PI reassessment five years on added $310,000 no one told him about

The situation

Mark served 22 years in the Signals Corps before separating at 40. Two decades of communications work across exercises, deployments, and everything in between. He transitioned out with five accepted conditions: bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, lumbar spondylosis, right shoulder impingement syndrome, and PTSD. His PI assessment came back at 15 impairment points.

He received his lump sum, moved to Canberra with his wife and three kids, and got on with it. Found some part-time work. Managed his conditions as best he could. Assumed the chapter was closed.

Five years later his hearing had deteriorated further. His back required regular cortisone injections to stay functional. His shoulder had been through surgery and hadn't come back the way the surgeon had hoped. His PTSD had worsened despite ongoing treatment, the transition to civilian life had been harder than he'd let on to anyone, including his wife.

She was the one who found one of our blog posts. The title was something like: your claim was approved, don't stop there. She forwarded it to him without saying anything. He called us the next day.

The challenge

Mark didn't know reassessments existed. He thought the 15 impairment points he'd received years earlier were a fixed number, a permanent assessment of permanent impairment. That's an understandable assumption. It's also wrong.

Under MRCA, a veteran can request a PI reassessment at any time if their accepted conditions have worsened. The overall impairment needs to have increased by at least five impairment points since the last assessment. In Mark's case, five years of documented deterioration across five conditions meant that threshold would be cleared comfortably.

The problem wasn't eligibility. The problem was that nobody in Mark's orbit, not DVA, not his GP, not the ESO advocate who had lodged his original claim, had ever told him this was an option. He'd been living with worsening conditions and receiving compensation calculated on how he'd been five years earlier.

What we did

We conducted a full review of Mark's five accepted conditions and his current medical situation. It was immediately clear that each condition had deteriorated significantly since the original assessment and that a reassessment was warranted.

We coordinated updated specialist assessments across all five conditions: a comprehensive audiological assessment documenting the progression of his hearing loss, an orthopaedic review of his post-surgical shoulder, a pain medicine and spinal assessment for his lumbar condition, and a full psychiatric assessment for his PTSD. Each report was structured to document the deterioration since the original assessment and address the current functional impact using GARP M criteria.

We completed the lifestyle rating questionnaire with Mark and his treating team, ensuring the full picture of how his conditions affected his daily life was properly captured and documented. We then lodged the formal reassessment request with the complete evidence package.

The outcome

PI reassessed from 15 to 65 impairment points. Additional lump sum of $310,000 tax-free. Combined lifetime PI total of approximately $367,000. SRDP eligibility assessed and referred. Gold Card assessment initiated.

The additional compensation allowed Mark and his wife to pay off the remainder of their mortgage. The financial pressure that had been quietly compounding his mental health difficulties for five years lifted almost immediately after settlement.

• PI reassessed: 15 → 65 impairment points
• $310,000 additional tax-free lump sum
• Combined lifetime PI total: ~$367,000
• SRDP eligibility assessed (50+ point threshold met)
• Gold Card assessment initiated (60+ points)
• 5 conditions reassessed: hearing loss, tinnitus, lumbar, shoulder, PTSD