Which Act applies to you
There are four Acts which provide compensation coverage for current and former members of the ADF. They are:
- Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA)
- Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (SRCA)
- Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA)
- Defence Act 1903 (DA)
The benefits you may be entitled to when claiming for compensation will depend on:
- The date on which your injury or illness occurred (for SRCA, DA and MRCA purposes), or
- The period of service to which your injury or disease can be related (for VEA purposes).
Please use the table below as a guide to see which Act may provide benefits to you for a compensable injury or illness, or select the option below to check your eligibility.
Note: Any entitlements to DA payments will automatically be paid upon acceptance of an eligible SRCA claim if your injury occurred on service:
| Type of Service | On or after 7 Dec 72 and before 22 May 86 |
On or after 22 May 86 and before 7 Apr 94 |
On and after 7 Apr 94 and before 1 July 04 |
On or after 1 July 04 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peacetime Continuous Full Time Service (CFTS) | ||||
| Enlisted on or after 7 Apr 94 | N/A | N/A | SRCA | MRCA |
| Enlisted on or after 22 May 86 (and have completed 3 years continuous service by 6 Apr 94) |
N/A | SRCA & VEA | SRCA | MRCA |
| Enlisted on or after 22 May 86 (and have not completed 3 years continuous full time service by 6 Apr 94) |
N/A | SRCA | SRCA | MRCA |
| Enlisted before 22 May 86 (and have continually served up to and after 7 Apr 94) | SRCA & VEA | SRCA & VEA | SRCA & VEA | MRCA |
| Former members (prior to 7 Apr 94) | SRCA & VEA | SRCA & VEA | N/A | N/A |
| Part Time Service | SRCA | SRCA | SRCA | MRCA |
| Operational Service (War like service) | VEA | VEA | SRCA & VEA | MRCA |
| Peacekeeping Service (Non war like service) | SRCA & VEA | SRCA & VEA | SRCA & VEA | MRCA |
| Hazardous Service (Non war like service) | Not declared | SRCA & VEA | SRCA & VEA | MRCA |
Notes:
- For service before 7 Dec 72, members are covered under the SRCA (and its predecessor legislation) for Peacetime service and under the VEA for Operational and Peacekeeping service. There was no provision for "Hazardous service" at that time.
- Members who enlisted after 22 May 86 and did not complete 3 years CFTS before 6 Apr 94 but were discharged as medically unfit may claim under the VEA
- Hazardous service is service, which is service that has been declared, in writing, by the Minister of Defence to be hazardous.
IIf your claim is for an injury, disease or death that is covered by the SRCA, details of how to claim can be found on the The Claim Process web page.
IIf your claim is for an injury, disease or death that is covered by the MRCA, then further information on that Act and how to claim can be found on the MRCS’s web pages.
IIf your claim is for an injury, disease or death that is covered by the VEA, then further information on that Act and how to claim can be found on the DVA Pensions web pages