There is no short, comprehensive [DVA claims](/dva-claims) list containing every condition a veteran can claim. A physical or psychological injury or disease may be claimed, but DVA must determine whether the condition is properly diagnosed and connected to Australian Defence Force service under the applicable legal test.
Some lists do exist for specific purposes. For example, the presumptive liability arrangements introduced on 1 July 2026 cover specified conditions where the diagnosis and relevant service criteria are met. However, those arrangements are only one pathway for accepting liability. A condition is not necessarily excluded merely because it does not appear on a presumptive liability list.
What conditions can a veteran claim?
A veteran claim may concern a physical injury, disease, mental health condition, aggravation of a pre-existing condition or, in some circumstances, a condition caused or aggravated by treatment provided or funded by the Commonwealth.
Since 1 July 2026, all new compensation and rehabilitation claims have been assessed under the improved Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA), regardless of when the veteran served or the condition arose. Claims lodged under the VEA or DRCA before 1 July 2026 generally continue under the legislation under which they were made.
Common [DVA medical conditions](/dva-medical-conditions) include hearing loss and tinnitus, musculoskeletal injuries, mental health conditions, skin conditions, respiratory diseases and illnesses associated with particular service exposures. However, the proper question is not whether a diagnosis is commonly claimed. It is whether the condition can be accepted through one of the applicable liability pathways.
How DVA decides whether a condition is service-related
From 1 July 2026, DVA assesses new claims in an order intended to identify the simplest available pathway. Presumptive liability is considered first. For injuries, the medical-event-on-duty provisions may then apply. If neither pathway applies, DVA considers the other MRCA liability tests, including the relevant Statement of Principles where required.
Statements of Principles are binding legislative instruments made by the Repatriation Medical Authority. They identify factors capable of connecting particular injuries, diseases or deaths with service. Where a Statement of Principles applies, at least one relevant factor must be satisfied and connected to the veteran’s service. Different instruments and standards of proof apply according to the type of service.
Statements of Principles do not apply in every case. Exceptions can include conditions covered by presumptive liability or the medical-event-on-duty provisions, some unintended consequences of treatment and certain claims involving aggravation. Where no Statement of Principles exists, the claim may instead be determined by reference to the available medical evidence, unless a binding declaration or current investigation prevents determination.
A step-by-step approach to identifying claimable conditions
- Start with a confirmed diagnosis. DVA recommends providing available medical evidence, including a diagnosis from a qualified health professional for each claimed condition. Symptoms should be investigated, but they should not automatically be presented as separate diagnoses.
- Prepare a service chronology. Record relevant duties, incidents, exposures, symptom onset, treatment and progression. This helps connect the diagnosis with the particular service relied upon.
- Identify the applicable liability pathway. Check whether presumptive liability, a medical event on duty, a Statement of Principles factor, aggravation or another MRCA test may apply.
- Separate primary conditions from their consequences. A condition caused by another accepted condition may be claimable, but it should have its own accurate diagnosis and supporting medical reasoning. Some recognised sequelae may qualify for streamlined consideration where the corresponding causal condition is already accepted.
- Check whether treatment caused another condition. The MRCA can recognise an injury or disease caused or aggravated by treatment for an earlier service condition, or arising as an unintended consequence of treatment provided by the ADF in connection with service.
A carefully framed veteran claim should distinguish between symptoms, diagnosed conditions, aggravations and consequential conditions. This reduces the risk that DVA investigates the wrong medical issue or treats several descriptions of the same condition as separate claims.
Can a pre-existing condition be claimed?
A condition does not necessarily need to have first arisen during service. Liability may be accepted where defence service aggravated a pre-existing injury or disease, or materially contributed to the aggravation of its signs or symptoms.
Under the MRCA, an aggravation is not usually treated as a separate diagnosis. If the applicable requirements are met, the underlying injury or disease may be treated as a service injury or service disease, although some compensation may be restricted to the impairment resulting from the service-related aggravation.
Where a service-related condition later worsens because of further defence service, DVA may also need to determine whether service caused an additional aggravation. The evidence should distinguish ordinary progression from worsening attributable to service.
Are previously accepted VEA or DRCA conditions still recognised?
Conditions accepted under the VEA or DRCA before 1 July 2026 are automatically recognised under the MRCA. Veterans do not need to lodge another liability claim or re-establish the service connection for those conditions, and existing payments generally continue under the previous entitlement.
However, new conditions and claims concerning deterioration or aggravation lodged from 1 July 2026 are assessed under the MRCA. Where a previously rejected condition is claimed again, the earlier matter ordinarily needs to have been finally determined and the new claim must be supported by new or additional evidence. New presumptive liability provisions may themselves constitute additional evidence in an appropriate case.
The purpose of preparing a focused claim
The aim is not to identify the greatest possible number of DVA claimable conditions or submit every symptom as an independent claim. It is to provide DVA with a coherent account supported by accurate diagnoses, service records and medical reasoning.
An unfocused claim can create delay, duplicate issues and make it harder to identify the correct legal test. A focused claim should clearly identify each condition, the service connection relied upon and the evidence supporting that connection.
Before lodging or reviewing a claim
A list of common DVA medical conditions may help a veteran recognise an issue worth investigating, but it cannot determine whether liability will be accepted. The result depends on the diagnosis, service history, applicable liability pathway and supporting evidence.
KSC Law can review a proposed or decided veteran claim, identify potentially omitted DVA claimable conditions and assess DVA’s reasons against the relevant evidence and legal criteria. We can also explain the available review pathway where a condition has been rejected or the wrong issue appears to have been assessed.