DRCA Veterans

The Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988 (DRCA) applies to current and former ADF members. 

It covers certain service before 1 July 2004. It provides treatment, rehabilitation and compensation for service-related injuries and conditions.

What will happen from 1 July 2026?

Any compensation being received under the VEA and/or DRCA before 1 July 2026 will continue to be paid. They will also continue to be indexed as normal.

However, people in receipt of incapacity payments under the DRCA will have those payments transitioned into the more beneficial MRCA system from that date.

Any new or updated claims lodged from 1 July 2026 will be assessed under the MRCA.

Veterans with coverage under the Compensation (Commonwealth Government Employees’) Act 1971 (1971 Act) and the Commonwealth Employees’ Compensation Act 1930 (1930 Act), will be brought under the MRCA and can claim under the MRCA.

Veteran Gold Card

From 1 July 2026 DRCA veterans with high levels of impairment may, for the first time, be able to qualify for Special Rate Disability Pension (SRDP) and a MRCA Gold Card (subject to meeting the relevant MRCA criteria).

There are several pathways to receiving a Gold Card under the MRCA from 1 July 2026. These include:

• becoming eligible for the new Additional Disablement Amount (ADA)
• becoming eligible for Special Rate Disability Pension (SRDP) or
• being assessed at 60 impairment points or more.

To become eligible for a Gold Card at 60 impairment points, DRCA veterans will require to have a claim for initial liability accepted under the MRCA or have at least a 5-point worsening of their already accepted conditions since their previous assessment.

Whilst you can start the process of gathering documents to apply under the MRCA, only claims from 1 July 2026 will be considered under this expanded eligibility.

Visit the Legislation Reform Veteran Card page for more information.

Special Rate Disability Pension (SRDP)

The SRDP is a benefit for eligible veterans who are under the age-pension age providing an alternative form of periodic compensation (instead of incapacity payments) for people whose capacity for work has been severely restricted due to accepted conditions.

As noted above, DRCA veterans can be assessed for SRDP from 1 July 2026 subject to meeting the following requirements: 

• they are in receipt of incapacity payments under the MRCA; and
• they are assessed with 50 or more impairment points (per MRCA assessment principles); and
• DVA has confirmation from treating medical specialists that they are unable to work more than 10 hours per week; and
• DVA has confirmation from treating medical specialists that rehabilitation is unlikely to improve their ability to work.

Visit the Legislation Reform SRDP page for more information.

Presumptive Liability

The MRCA is also being amended to allow the Commission to specify a list of injuries or diseases that may be accepted on a ‘presumptive’ basis where they are known to have a common connection with military service, without needing to refer to the Statements of Principles (SoPs).

This means, in many cases, veterans will no longer need to provide as much, or any, evidence for a claim to be accepted.
‘Presumptive’ conditions/categories covered under the existing compensation framework will also be carried across to the MRCA, including:

• conditions for ADF firefighters who participated in firefighting training at Royal Australian Air Force Base Point Cook between 1 January 1957 and 31 December 1986
• cancers prescribed for Australian Defence Force firefighters under subsection 7(8) of the DRCA
• specified conditions for F-111 Deseal/Reseal workers at RAAF Base Amberley between 1976 and 1994
• conditions covered by the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) (Specified Diseases and Employment) Instrument 2017
• other conditions currently specified under Departmental policy.

Travel for Treatment

Travel entitlements have been integrated into a single ICT system. All compensation will be paid at the (higher) MRCA rate, regardless of kilometres, when a private vehicle is used to travel for treatment. The 50 km round trip minimum has been removed, ensuring more veterans can be reimbursed for travel costs related to treating their service conditions.

Additional Disablement Amount (ADA)

The ADA will be introduced under the improved MRCA for veterans who are over pension age and who have a high degree of impairment due to service-caused injuries or illness. It is similar to the Extreme Disablement Adjustment (EDA) benefit currently available under the VEA.

The payment is being introduced to ensure continued support for those over pension age once the VEA is closed to new claims.

Eligibility for the ADA requires that a veteran:

• has a combined impairment rating of at least 70 points and a lifestyle rating of 6,
• is not receiving incapacity compensation payments or the Special Rate Disability Pension (SRDP) under the MRCA, and
• is not receiving the Disability Compensation Payment at the Special Rate, the Intermediate Rate or the Extreme Disablement Adjustment Rate under the VEA.

Visit the Legislation Reform ADA page for more information. 

Rehabilitation

From 1 July 2026, the DRCA will close to new rehabilitation claims and all new requests for rehabilitation will be determined under the MRCA, irrespective of when and where the veteran has served. Liability for a service caused injury or disease previously accepted under the DRCA will be considered as accepted for the purposes of MRCA rehabilitation.

Veterans with open DRCA rehabilitation plans from before 1 July 2026 will be transitioned to MRCA rehabilitation, with no action by the veteran required, and the rehabilitation plan will continue without interruption. DRCA veterans should not notice any changes, as there are no differences between DRCA and MRCA rehabilitation.

Household Services/ Attendant Care

From 1 July 2026, veterans with DRCA accepted service-related injuries or conditions will have access to the higher weekly statutory limit for payment under MRCA for the Household Services and Attendant Care services they receive. Previously two separate statutory weekly limits applied for DRCA and MRCA.

From 1 July 2026, DRCA veterans already receiving Household Services and Attendant Care:

• can continue to receive compensation until their review/renewal date (at which point their claim will be reviewed under the MRCA), or
• can discuss transitioning to the MRCA before the end of their approval period by contacting DVA. Approved services will continue to be based on assessed need.

Education Scheme 

From 1 July 2026 there will be one education scheme, the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act Education and Training Scheme (MRCAETS).

Eligible dependants of current DRCA veterans may qualify for the MRCAETS subject to meeting the MRCA eligibility requirements.

Whilst you can start the process of gathering documents to apply under the MRCA, only claims from 1 July 2026 will be considered under this expanded eligibility.

Visit the Legislation Reform Education Scheme page for more information. 

Permanent Impairment (PI)

Veterans currently covered under those Acts, the DRCA or VEA will able to apply for permanent impairment compensation under the improved MRCA.

The improved MRCA will implement changes regarding PI. These include:

• ‘Date of effect’ – changes will allow treating doctors to provide a meaningful estimate of when an impairment met the requisite criteria of being permanent and stable for payment to commence.
• Section 80 payments – provisions relating to these payments (made in respect of the children of severely injured veterans) are being amended to allow this compensation amount to be apportioned in line with the caring arrangements for the child.
• Posthumous MRCA PI payment – these changes will give a legal personal representative the option to convert the weekly rate of PI compensation that would have been payable to a deceased veteran to a lump sum (excluding lifestyle effects).
• Financial advice – allows the Repatriation Commission to determine circumstances that mandatory financial advice should apply prior to payment of a lump sum.

Visit the Legislation Reform Permanent Impairment page for more information.

National Servicemen

From 1 July 2026, MRCA eligibility will expand to include all National Servicemen.

Visit the Legislation Reform page for more information and scenarios.

The existing compensation coverage for ADF members associated with F-111 fuel-tank maintenance work (commonly referred as the ‘Deseal/Reseal’ programs) in the DRCA will be continued under the MRCA, with no change to eligibility requirements and benefits.

Firefighters

In September 2021, a support scheme was established for ADF personnel who participated in fire training at the Royal Australian Air Force Base Point Cook Fire Training School between 1 January 1957 and 31 December 1986. The Scheme provides eligible personnel with:

• simplified access to compensation and treatment for a list of 31 specified conditions under the DRCA;
• access to screening services for colorectal cancer and melanoma, for early detection and prevention; and
• individually tailored lifestyle advice under the 12-month Heart Health Program.

If you were a fire fighter in the ADF at RAAF Base Point Cook Fire Training School between 1 January 1957 and 31 December 1986 you will continue to be covered under the scheme.

Reservists

From 1 July 2026, MRCA eligibility will expand to include all reservists.

Additional Resources

There is a range of additional resources available on the Legislation Reform website covering a variety of topics.

These include: the Veteran Card, Special Rate Disability Pension (SRDP), Additional Disablement Amount (ADA), Permanent Impairment Compensation and Education Scheme.

There are individual pages for different veteran cohorts including VEA veterans, MRCA veterans and family members of veterans.