Making a claim for a service-related condition

DVA is working hard to make submitting claims as easy as possible. Below, we look at what’s involved and the support you can get while your claim is being processed.

The first step in the claims process is ‘Initial Liability’. This is a claim for acceptance of an injury or illness due to your Australian Defence Force (ADF) service and is the gateway to accessing other services, support and compensation.

Step 1: Get your treating medical professional to provide a diagnosis

A medical practitioner must provide a diagnosis for each of the conditions you are claiming. This could be your treating medical professional, or a psychiatrist if you are claiming for a mental health condition.

A diagnosis may include information on what caused the injury or illness.

DVA cannot accept liability for injuries or illness that were not related to your service, such as a private motor vehicle accident.

Claiming via MyService

The easiest way to make a claim is via our online claims portal, MyService. If you haven’t already, sign up via our website.

When you claim using MyService, you can upload diagnoses there. A diagnosis for each condition being claimed is required to make a decision on your claim. Providing a diagnosis when you lodge your claim will help us decide your claim more quickly. You can also upload any additional documents at any time before your claim is finalised.

Submitting a paper claim

If you are not online, you can still make a paper claim, either by mail or face to face at one of our Veterans Access Network offices or a Services Australia service centre. Visit the Location Finder page of our website to find one near you.

If you are making a claim for more than one condition, you should:

  • fill out an Injury or disease details sheet for each condition (see our website).
  • check that a treating medical professional has provided a separate diagnosis for each condition and signed each separate sheet.

If you need to provide additional information that you didn’t include when you sent us your claim, you can email us at primary.claims [at] dva.gov.au (primary[dot]claims[at]dva[dot]gov[dot]au).

Step 2: Supply the necessary documents

When you make your claim, you need to ensure that you provide all of the necessary documents and sign the claim form.

If you’ve already submitted your claim, don’t worry. You can still provide additional documents. The sooner you provide them, the sooner we’ll be able to finalise your claim.

You must provide proof of identity documents

You can complete the proof of identity process online at MyService. You will not need to provide proof of identity documents if you are already a registered user in MyService. By having a secure MyService login, you are known to us.

If you are submitting a paper claim and you haven’t already, you must provide us with proof of identity documents. For information on requirements, read more on our proof of identity page.

You must provide supporting documents

To help us decide your claim more quickly, you should provide medical reports providing a diagnosis for your injury or illness from your treating medical professional.

You should also supply any medical records you have from the ADF or other records, including:

  • Entry Medical Board Questionnaire
  • clinical notes
  • specialists’ reports
  • scans, MRIs or X-ray reports
  • discharge medical information.

There are other documents you may wish to provide based on your circumstances, such as:

  • a copy of your service history (PMKeyS ADO Full Service Record)
  • Defence incident report – AC563
  • witness statement(s)
  • Authority to Participate in Civilian Sport
  • Hazardous Material Exposure Report.

Providing these documents up-front can help to save time later.

Step 3: A delegate will contact you about your claim

A DVA staff member, known as a delegate, will contact you to discuss your claim. This could include requesting any further information that may be required, or to advise of the outcome of your claim. We may also contact you to request information before a claim is provided to a delegate to decide.

If an injury or illness is accepted as service-related, the delegate will discuss with you the treatment and supports you may need. They can connect you with other claims and services from DVA, such as a Permanent Impairment claim or household services.

How long it takes

Some claims take longer than others because they are complex. Complex claims might:

  • include multiple conditions
  • relate to more than one Act
  • need significant investigation into the condition itself or what caused it.

The single most effective step you can take to speed things up is to provide all the information we might need when you lodge your claim, or as soon as possible afterwards.

This includes making sure that you and your treating medical professional complete all relevant sections of any claim you submit.

Contact us or an advocate if you’re not sure what documents you need to support your claim. If you are looking for an advocate in your area, you can find an ESO that provides advocacy services through the Advocate Register.

You may be eligible for free health care and treatment

Free Non-Liability Health Care (NLHC)

For eligible veterans, we will pay for the treatment of certain conditions, including mental health conditions and cancer. These conditions do not need to be service-related.

For more information, go to the NLHC page of our website.

Provisional access to medical treatment (PAMT)

You may be eligible for free treatment while we are considering your claim if it is for one or more of the most commonly accepted conditions under the DRCA or MRCA. You can go to the PAMT page of our website for details.

Veteran Payment

The Veteran Payment is an interim payment that you may receive while we decide your claim. You may be eligible for it once you have lodged a claim for a mental health condition under either the DRCA or MRCA.

Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling

Open Arms is a free service available to current and former ADF members and families. It offers, among other things, 24/7 telephone counselling. For more information, phone Open Arms on 1800 011 046 or visit their website.

Gold Card

If you have a Veteran Gold Card, you can get any clinically required medical treatment even if it is not related to your service.

Your privacy is protected

Go to the privacy page of our website to find out more about how we handle your personal information. This includes what information we can ask for, how we manage it and who we share it with.

More information

The Compensation page of the DVA website has a lot of information on compensation claims. You can also talk to staff in one of our VAN offices or Services Australia service centres or phone us on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372).