Article at a glance
- Joint wear: the cartilage in a joint breaks down, causing pain, stiffness and reduced movement.
- Often secondary: it frequently follows an earlier joint injury that may already be accepted.
- Joint by joint: each affected joint is assessed separately and can be claimed.
- Imaging confirms it: X-rays showing the joint changes carry a claim a long way.
Osteoarthritis is one of the most claimed conditions among Australian veterans. Years of load, impact and old joint injuries often catch up with the knees, hips, ankles, shoulders and hands long after service ends.
This guide explains what osteoarthritis is, why it affects veterans, and how DVA approaches a claim, including the important secondary pathway. For the wider picture, see our DVA medical conditions hub and our explainer on the DVA impairment points table.
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is the wearing down of the cartilage that cushions a joint. As the cartilage thins, the bones rub more closely, which causes pain, stiffness, swelling and reduced movement. It most often affects weight-bearing and heavily used joints, the knees, hips and ankles, but also the shoulders, hands and spine. It tends to worsen gradually, so symptoms can appear years after the service that contributed to it.
Why it affects veterans, and the secondary pathway
There are two common routes for veterans. The first is cumulative load: marching, running, jumping and carrying weight over many years accelerates joint wear. The second, which many veterans overlook, is the secondary pathway, where osteoarthritis develops in a joint that was previously injured. If you tore a meniscus or damaged a ligament during service and that knee later develops arthritis, the arthritis can be claimed as a secondary condition to the original injury. It is worth reviewing what you already have accepted before assuming arthritis is unrelated.
If your arthritis followed a knee injury in particular, our guide to knee injury claims covers the original-injury side of the picture.
Can you claim osteoarthritis through DVA?
Yes. Osteoarthritis is a recognised condition with its own Statement of Principles, and it is assessed for each affected joint. Liability can be accepted where service caused the arthritis, where service materially aggravated it, or where it arises as a secondary condition to an accepted injury. As always, acceptance turns on the evidence and the factors in the relevant Statement, and the applicable legislation, MRCA, DRCA or the VEA, depends on when and where you served.
The evidence that helps
- A diagnosis naming the affected joint or joints
- Imaging, usually X-rays, confirming the arthritic changes
- Records of any earlier injury to the same joint during service
- Service history showing the physical demands of your roles
- A history of your symptoms and how they affect daily life
Naming the joint and confirming the diagnosis is the foundation. Our guide on getting the right DVA diagnosis covers how to approach that.
Impairment, treatment and compensation
If liability is accepted, treatment is funded through your DVA card, which can extend to physiotherapy, pain management, joint injections and surgery such as joint replacement. Because osteoarthritis usually affects several joints, it can carry meaningful weight in your overall impairment assessment, but how many points apply depends on the individual examination against the guide to determining impairment. Where more than one joint is involved, each is considered, so it is worth claiming them properly rather than lumping them together.
Frequently asked questions
Arthritis catching up with you?
Our expert team can help you connect osteoarthritis to your service or an earlier injury and prepare the evidence DVA looks for.
Related from KSC Law
- DVA medical conditions hub
- DVA knee injury claims
- DVA lumbar spondylosis claims
- DVA impairment points table
External resources
Frequently asked questions
Arthritis that develops in a joint because of an earlier injury or condition. If the original injury is service-related or already accepted, the arthritis can often be claimed as secondary to it.
Yes. Each affected joint is assessed on its own evidence, so multiple joints can be claimed, and each can contribute to your impairment assessment.
Age plays a role, but service factors and earlier injuries can cause or accelerate it. DVA assesses whether your service contributed, based on the evidence, not age alone.