There's no average DVA payout for a knee injury, lumbar spondylosis or osteoarthritis, and DVA doesn't publish one or pay a set amount for any joint or back condition. If DVA accepts the condition as service-related, permanent impairment compensation depends on how much all your accepted conditions limit you (measured in impairment points), how they affect your daily life, and your type of service.
How DVA works out a knee or back payment
From 1 July 2026, all new claims are assessed under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA), whenever you served. The steps are:
- DVA accepts liability for the condition through an initial liability claim.
- The condition has stabilised and is likely to continue indefinitely. If it hasn't, for example while you wait for surgery, an interim payment may be possible.
- A medical practitioner measures how the condition limits you, and DVA rates it using Chapter 3 of the Guide to Determining Impairment and Compensation (GARP M 2026).
- The ratings for all your accepted conditions are combined (not added) into a total from 0 to 100 impairment points. You need at least 10 points to receive compensation.
- You complete the Lifestyle Rating form (D2670), and DVA gives a lifestyle rating from 0 to 7.
- GARP M turns the points and lifestyle rating into a compensation factor, which is higher for warlike and non-warlike service than for peacetime service. The factor is multiplied by the maximum weekly rate, $447.39, and any earlier VEA or DRCA compensation is taken into account.
Read DVA's permanent impairment information
How GARP M rates knees, hips and backs
Chapter 3 of GARP M rates how well your spine and limbs work:
- Both legs are rated together as one unit, so a bad knee and a bad ankle get one rating for the legs, not one each.
- The rating for the legs is the higher of a rating based on lost range of movement in the joints and one based on overall function, such as how far you can walk before pain stops you, how you manage stairs and uneven ground, and whether you need a walking aid.
- The spine gets two possible ratings, one for the neck (cervical spine) and one for the thoracic and lumbar spine. The neck is rated on range of movement. The thoracic and lumbar spine gets the higher of a range-of-movement rating and a rating for functional loss that movement doesn't capture. A crush fracture of a vertebra has its own rating, and the higher one is used.
- An extra rating can be given for frequent joint pain that continues when the joint is at rest, such as knee pain long after you stop walking.
- Most ratings for lost movement are adjusted for age, because some loss of movement is normal as people get older.
- A total knee or hip replacement has its own rating of 10 points. It's generally compared with your functional rating for the legs, and the higher one is used.
Knee and joint conditions DVA accepts automatically
Under presumptive liability, DVA accepts these conditions as service-related without you proving the link, if your service meets the criteria:
- an acute meniscal tear of the knee, acute articular cartilage tear, fracture, dislocation, joint instability, labral tear, or sprain or strain that began during any defence service
- internal derangement of the knee that began during service or within a year after it
- chondromalacia patella, patellar tendinopathy and iliotibial band syndrome (runner's knee), after more than 28 days of service, beginning during service or within 4 weeks after it
- osteoarthritis of a joint of the leg, after more than 200 days of peacetime service with onset during service or within 25 years after it, or more than 133 days of warlike or non-warlike service
- rotator cuff syndrome of the shoulder, after more than 210 days of peacetime service or 120 days of warlike or non-warlike service, beginning during service or within a month after it
Lumbar spondylosis, disc prolapse and other back conditions
DVA now treats lumbar spondylosis as thoracolumbar spondylosis. It's presumed service-related after more than 200 days of peacetime service with onset during service or within 25 years after it, or after more than 133 days of warlike or non-warlike service. A thoracolumbar disc prolapse is presumed after more than 148 weeks of peacetime service with onset within 5 years, or more than 504 days of warlike or non-warlike service with onset within 10 years.
The service periods count full-time service, exclude the first part of service, and don't apply if there's clear evidence something other than service caused the condition. You don't apply for presumptive liability separately. Read the presumptive liability determination.
If presumptive liability doesn't apply, DVA checks whether the injury happened on duty, which since 1 July 2026 is enough on its own. ADF-supervised sport or training during duty hours generally counts. This covers the injury itself, such as a fall or fracture, not a disease that develops later.
Otherwise DVA uses the Statements of Principles (SOPs). The thoracolumbar spondylosis SOPs are No. 13 of 2023 (reasonable hypothesis) and No. 14 of 2023 (balance of probabilities). The reasonable hypothesis SOP includes lifting loads of at least 20 kg to a total of at least 100,000 kg, or carrying loads of at least 20 kg for at least 3,800 hours, within any 10 years before the condition began, and trauma to the spine within 20 years before. The balance of probabilities SOP, used for peacetime service, sets a higher lifting total of 150,000 kg.
Cervical spondylosis (arthritis in the neck) isn't on the presumptive list, so DVA assesses it against SOPs No. 11 and No. 12 of 2023.
Read the thoracolumbar spondylosis SOPs
Treatment while you wait
Most of the conditions above, including lumbar and thoracic spondylosis, disc prolapse and osteoarthritis, are covered by Provisional Access to Medical Treatment (PAMT). If you lodge an MRCA claim for one of these by 30 June 2027, DVA can pay for treatment while it assesses the claim, and it won't ask you to repay it if the claim is refused.
How much the payout can be
DVA publishes weekly rates by impairment points. These are totals for all your accepted conditions.
| Impairment points | Weekly rate, warlike or non-warlike service | Weekly rate, peacetime service |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | $447.39 | $447.39 |
| 50 | $238.01 | $132.87 |
| 30 | $138.69 | $77.40 |
| 20 | $99.32 | $55.48 |
| 10 | $49.66 | $27.74 |
These are DVA's published MRCA rates from 1 July 2026, using the higher expected compensation factor for each level. Your lifestyle rating can move the amount up or down. See the full impairment points table.
As an illustration only: if a knee condition and a back condition combined to 30 impairment points from peacetime service, and your lifestyle rating matched the expected level, the weekly amount would be the 30-point figure in the peacetime column. A different lifestyle rating, earlier compensation or a mix of service types would change it.
The payment is tax-free and paid fortnightly, and you may be able to convert some or all of it to a lump sum based on your age. The choice is final.
If your knee or back gets worse
If an accepted condition worsens, for example osteoarthritis that leads to a knee replacement, you can claim additional compensation once your overall impairment has increased by at least 5 points. DVA takes what you've already been paid into account. Surgery and treatment for an accepted condition are covered by your Veteran White Card, and aids such as walking frames and rails can be provided when a health professional assesses that you need them.
If you disagree with a decision, you apply to the Veterans' Review Board within 12 months for MRCA decisions. Free advocates at ex-service organisations can help. Read about DVA reviews and appeals.
Common questions
Is osteoarthritis automatically accepted by DVA?
Osteoarthritis of a joint of the leg, such as the knee or hip, is presumed service-related if you meet the service tests above. Osteoarthritis elsewhere, such as the hands, isn't on the list, so DVA assesses it against the osteoarthritis SOPs.
Does DVA pay for a gym membership?
Generally no. DVA doesn't pay for gym memberships or general exercise programs outside treatment sessions. If an exercise physiologist uses a gym or pool as part of your treatment plan, you don't pay the access fee. A rehabilitation plan can occasionally include a one-off gym or pool membership of up to 3 months. Read about DVA allied health.
Checked against DVA's website on 25 September 2026.