A medical discharge from the ADF and entitlement to an invalidity pension are related, but they are separate decisions. Being unable to continue serving does not automatically establish a particular invalidity classification. CSC considers eligibility under your scheme and your assessed incapacity for relevant civilian employment.
The starting point is your scheme, the reason for your discharge and the medical evidence at the relevant time.
Before leaving service
Keep copies of your medical restrictions, specialist reports and transition documents. Record your skills, qualifications and experience, as well as the tasks your health prevents you from doing. CSC’s assessment considers how your retiring impairments affect your capacity for relevant civilian employment, not simply whether you can remain deployable. Retiring impairments are the medical conditions for which you are medically transitioned.
Ask which documents will be sent to CSC and retain your own copies. If something important is missing or inaccurate, raise it while the records are being prepared.
After receiving a classification
Read the reasons for the decision, not just the classification assigned. Check the medical conditions considered, the civilian employment types identified and any information about reconsideration. Military pension eligibility depends on the applicable scheme rules. Include any relevant DVA decision as background, rather than assuming it determines your CSC entitlement.
If you disagree with the decision, seek advice early and check any time limit stated in your decision letter. Reconsideration of the original decision is different from a review of your invalidity classification under the scheme’s ongoing review rules.
If you were not medically discharged
Retrospective invalidity may be relevant if you had medical conditions that would have justified a medical transition when you left the ADF. CSC considers whether you should have been medically transitioned at that time. Additional eligibility requirements may apply under your scheme.
A later diagnosis may help explain earlier symptoms, but it does not automatically establish entitlement. Service records, treatment history and a clinician’s explanation of your condition at the time you left service can help address that question.
The application pathway depends on your scheme. For DFRDB, you need to apply to the ADF so the relevant Service Chief can determine whether your transition can be treated as a medical transition. For MilitarySuper and ADF Cover, CSC assesses retrospective invalidity and may seek recommendations from the ADF, but these are not essential.
What to do next
Put your discharge documents, scheme details and medical records together. Include any CSC or Defence decision already received. KSC Law can review the timeline, explain the possible pathway and identify the evidence needed.
Book a free consultation if you are unsure whether your medical discharge or earlier transition has been properly considered.
Related reading: CSC claims lawyers for ADF members and veterans · CSC invalidity classification and review