Most veterans assume the Veteran Card - All Conditions, better known as the Gold Card, is reserved for the worst cases: total incapacity, a body that has stopped cooperating, or a life that has fallen apart. That assumption stops a lot of eligible veterans from ever lodging a claim. The real bar sits lower than almost anyone expects.
Gold Card thresholds under MRCA
60 points
The standard MRCA impairment threshold for Gold Card eligibility, any age.
30 points
For veterans under 70 on a Service Pension, income and assets permitting.
70 points + ADA
Pension age, with a lifestyle rating of 6 or above, via the Additional Disablement Amount.
50 points + SRDP
Unable to work more than 10 hours a week: a TPI-embossed Gold Card, with extra concessions.
The MRCA is now the only pathway for new claims
Since 1 July 2026, the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA) is the only Act accepting new compensation and rehabilitation claims, replacing the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA) and the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988 (DRCA) for new lodgements. Claims already lodged, and payments already being made, under the VEA or DRCA before that date continue as before.
The 60-point threshold
Under the MRCA, a veteran may be eligible for the Gold Card once assessed at 60 or more impairment points. That's a defined number based on medical evidence, not a subjective judgement about how much someone is struggling. There's no requirement to be unable to work, and no requirement that the condition be catastrophic.
Two lower-threshold pathways
Two other pathways sit even lower. A veteran under 70 receiving a Service Pension may be eligible with an impairment rating of just 30 points, provided their income and assets sit under the relevant limits. A veteran who has reached pension age, assessed at 70 or more impairment points with a lifestyle rating of 6 or above, may be eligible through the Additional Disablement Amount (ADA). Neither of these requires a diagnosis of last resort. They require a number and a claim.
The SRDP pathway and the TPI-embossed Gold Card
There's a fourth pathway too, and it works a little differently. A veteran assessed at 50 or more impairment points, who is unable to work more than 10 hours a week because of their accepted conditions, may be eligible for the Special Rate Disability Pension (SRDP). Veterans found eligible for SRDP receive a Gold Card embossed with 'TPI', a different physical card to the plain Gold Card issued through the pathways above. That embossing unlocks additional concessions from state and local governments, on top of the standard Gold Card cover already in place.
DVA compensation and CSC superannuation are separate systems
Here's the part almost nobody explains until it matters: a veteran's compensation under the VEA or DRCA, and a veteran's superannuation death benefit through the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC), sit under two separate systems. One is compensation for service. The other is superannuation the veteran paid into over a career. A family may be eligible under both at the same time (offsetting rules can apply, and the specifics depend on the scheme and payment type involved, so it's worth confirming for your situation). Nobody has to pick one.
What this means for you
Eligibility comes down to a number and a pathway, not an assessor's read on how much a family is struggling. This is easy to miss, and it's common for veterans to go years without realising they already qualified. It's also new for anyone who was previously covered only under the DRCA: a worsening of an accepted condition by at least 5 impairment points, or a newly accepted MRCA condition, can open a path to the Gold Card that didn't exist before, once their overall impairment reaches 60 points or more.
Frequently asked questions
Related guides
What the DRCA deadline actually covers, and what it doesn't
Initial liability, permanent impairment, and how impairment points build toward the same 60-point Gold Card threshold.
Your existing DVA claim is safe: what actually changes on 1 July 2026
Why existing Gold Card and White Card holders are unaffected, and what a new claim looks like under MRCA.
Two things almost no one tells you about your DVA and CSC money
How DVA compensation and CSC superannuation are treated as separate systems, and where that can catch families off guard.
Lavender Bear is an independent veteran services platform. This article is general information only and does not constitute legal, financial, or DVA/CSC claims advice.