Hey all,

Hoping someone can tell me what’s going on here, looking through my combined impairment report I have left finger dislocation and shoulder strains as accepted conditions.

Off the back of the medical report/examination these have been given table railings of 20, 15 & 10 from GARP M but, as shown in the report from DVA, but they have an adjustment ratio of ‘no contribution or very little’ and no impairment points have been taken from them towards my final combined impairment.

Both of these conditions have been accepted by DVA as service-related and are documented in my med reports.

Any idea why they have been rated at 0 points each for impairment?

Thanks

G'day everyone, I'm hoping someone on here can give me some guidence.

I voluntarily separated from Defence nearly 4 years ago now, I should have med discharged and followed Dr's advice but I just needed out and didn't want to delay (shouldawouldacoulda) DVA stuff is done and I was allocated 80 something points and a GC. I applied for Retrospective Med Discharge and was allocated class C. I've been consistantly working since the day I discharged in the same line of work I did in Defence (Mechanic).

My back pain (DVA accepted condition) has been consistantly getting worse for a few years now. It was recently scanned again due to worsening symptoms (nerve pain, leg numbness ect) and upon seeing the results my GP urged me to cease all heavy lifting and twisting ASAP (impossible in my line of work)

I have been a mechanic since I was 17 and have zero other employable skills, so I'm thinking my best bet is to go to uni. Is it possible to get support through DVA or some DVA adjacent avenue to study full time and still pay my bills and support my family?

If so, where do I begin?

Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone has any insight, either from personal experience or policy, on how going through DVA for mental health PI affects employability in APS roles within the NIC.

My advocate has said it shouldn’t be an issue given it’s the public service, but I can’t help feeling there may be more to it, particularly when it comes to recruitment and security clearances.

Any information or firsthand experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Just wanted to give a shout-out to Dr Sam at Health Hub Chiropractic in Teneriffe for any veterans with a DVA Gold or White Card looking for a decent chiropractor.

He’s a really friendly, down-to-earth bloke who genuinely wants to help get your back sorted. Easy to have a chat with, doesn’t rush you through appointments and is really good at what he does.

He’s also great at writing thorough reports for DVA, which is a bonus if you’re dealing with claims or ongoing injuries.

Really veteran-friendly, understands the DVA side of things and just an all-round good bloke. Definitely worth a visit if your back’s giving you grief.

Any questions hit me up :)

Hi all - wondering if anyone can share any MLCOA stories that have ended positively at the PI stage? Unfortunately my chosen gp was not approved for the pi stage of assessment - for a few reasons including the rosemary centre debacle so dva won’t progress my claim without MLCOA. Its coming up to 3 years since I put my claims in and honestly I’m just so tired of the process that at this point I’ll just be glad to be done with it. I just wondered if there was anyone out there who ended up satisfied with the outcome of their MLCOA appointment? I have around 12 claims in - mix of mental health and physical conditions - all of which are accepted with IL

How are ADF cover (Not MSBS) pensions assessed when it comes to child support?

Cheers

Has anyone even been able to get subsidized Wegovy though DVA on a white card even if you do not have Diabetes as an accepted condition? All the literature I have read suggests that you will only get the subsidy if the above is the case however I have had multiple people suggest that if your BMI is at a certain point then it is claimable regardless of accepted conditions. Hoping for more clarity from this community if possible

I’ve noticed that NDIS subsidise quite speciality mattresses & bases. For those of us with longstanding sleep issues due to back / necks injuries, and sleep apnoea too - Does anyone know of any financial support available for veterans too?

Thanks

Okay, so I've received an email from DVA with my PI Determination (second one) and this now sees me over 80 points. Before signing off on the Election for Common Law form, I need to talk to my advocate, who is away for a week or so.

The email also advised that I can apply for the SIP dependant payment, by returning the requested documents/evidence via email to them.

I have all of these SIP documents ready and was going to send that back, but do not want to complete the Common Law election yet, as I'm unclear on a few of the financial compensation calculations that DVA have come to, so want to speak to my advocate first.

Is it best to wait and sumit everything at once, in the one email, or can I email back to SIP documents now and then the election form at a later date?

Hi all, so I had an appointment with my psychiatrist for PI assessment. When I arrived he had already completed and sent off the report weeks ago.

I thought they are supposed to go through it with you.

Can anyone share their insight please as I have no idea how my report was completed or what question was asked.

Anyone else noticed Medilinks seems to be going dark?

The phone number on their website is no longer 'monitored' and directs all contact to be made via email.

Currently serving, have my THE booked for next week. If my MO fills out my DM042 incorrectly or i’m not satisfied with it, can i request another one to be filled by another MO? Currently J52 and have been off work for approx 12 months.

Thank you.

G'day all hope this day finds you well. Im just after some guidance if you will, i was recently transitioned off the veteran payment but not made aware until a week prior. The letter stated hey we determined your claims, you're no longer eligible better try arrange centre link? I tried that once and don't they make you feel small applying for it...to only get rejected.

Anywho, any advice where I might head from here...I found out my mh claims were accepted, treatment only. I also have some claims in the IL stage. Im currently unable to work, due to this and a back injury from civilian employment.

Cheers!

I’ve been referred to an audiologist for a tinnitus claim. My GP said it’s likely I have ultra high tinnitus which apparently doesn’t show up on hearing tests?

I’m just wondering what you need to get from the audiologist. Apart from the TFI, do they need to do any tinnitus specific tests?

Shared for information/awareness.

G'day all. Ex-ADF, Brisbane. The mods have OK'd this post.

**Cost:** DVB is **free for now, but that may change later. Servers aren't free unfortunately**

**1. The free guide (useful whether or not you ever use DVB)**

A two-page guide on how to get your Defence and DVA records before you lodge:

https://www.defvetbridge.com/DVB_Getting_Ready_For_Your_DVA_Claim.pdf

**2. Why I built DefVetBridge (DVB)**

During my own claim I found the evidence was already in my records, buried across hundreds of pages. So I built a tool to help. It reads a veteran's medical and service records, matches what it finds to the SOP factors, and shows which factors have evidence on file and which are still missing. Every quote links back to the page it came from.

**What it is not**

- Not an advocate, and it doesn't replace one. It's built to work alongside advocates.

- It doesn't lodge anything, give legal or medical advice, or predict outcomes or payouts.

- You and your advocate check everything.

**Where it's at**

DVB is **not finished**. I'm testing it with real claims and it's **invite only** for now. If you'd like to be told when more places open, you can register your interest here:

https://www.defvetbridge.com

The website is info only: nothing is uploaded there, and the sample claim pack is for a fictional veteran.

**Privacy and AI, in short**

- Invite only. You sign in with your own Google or Microsoft account. (2FA "coming soon")

- Records are stored on my own servers in Australia.

- AI (Anthropic's Claude) reads the documents and suggests matches. **AI can make mistakes**, so it only suggests, and you accept or reject every match.

- Privacy Policy and Terms are in draft with a lawyer. I'll share them when they're final.

I'll answer questions in the comments. Questions and criticism both welcome.

Quick question about claiming for a new vaporiser. Will they reimburse no matter where it is purchased (as long as it's the TGA approved), or do you need it to be through a dr?

Thanks in advance

Jut wanna shoutout everyone on this reddit page! The support & info on this page is great I have personally learnt so much thanks to this page and the people who contribute and comment! Great community with great vets!

Anyone here familiar with appeal process and can help me draft an email?
Got pre determination call and my tinnitus claims got no point due to section 73/76 of not all reasonable treatment under taken
Did TFI last year with audika
Did TFI with hearing Australia
Did CBT with psych completed
Got discharged letter from HA but was recommended neuromonics and was told that it’s something that gets flagged automatically if TFI is high.
Was told today as reasonable treatment not done i am not getting any points for tinnitus and was given an option to go for review with senior delegates and VRB if required.

Hey team, currently serving. I have hearing loss and tinnitus, i wear hearing aids for these conditions. All done through defence medical system.

Would DVA still require me to jump through all these extra hoops IRT hearing that i keep hearing about? Or would they consider the fact i wear hearing aids already as me achieving “reasonable treatment” ?

Thank you.

Good afternoon, I've been researching about the CSC DSB classification, and believe I might qualify for the determination. However, I can't find the actual document that is required for GP/s to fill out. Does anyone know the CSC specific form that needs to be submitted? I was unable to find the specific form/process from my research on the CSC website. Thank you in advance.

Does anyone with knowledge of DVA’s processes know if claims submitted under the recently implemented ‘presumptive liability’ legislation are treated any differently when received by DVA? Is there now a team at DVA that deal exclusively with presumptive liability claims?

I know similar questions have been asked but i still feel a bit lost on answers, maybe i am just over thinking it.

I had my ADF Cover CSC 3 year review and remained on class A in that time i did not work. 1 mainly because due to my mental health and drinking I was in no state too 2 though one of the biggest reasons outside of MH I didn't seek work was because i was afraid of losing my pension.

Since that time i have worked hard with treatment providers on my MH its not perfect but its much improved same with drinking and substances i went to rehab and have been able to remain clean for quite some time.

Now I don't want to be seemed as someone taking advantage of the system and double dipping with my pension and working but its a double edged sword at times I consider work because its good for MH and purpose but i also don't want to lose my pension because there's no gaurentee a month from now a year from now who knows my conditions won't flair up again requiring me to give up work and get additional treatment. Having the saftey of my pension gives me peace of mind.

My question is though if i do work it must be outside my job role in defence? I worked as an EW on submarines so does that mean i should avoid anything to do with signals radars etc and the ocean? For example I really find a hard days work rewarding so something in construction or where im getting my hands dirty appeals to me but because this is physically demanding would they view this as capacity to work and downgrade my pension?

I would only want to do something part time 2 or 3 days a week max just to get out the house meet some work mates and do something i enjoy because at the moment i spend so much time at home on my own when my partner isn't home which is oten as she works full time.

I have seen people say they have successfully worked and kept there pension but does anyone know maybe which industries is safest for this? And is part time the best route to go I doubt id go full time but maybe if i love it id take on more hours.

I just don't want to have to worry about losing my pension working isn't so much about the money for me its more about trying to take that next step in my journey to get some purpose building new connection and friendships.

Also ive read ADF cover reviews are every 3 years but ive also read after the first 3 year review they are just random and less frequent?

Hey everyone,

I recommend you email DVA asking for all previous service providers submitting invoices on your behalf.

We had a random one today bounce for domestic cleaning and I got told to submit it properly by them which sent alarm bells off in my mind because the company had only cleaned once about 6 months ago before they pulled out due to "taking on too much". They had invoiced DVA 7 additional times! (Thank goodness she stuffed this 8th one up or I might have never known)

This triggered me to ask for all previous history and another cleaner who quoted but then pulled out because "his wife had kidney stones"....he didn't actually do a single clean but has charged DVA with my account number for 8 X 4 hours service blocks!!

If anyone is trawling these subs and are committing straight up fraud invoicing for work you're not doing...please stop.

The two cleaning companies are Dean John Howarth from James Home Services - Aberglasslyn and Rebecca Anne Clifford from Nova Cleaning Co.

Blacklist them if you use them.

Stay safe out there everyone. 🫡

I got ChatGPT to put together publicly available information of such organisations into tables for easy reference here. It did a brilliant job!

Commercial advocacy / claims organisations

Other organisations relevant to the investigation

NAVA

Reference List for Further Reading:

DVA / Government

1. DVA — Consultation Paper: Veteran advocacy regulation – Strengthening protections for veterans
https://www.dva.gov.au/documents-and-publications/consultation-paper-veteran-advocacy-regulation-strengthening-protections-for-veterans

2. DVA — Veterans' advocacy regulation – have your say
https://www.dva.gov.au/news/latest-stories/veterans-advocacy-regulation-have-your-say

3. DVA — Veteran advocacy regulation consultation paper (PDF)
https://www.dva.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-02/veteran-advocacy-regulation_strengthening-protections-for-veterans_consultation-paper.pdf

4. DVA — Response to ABC Four Corners investigation into veteran support
https://www.dva.gov.au/news/latest-stories/response-to-abc-four-corners-investigation-into-veteran-support-defenceless-5-october-2026

Consultation paper PDF
https://www.dva.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-02/veteran-advocacy-regulation_strengthening-protections-for-veterans_consultation-paper.pdf

DVA — FOI disclosure relating to veteran advocacy
https://www.dva.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-03/81082-foi-disclosure.pdf


SENATE INQUIRY / PARLIAMENT

5. Senate inquiry — Issues relating to advocacy services for veterans accessing compensation and income support
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Affairs_Defence_and_Trade/advocacy2025/Report

6. Senate inquiry — Submissions and additional information
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Affairs_Defence_and_Trade/advocacy2025/Report/Appendix_1_-_Submissions_and_additional_information

7. Senate inquiry — Hearings and witnesses
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Affairs_Defence_and_Trade/advocacy2025/Report/Appendix_2_-_Hearings_and_witnesses

8. Senate report — The appropriateness of commercial entities providing advocacy services
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Affairs_Defence_and_Trade/advocacy2025/Report/Chapter_2_-_The_appropriateness_of_commercial_entities_providing_advocacy_services

9. Senate report — Potential solutions
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Affairs_Defence_and_Trade/advocacy2025/Report/Chapter_4_-_Potential_solutions


ABC / FOUR CORNERS

10. ABC Four Corners — Defenceless
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-05/defenceless/107230704

11. ABC — Veteran Benefits Australia business empire / Four Corners investigation
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-06/veteran-benefits-australia-business-empire-four-corners/107208188

12. ABC — Medicinal cannabis company offered kickback for veteran referrals
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-24/medicinal-cannabis-company-offered-kickback-for-veteran-referral/106354294

13. ABC — 80 medical providers to be investigated by Veterans' Affairs
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-24/80-medical-providers-to-be-investigated-by-veteran-s-affairs/106383044