Got Your DVA Permanent Impairment Decision? What to Check and What Comes Next

A permanent impairment determination is not the end of your claim. It is a decision you can check, challenge within a set time, and build on later if your conditions change. This last part of our series covers what to do once the letter arrives.

This is Part 5 of our five-part DVA assessment series. Parts 1 to 4 covered whether your condition is ready, the assessment, the lifestyle rating and the lump sum choice.

What to check in your determination

• Every accepted condition is included. If a condition DVA has accepted is missing from the assessment, ask why.
• The impairment rating for each condition makes sense against what your doctor recorded.
• Your lifestyle rating, and which option on the D2670 it came from.
• Your service type. Warlike and non-warlike service use a higher compensation table than peacetime service, so the wrong category costs money.
• The date compensation is paid from. It should be the later of the date you lodged the claim for the condition and the date your doctor estimated the impairment became permanent and stable.
• If you were compensated under the VEA or DRCA before, how your baseline was set.

Conditions are combined using GARP M's combined values chart, not added, so a total lower than the sum of your conditions is expected. Two conditions rated at 20 each combine to 36, not 40. A total lower than the chart gives for your ratings is worth asking about.

Asking for a review

If you think the decision is wrong, the first step for decisions made since 21 April 2025 is to apply directly to the Veterans' Review Board (VRB). You have 12 months from the date of the decision letter. If you are still unhappy after the VRB, you can apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), which replaced the AAT in October 2024, within 3 months of the VRB's decision.

For those decisions you can no longer ask DVA itself to reconsider first, although DVA can still review its own decisions on its own initiative. Review rights depend on when a decision was made, so check the review information printed on your letter. It sets out the pathway that applies to you.

A review turns on the evidence. If the problem is that a condition was under-assessed, a fresh report from your treating specialist that deals with the specific functional findings is likely to do more than a letter saying the rating feels low.

When your conditions get worse

Permanent impairment can be increased. If an accepted condition deteriorates, or a new condition is accepted, you can claim further permanent impairment under the MRCA. Your conditions are assessed together, and a further payment needs your overall rating to rise by at least 5 points. What you have already been paid is taken into account, so you receive the increase, not the full amount again.

DVA's guidance to doctors makes the same point: assessment is not a one-off, and a veteran whose condition deteriorates can ask to be reassessed. Have your treating doctor document the worsening before you claim, so there is evidence of the change.

If you were compensated under the VEA or DRCA

Since 1 July 2026, VEA and DRCA veterans claim further compensation under the MRCA too, and the VEA's Application for Increase has been replaced. Ratings you were already compensated for become a baseline under Chapter 26 of GARP M 2026, and new MRCA compensation is paid when your impairment rises at least 5 points above that baseline. DVA has said current payments will not be reduced by the change.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to appeal a DVA permanent impairment decision?

For decisions made since 21 April 2025, you apply directly to the Veterans' Review Board within 12 months of the decision letter. After the VRB, you can apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal within 3 months. Check the review rights printed on your letter.

Can I get my DVA permanent impairment reassessed?

Yes. If an accepted condition gets worse, or a new condition is accepted, you can claim further permanent impairment. Have your treating doctor document the change first.

How many more points do I need for a DVA permanent impairment increase?

Your overall rating needs to rise by at least 5 impairment points. What you have already been paid is taken into account, so you receive the increase rather than the full amount again.

What happens to my VEA or DRCA payments if I claim more under the MRCA?

DVA has said current payments will not be reduced. Your earlier compensated ratings become a baseline under GARP M 2026, and new MRCA compensation is paid when your impairment rises at least 5 points above it.