DVA Fee Changes 2026: New Compensation Assessment Rates and Billing Integrity Rules

Key Takeaways

• DVA's updated fee guidance for compensation claim medical assessments and reports took effect on 9 February 2026, described by the Department as a "substantial increase" to bring rates closer to comparable jurisdictions.
• These compensation fees are now indexed every 1 July, in line with the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS), so the next adjustment lands on 1 July 2026.
• New GP consultation rates for compensation purposes (excluding GST) range from $49.90 (under 20 minutes) to $176.99 (home or hospital visit over 40 minutes); detailed clinical-notes reports run up to $217.87.
• You can bill one item number from each of the three guidance notes per request, and the fee applies to the whole request, not per condition.
• DVA pays only for reports it has requested. Reports requested by veterans, advocates, solicitors or dependants will not be paid, and pre-lodgement investigations should be billed to MBS, not DVA.
• Billing integrity enforcement has tightened: non-compliant practitioners face payment holds, refusal of Transaction Reference Numbers (TRNs), and referral to Ahpra, and altering a report drafted by an advocacy group may be treated as fraud.
• Separately, from 1 July 2026 the new VETS Act commences and all new compensation and rehabilitation claims will be decided under a single improved MRCA.

DVA updated the fees it pays GPs and specialists for compensation claim medical assessments and reports on 9 February 2026, calling it a substantial increase, and those fees will now be indexed annually on 1 July to match MBS indexation. Practices that see Veteran Card holders should update their fee tables, billing software and quoting before 1 July 2026 and review the tightened billing-integrity rules.

What DVA fee changes started in 2026, and what happens on 1 July 2026?

Two separate things are easy to conflate. First, the fee rise already happened: DVA's updated fee guidance for compensation claim medical assessments and reports applied from 9 February 2026. The Department says the new rates are "more consistent with comparable fees in other jurisdictions" and represent a "substantial increase in the fees payable for these reports since the last official update." Second, DVA confirmed these fees are now indexed on 1 July each year, consistent with the MBS, so the next movement is 1 July 2026.

A third, unrelated change also lands on 1 July 2026: the Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Act 2025 (the VETS Act) commences, and all compensation and rehabilitation claims lodged after that date will be determined under a single, improved version of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA). That is a claims-determination reform, not a fee change, but it is the reason "1 July 2026" appears across DVA's provider communications.

How much are the new DVA compensation assessment fees?

The fees below are the published GP rates effective 9 February 2026, excluding GST. Providing these reports to DVA attracts GST, and the amount must be itemised on your tax invoice. The rates are inclusive of administrative costs, which cannot be billed separately.

DVA notes it will rarely request or require the DCN04 level of detail. Any fee above the listed rate is not payable without prior written authorisation, which is granted only in exceptional circumstances (for example, practitioners with significant advanced training, or very complex or rare conditions requiring extensive investigation). Requests for above-rate fees must be made before the service is provided, by emailing compensation.trn.prior.approval@dva.gov.au or completing form D9551. DVA is consulting the Australian Medical Association on when above-rate fees are appropriate. Full figures are published in DVA's fee notes for GPs and specialists.

How do you bill DVA compensation reports correctly?

DVA pays for compensation reports only when a DVA officer has requested them. The Department will not pay for medical reports requested by other parties, including the veteran, their advocate, solicitor or dependants. Clinical investigations done before a claim is even lodged should be billed through MBS where eligible, not to DVA.

A few rules trip practices up. You may bill one item number from each of the three guidance notes per request, where relevant: one consultation item, one forms charge, and one clinical-notes item. The fee applies to the entire request, not to each condition, so a single request covering multiple conditions is still one set of items. Telehealth is generally not considered appropriate for completing DVA requests, and no additional fee is payable if a telehealth assessment is used. Once the paperwork is complete, use the Transaction Reference Number (TRN) DVA provides to upload your invoice and report to the Provider Upload Page. Itemise every invoice; invoices that do not meet these conditions may not be paid.

When are DVA fees indexed, and do they align with MBS?

DVA has confirmed that indexation of DVA medical and allied health services generally occurs annually on 1 July, consistent with indexation arrangements for the MBS. That means practices can expect DVA fees to move on the same date as the MBS each year, although DVA notes indexation arrangements may change subject to government policy. The current medical services fee schedules are effective 1 March 2026, and DVA publishes software vendor files (XML and XLSX) so practice management software can be updated with the latest fees. If your software vendor has not pushed the latest file, your billing may still be running on outdated rates. See DVA's fee schedules for GPs and specialists for the downloads and indexation note.

What is the DVA billing integrity crackdown?

Alongside the new fee guidance, DVA has increased active monitoring of invoices and set out consequences for non-compliance. This is the part most relevant to compliance-minded practices. Failure to comply with provider responsibilities may result in payment delays while invoices are reviewed, the practitioner being placed on hold (meaning invoices are not processed during an investigation), or, where inappropriate billing is repeated, DVA refusing to issue TRNs or accept and pay for that practitioner's reports.

DVA has also flagged two conduct issues for referral to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra). Medical providers receiving financial benefits from non-disclosed links to corporate structures will be referred to Ahpra. And modifying medical forms and reports may be treated as fraud and referred to Ahpra and law enforcement, including where a practitioner provides a report that is essentially drafted or completed by an advocate or advocacy group, or where a report is altered by an advocacy group before DVA receives it. DVA says these measures are not expected to affect most practitioners who bill appropriately, but the message is clear: the report must be the practitioner's own clinical work. The same billing-integrity logic that drives Medicare's 80/20 rule and PSR reviews now applies on the DVA side.

What does the VETS Act mean for providers from 1 July 2026?

From 1 July 2026, the VETS Act simplifies the current three-Act compensation system so that all new compensation and rehabilitation claims are determined under a single ongoing Act, an improved MRCA. For most veterans with service after 2004 there are few changes, but the reform responds to recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, and an independent oversight body, the Defence and Veterans' Services Commission, commenced on 29 September 2025. For providers, the practical effect is on how claims are framed and which legislation applies to a request, not on the consultation and report fees above. DVA has published more than 20 fact sheets, FAQs and scenarios at its legislation reform hub. See DVA's overview of the changes coming on 1 July 2026 for the full picture.

What should practices serving veterans do before 1 July 2026?

Treat this as a billing and compliance review, not just a price update:

• Update fee tables and billing software. Load the DVA item numbers and rates effective from 9 February 2026 (and confirm your vendor has applied the 1 March 2026 medical services schedule). Diarise the 1 July indexation so rates refresh annually.
• Fix your GST handling. Compensation reports attract GST that must be shown separately on the tax invoice. Confirm the listed rates are entered as GST-exclusive.
• Quote and bill against the three-note structure. Make sure staff know one item from each note can be billed per request, that the fee is per request not per condition, and that administrative costs are already included.
• Bill the right scheme. Route pre-lodgement clinical investigations to MBS, and only invoice DVA for work it has formally requested with a TRN.
• Lock down report integrity. Reports must be the practitioner's own work. Do not let advocates draft or alter reports, and disclose any corporate links. Above-rate fees need written approval via form D9551 before the service.
• Brief the team on enforcement. Make sure billing staff understand the new payment-hold and TRN-refusal risks, so a careless invoice does not put the whole practice on hold.

For practices already running MBS and telehealth billing compliance processes, the DVA changes slot into the same controls: a maintained fee schedule, clear quoting, itemised invoices and an audit trail. Because DVA indexation tracks the MBS, it also pays to align this review with your MBS update process.

Frequently Asked Questions

What DVA fee changes start on 1 July 2026?

Strictly, the compensation assessment fee rise took effect on 9 February 2026. What happens on 1 July 2026 is the annual indexation of DVA fees (in line with the MBS) and, separately, the commencement of the VETS Act, under which all new compensation and rehabilitation claims are determined by a single improved MRCA. Practices should refresh DVA rates in their software on 1 July.

How much are DVA compensation assessment fees increasing?

DVA describes the 9 February 2026 update as a "substantial increase" to align rates with comparable jurisdictions, but it has not published a single headline percentage. The new GP rates (excluding GST) run from $49.90 for a consultation under 20 minutes to $176.99 for a longer home or hospital visit, with clinical-notes reports from $40.28 up to $217.87 in exceptional cases.

When are DVA fees indexed each year?

DVA fees are generally indexed annually on 1 July. The Department states this is consistent with the indexation arrangements for the Medicare Benefits Schedule, though it notes arrangements may change subject to government policy. The first indexation of the new compensation fee rates applies from 1 July 2026.

Do DVA fee changes align with MBS indexation?

Yes. DVA confirms that indexation of its medical and allied health services generally occurs on 1 July, consistent with the MBS. That makes it efficient to review DVA and MBS fee updates together each year, since both move on the same date and your practice management software typically updates both via vendor files.

What do practices serving veterans need to update before 1 July 2026?

Update fee tables and billing software with the 9 February 2026 DVA rates, confirm GST is shown separately, and diarise the 1 July indexation. Bill one item per guidance note per request, route pre-lodgement investigations to MBS, only invoice for DVA-requested reports using the TRN, and ensure reports are the practitioner's own work to avoid payment holds or Ahpra referral.