If you're a DRCA veteran with conditions you've never claimed, here's where things stand now that the DRCA has closed to new claims.
On 30 June 2026, that door closed.
Not for everything. But for some things, yes.
What changed on 1 July 2026
DRCA closed
To new claims from 30 June 2026. Existing payments are unaffected.
New standard
Unclaimed conditions are now assessed under MRCA's Statement of Principles.
$49,608
Example lump sum from two accepted conditions combining to 19 impairment points.
What changed on 1 July 2026
From 1 July, all new compensation claims go through a single updated law called the MRCA, the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act. The two older laws, the DRCA and the VEA, stopped taking new claims.
If you were already receiving payments before 1 July, nothing changed. Those payments continue as before. You don't need to do anything to keep them.
But if you've got conditions you've never claimed, that knee you wrote off, the hearing problem you figured wasn't bad enough, the anxiety you've been dealing with on your own, what happens to those now is different from what would have happened before 30 June.
The part most veterans haven't been told
The evidential standard that made DRCA claims easier to win no longer applies to new claims. Since 1 July 2026, new claims for the same kinds of conditions face a higher bar under MRCA.
The evidential standard that changed
Under the DRCA, getting a claim accepted wasn't complicated. DVA had to be satisfied that it was more likely than not that your service caused or contributed to your condition. That's it.
Under MRCA, the current system, it works differently. Your condition needs to match specific criteria in a formal document called a Statement of Principles, published by the Repatriation Medical Authority. These documents spell out the exact factors that can connect a condition to your service. If your circumstances don't fit one of those factors, the claim is harder to get up.
Some things that would have gone through fine under DRCA now face a higher bar under MRCA.
If you didn't claim a condition under the DRCA before 30 June, you can no longer do so under that Act. MRCA is now the only option, and the rules are different.
That window has closed and doesn't reopen.
How combining conditions works under MRCA
Say you've got a shoulder injury and tinnitus. Under the old system, each condition had to hit a minimum threshold on its own to attract compensation. Heaps of veterans never claimed things that seemed minor because they figured they weren't serious enough.
Under MRCA, all your accepted conditions get combined. Together they might reach a level that unlocks real compensation, even if neither would have got there on its own.
A real example, from published DVA data
$49,608
Lump sum from combining an ankle condition and tinnitus.
Neither condition reached the threshold on its own. Combined under MRCA they scored 19 impairment points, enough for a $49,608 lump sum.
But the MRCA can only combine conditions that have already been accepted by DVA. If your tinnitus was never claimed, it can't be combined. If your shoulder was never lodged, it doesn't count.
Conditions you haven't claimed yet don't contribute to that combined score until they're accepted.
What claiming an unclaimed condition looks like now
The DRCA option for unclaimed conditions closed on 30 June 2026. If you've got a condition you've never claimed, it's now assessed under the MRCA, using the Statement of Principles standard described above, not the DRCA's lower evidential bar.
That doesn't mean the claim is unwinnable. It means the evidence has to line up with the specific factors published in the relevant Statement of Principles for that condition, rather than DVA simply weighing whether it's more likely than not that your service caused it.
Once accepted, the condition goes onto your DVA record and can combine with your other accepted conditions to count toward impairment points, the same combined-value mechanism behind the $49,608 example above.
Who this applies to
Check this list.
- You served before 2004, when the DRCA covered most peacetime service
- You have conditions, physical or mental, that you've never formally claimed
- You've mentioned a condition to a medic but never formally lodged it with DVA
- You've had a claim knocked back in the past and wondered whether to try again
- You have things that seem minor on their own but might add up
- Someone told you a condition wasn't serious enough to bother claiming
If you're not sure which Act covers your service, or whether you've got unclaimed conditions, that's exactly what a free review can clarify.
Where things stand now
The changes on 1 July were mostly good news. MRCA is simpler in some ways. Many veterans come out ahead under the new system.
If you've got conditions you've never lodged, the DRCA's lower evidential standard is no longer available for them. That's not a reason to assume a claim won't succeed under MRCA. It just means the evidence needs to map to the current Statement of Principles standard rather than the old balance-of-probabilities test.
A free review costs you nothing. Best case, you find out you've left money on the table. Worst case, you find out you haven't and you can stop wondering. Either way, it's worth knowing where you stand.
Frequently asked questions
Related guides
What the DRCA deadline actually covers, and what it doesn't
The initial liability vs permanent impairment distinction, and the three simultaneous payment streams for medically discharging ADF members.
Your existing DVA claim is safe: what actually changes on 1 July 2026
The full picture of what changed for existing payments, new claims, and everything in between.
Most veterans think the Gold Card bar is higher than it actually is
How the same combined impairment points from unclaimed conditions can also open the door to a Gold Card at 60 points.
Lavender Bear is an independent veteran services platform. This article is general information only and not legal or financial advice. The $49,608 figure comes from published DVA data and National Service Financial case studies. Your entitlements depend on your service history, accepted conditions, and circumstances.