How the VETS Act Affects DRCA Veterans from 1 July 2026

DRCA veterans are the biggest winners from the VETS Act. From 1 July 2026, you gain access to the Gold Card, the Special Rate Disability Pension, whole-of-person impairment assessment, and VRB appeal rights. None of these existed under DRCA. If you served between 1972 and July 2004 and your claims have been managed under the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988, the new MRCA framework opens up entitlements that were previously off the table.

Gold Card access for DRCA veterans

Under DRCA, there was no Gold Card pathway at all. The Gold Card was a VEA benefit. DRCA veterans were limited to White Card coverage for accepted conditions only. From 1 July 2026, DRCA veterans can access a DVA Gold Card through multiple routes.

The critical detail: reaching 60 points requires assessment under GARP M, which is the MRCA's impairment assessment guide. If you've only ever been assessed under DRCA's Permanent Impairment Guide, your previous ratings will need to be translated into GARP M equivalents. DVA is developing a methodology for this translation. Use our PI calculator to estimate where you sit.

Whole-of-person assessment replaces per-condition thresholds

This is the change that affects the most DRCA veterans. Under DRCA, permanent impairment was assessed condition by condition. Each condition had to meet a minimum threshold of 10% Whole Person Impairment (WPI) to attract any compensation at all. Conditions below that threshold received nothing.

Tinnitus is the most common example. It typically rates around 5% WPI. Under DRCA, that meant zero compensation, zero contribution to your overall impairment, and no pathway to higher benefits. Many DRCA veterans have been told their tinnitus “doesn't qualify.” That changes on 1 July 2026.

Under the MRCA's whole-of-person approach using GARP M, all your accepted conditions contribute to a single impairment rating on a 0 to 100 point scale. There is no individual condition threshold. Your 5 points of tinnitus now count alongside your hearing loss, your knee, your back, and your mental health conditions. Combined, they may push you into higher compensation brackets or toward Gold Card eligibility at 60 points. This is especially relevant for veterans with a collection of musculoskeletal conditions — bilateral knees, lumbar spine, cervical spine, shoulders — where each might individually rate below 10% under DRCA but together contribute meaningfully under GARP M.

For DRCA veterans making new claims after 1 July 2026, GARP M is being amended to calculate a baseline impairment rating from your existing DRCA assessments. Any new compensation requires a 5-point increase above that baseline. Importantly, only ratings from Acts under which compensation was actually paid count toward the baseline. If a DRCA claim was rejected and you received nothing, that condition doesn't inflate your baseline.

Special Rate Disability Pension (SRDP) becomes available

SRDP was previously MRCA-only. The VEA equivalent is the TPI (Totally and Permanently Incapacitated) Special Rate. DRCA had no equivalent at all. From 1 July 2026, DRCA veterans become eligible for SRDP if they meet all of these criteria:

• Receiving incapacity payments under MRCA (DRCA incapacity recipients automatically transition on 1 July).
• Assessed with 50 or more impairment points under GARP M.
• DVA confirmation from treating specialists that you cannot work more than 10 hours per week.
• DVA confirmation that rehabilitation is unlikely to improve your ability to work.

SRDP has one significant advantage over VEA TPI: no “alone test.” Under VEA, the Special Rate requires that your accepted conditions alone prevent you from working. If you had non-service-related conditions also affecting your capacity — say, a non-service back injury alongside service-related PTSD — VEA TPI was harder to get. SRDP removes this barrier.

DVA identifies SRDP eligibility rather than you claiming it, but you can request an assessment by emailing srdp@dva.gov.au or calling 1800 VETERAN. Once eligible, you receive a 12-month choice period to take SRDP in lieu of incapacity payments. Financial advice is mandatory, and the choice is irreversible.

SRDP is based on the VEA Special Rate but offset dollar-for-dollar by MRCA and DRCA permanent impairment compensation and VEA Disability Compensation Payments received, plus 60 cents per dollar of Commonwealth-funded superannuation.

Incapacity payments transition automatically

If you're currently receiving DRCA incapacity payments, you transition to the MRCA scheme automatically on 1 July 2026 with no action required.

The MRCA incapacity scheme is more generous. DRCA reduces incapacity payments by 5% as a notional superannuation contribution. MRCA does not. You should see an increase.

The no-reduction guarantee applies. No veteran will receive less than they're currently getting.

VRB appeal rights (already in effect)

This change has already commenced. From 21 April 2025, DRCA veterans gained access to the Veterans' Review Board (VRB) for the first time.

Previously, if DVA rejected your DRCA claim, your only external merits review option was the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART, formerly the AAT). The ART is more formal and adversarial. The VRB is veteran-friendly, less formal, and has higher overturn rates for veteran-favourable decisions.

All veterans now follow the same review pathway: internal review, then VRB, then ART if needed. If you have an existing DRCA claim that was rejected and you didn't appeal because the ART felt too daunting, you should consider whether a fresh claim under MRCA from 1 July 2026, or an appeal to the VRB now, is the right move.

Your existing DRCA payments are safe

All payments you're currently receiving under DRCA continue uninterrupted and continue to be indexed normally. The Government has guaranteed no veteran will see a reduction. Conditions accepted under DRCA are automatically recognised as MRCA service-related conditions under the new section 24A. You don't need to do anything.

Your rehabilitation is also unaffected. Open DRCA rehabilitation plans automatically transition to MRCA rehabilitation with no interruption. DVA states there are “no differences between DRCA and MRCA rehabilitation.”

What DRCA veterans should do now

• Conditions below 10% WPI threshold: wait until after 1 July 2026. Whole-of-person assessment under MRCA will let those conditions count toward your overall impairment rating.
• Want Gold Card or SRDP access: these benefits don't exist under DRCA and only become available from 1 July 2026. Waiting is the only option.
• On-duty injury (heart attack or stroke while serving): the expanded service injury definition only applies from 1 July 2026. Wait.
• Tobacco-related conditions from pre-1998 service: these become claimable from 1 July 2026 under the MRCA amendments.
• Worried about the GARP M translation: get your current DRCA impairment ratings reviewed now so you have a clear picture of your baseline before the translation methodology applies.
• Old DRCA rejection: consider a fresh claim under MRCA from 1 July 2026, or a VRB appeal now. If no compensation was paid on that rejection, it won't inflate your GARP M baseline.
• Unsure: book a free discovery call. We'll assess your situation and give you a clear recommendation.

Frequently asked questions

When do the DRCA changes take effect?

The core changes take effect on 1 July 2026. However, VRB access for DRCA veterans commenced on 21 April 2025 and is already in effect.

Will my existing DRCA compensation payments decrease?

No. The Government has guaranteed no veteran will see a reduction in current payments. All existing DRCA payments continue with normal indexation. DRCA incapacity payments transition to MRCA, which should increase your payment by removing the 5% notional superannuation deduction.

How does the GARP M translation work for DRCA veterans?

GARP M is being amended to calculate a baseline impairment rating from your existing DRCA assessments. New compensation after 1 July 2026 requires a 5-point increase above that baseline. Only ratings from conditions where compensation was actually paid count toward the baseline — rejected claims don't inflate it.

Can I get a Gold Card as a DRCA veteran?

Yes, from 1 July 2026. The main pathway is reaching 60 impairment points under GARP M. You can also access it through SRDP eligibility, ADA eligibility, or as a Service Pension recipient with 30 or more impairment points.

What happens to my DRCA tinnitus claim after 1 July 2026?

Tinnitus typically rates around 5% WPI, which was non-compensable under DRCA's 10% minimum threshold. Under MRCA's whole-of-person assessment, those 5 points contribute to your overall impairment rating alongside all your other accepted conditions. Check the combined effect using our PI calculator.

Should I lodge my DRCA claims before or after 1 July 2026?

Most DRCA veterans will benefit from waiting. The whole-of-person assessment, Gold Card access, and SRDP eligibility are all only available from 1 July 2026. The main exception is if you're concerned about how your specific conditions might be assessed differently under the GARP M translation methodology compared to the current DRCA Permanent Impairment Guide.

Can I appeal an old DRCA rejection?

Yes. From 21 April 2025, DRCA veterans can appeal to the VRB. From 1 July 2026, you may also be able to make a fresh claim under MRCA for conditions previously rejected under DRCA — provided the rejection didn't result in any compensation being paid, which would count toward your GARP M baseline.