If you're a DRCA veteran and you've got conditions you haven't claimed yet, read this before the end of June.
On 30 June 2026, that door closes.
Not for everything. But for some things, yes.
What's actually happening 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, stop taking new claims.
If you're already getting payments, nothing changes. Those are protected. 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 after 30 June is different.
The part most veterans haven't been told
The evidential standard that made DRCA claims easier to win disappears permanently on 30 June. After that date, new claims for the same conditions face a higher bar.
The rule that's quietly disappearing
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 new 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 will face a higher bar under MRCA.
If you haven't claimed a condition under the DRCA before 30 June, you can no longer do so. After that date, MRCA is the only option, and the rules are different.
That window doesn't reopen.
What you could lose by waiting
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.
The conditions you haven't claimed yet are the ones at risk right now.
What you gain by acting before 30 June
Lodge a claim for an unclaimed condition before 30 June and it gets assessed under the DRCA, with the lower standard. That gives it the best shot of getting accepted.
Once it's accepted it goes on your DVA record. From 1 July, when MRCA kicks in, it can be combined with your other accepted conditions. That could push you to higher impairment points and higher compensation.
An unclaimed condition won't become worthless on 1 July. But it will be harder to get accepted after that date. And every month you're not in the system is a month of entitlements you're not getting.
Does this apply to you?
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 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
Not sure which Act covers your service? Not sure if you've got unclaimed conditions? That's exactly what the free review is for.
A straight answer on timing
The changes on 1 July are mostly good news. MRCA is simpler. A lot of veterans will come out ahead under the new system.
But the window to claim under the DRCA's rules closes in 16 days. If you've got conditions you haven't lodged yet, that matters. Not because the new system is worse, just because the lower standard the DRCA used won't exist for new claims after this month.
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 worrying about it. Either way, worth knowing before 30 June.
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.