changes in this re-make, which is effectively reproducing Part 2 of the current Guide.  This re-make is not intended to affect any veterans’ compensation entitlement outcomes. The re-make does include some minor cosmetic changes, including numbering of paragraphs and corrections to typographical errors.

The Government is presently considering a pathway to broader simplification and harmonisation of veterans’ entitlements legislation, as part of its response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide’s Interim Report.  In light of this, it is considered timely to do a simple re-make of the current Guide at this time, noting the policy and legislation supporting assessment of permanent impairment may be considered in the future as part of this work. 

We have prepared an information document and a draft of the new DVA Guide to assist stakeholders to understand the proposed re-make and provide feedback.

Consultation documents

Key dates

  • Consultation open: 6 February 2023
  • Consultation closes: 20 February 2023

Making a submission

DVA invites relevant stakeholders to provide feedback about the new DVA Guide via email DVAGuide [at] dva.gov.au (DVAGuide[at]dva[dot]gov[dot]au)

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