DVA Reassessment: What Veterans Can Do If A Condition Worsens

Pain, symptoms or limits in daily life can worsen over time and DVA reassessment lets you ask DVA to assess your current level of permanent impairment. In this guide, I explain when reassessment may apply, what evidence you need and what changed on 1 July 2026. 

What a DVA Reassessment Actually Means

A reassessment is not the same as your first claim, and it is not the same as an appeal. Knowing the difference helps you take the right path for your situation.

A reassessment is a later assessment of permanent impairment after DVA has made an earlier decision. You must have been paid, or be entitled to be paid, permanent impairment compensation.

A later claim involving the same conditions generally cannot proceed until the earlier permanent impairment claim has been finally determined. DVA may then consider additional compensation if an accepted condition deteriorates and the MRCA criteria are met.

You may lodge a reassessment claim when you believe an accepted condition has worsened. You do not need to wait for DVA to start the process. Additional permanent impairment compensation will depend on DVA’s assessment of the legal criteria. 

Reassessment or Appeal: Which One You Need

A DVA reassessment and a review solve different problems. I use the distinction below to help you identify which path may fit your situation.

A reassessment may apply when an accepted condition has worsened since DVA made its permanent impairment decision. A review may apply when you believe DVA’s original decision was wrong, such as when you disagree with the impairment points awarded.

For MRCA permanent impairment decisions made on or after 21 April 2025, a formal review request generally goes directly to the Veterans’ Review Board. An eligible matter may then proceed from the VRB to the Administrative Review Tribunal.

The usual VRB limit for an MRCA decision is 12 months, but you should always follow the review instructions in your decision letter.

When You Can Ask for a Reassessment

A deterioration reassessment may apply when an accepted condition has worsened through its natural progression. The resulting impairment must be likely to continue indefinitely, and the relevant condition or conditions must be stable.

Seek medical advice when your symptoms or function change and keep a record of that change. DVA still decides whether the legal reassessment criteria are met.

The Five-Point Worsening Threshold

Additional permanent impairment compensation may be payable when natural deterioration of one or more accepted conditions raises your whole-person impairment by at least five points. The deterioration must form part of the condition’s ordinary progression, be likely to continue indefinitely and meet the stability requirements.

Do not confuse this with the threshold for a first permanent impairment payment. That threshold is generally 10 impairment points, with five-point exceptions for hearing loss, loss of fingers or toes and loss of taste or smell.

Deterioration, Aggravation and New Conditions

A deterioration reassessment concerns an accepted condition becoming worse through its ordinary progression. It is different from a claimed aggravation caused by further service or from a separate secondary condition.

An aggravation or secondary diagnosis may require a new initial liability decision. If DVA accepts the new condition, it completes a needs assessment before compensation can be paid, and the condition may later be included in a permanent impairment assessment.

If a worsening mental health condition is weighing on you right now, support is available at any hour. You can reach Open Arms (Veterans and Families Counselling) for free and confidential help, or call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in a crisis.

What Changed Under the Improved MRCA From 1 July 2026

The rules changed on 1 July 2026. DVA now decides all new claims under the improved MRCA. Claims lodged before that date stay under the Act that applied when they were lodged.

DVA now uses GARP M 2026 for permanent impairment claims lodged under the improved MRCA. Conditions previously accepted under the VEA or DRCA are taken to be accepted under the MRCA, so DVA does not reassess liability for those same conditions.

Where a veteran has compensation history under the earlier Acts, DVA may need to establish a baseline and apply transitional calculations. The assessment can therefore be more involved than comparing one new overall rating with the previous total.

How the DVA Reassessment Process Works

A reassessment uses the permanent impairment assessment framework, but its focus is the change since your earlier decision. DVA considers the previous assessment, current medical evidence and the accepted conditions involved.

For a final deterioration reassessment, DVA needs the condition to be stable and the impairment to be likely to continue. Gather current medical evidence that explains how your condition has changed. You can then lodge through MyService or use the D2051 Claim for Liability and/or Reassessment of Compensation form.

DVA then reviews your updated evidence and completes a whole-of-person assessment, taking into account any compensation already paid. Your impairment points are combined with a lifestyle rating that considers:

• Personal relationships
• Mobility
• Recreational and community activities
• Domestic and employment activities

Those figures are matched to a compensation factor, and warlike or non-warlike service attracts a higher factor than peacetime service at the same rating.

What Happens After the Decision

If DVA finds that the reassessment criteria are met, it will make a new permanent impairment determination. It will also take any earlier permanent impairment compensation into account. If you disagree with the result, follow the review rights and time limit in your decision letter.

After the current claim has been finally determined, you may lodge another reassessment claim if an accepted condition later deteriorates again and the criteria are met.

Evidence That Supports a Strong Reassessment

Your reassessment depends on the evidence provided. Clear, current medical detail helps DVA assess whether your accepted condition has worsened.

Current reports from your treating practitioners can help DVA assess the change. The evidence should compare your present function with your earlier assessment. It should also address whether the change is permanent, stable and part of the accepted condition’s natural progression.

Keep a brief record of symptoms, flare-ups and tasks you can no longer manage. This can help your treating practitioner explain the change with clear examples.

We often see reports that describe current symptoms without comparing them with the earlier permanent impairment decision. We look for a clear account of what has changed, whether the deterioration reflects the accepted condition’s natural progression and whether the resulting impairment is likely to continue.

We can also check whether the reports address the relevant criteria and identify records that may be missing. This does not change DVA’s rules or guarantee a result, but it helps present a clearer body of evidence for DVA to assess.

How Long a DVA Reassessment Takes

There is no single fixed timeframe for a DVA reassessment. A full claim timeframe that begins with initial liability is not a reliable estimate because liability for the deteriorating condition has already been accepted.

Timing depends on the medical evidence, assessment requirements and DVA workloads. I focus on presenting the available evidence clearly and responding promptly to requests from DVA.

When Your Accepted Condition Has Changed

When an accepted condition changes, the first step is to identify whether the issue is natural deterioration, a separate condition or disagreement with the earlier decision.

Each situation follows a different pathway. 

We can review your earlier permanent impairment decision and current evidence before you lodge, so Contact Veterans First Consulting when you are ready to discuss the appropriate next step.