DVA Claims
Dr Thomas Perkins
The expert in veterans’ medicolegal medicine — Expert DVA Doctor.
Dr Thomas Perkins is the founding doctor at the Veterans Health Centre in Ipswich, Queensland, and the leading expert in veterans’ medicolegal work in Australia. He has spent over 13 years working exclusively with current and former Australian Defence Force members — treating conditions, writing reports, and navigating the DVA system alongside them.
With 100,000+ DVA claims submitted and over 2,000 Permanent Impairment Assessments completed, Dr Perkins brings a depth of experience that simply cannot be replicated from a textbook. He understands the Statements of Principles, the GARP tables, the imaging that proves what a physical examination alone cannot — and the difference that a properly written report makes at every level, from initial liability through to the VRB.
Every chart review, every diagnostic assessment, and every impairment rating is personally overseen by Dr Perkins. If you’re looking for a doctor who knows veterans medicine inside and out, you’ve found the right clinic.
DVA Reports written with precision.
The difference is the report. DVA decides on the document in front of them — every condition named, every SoP factor addressed, every finding referenced to the file. That is the work of an Expert DVA Doctor, not a template.
Chaotic records
Your file arrives as thousands of pages — handwritten PM 105 notes, scanned forms, imaging, and clinical shorthand. Injuries are buried in entries nobody has ever read end to end.
Organised by condition
The Chart Review reads every page and sorts every finding into a numbered condition folder — each with the source pages that prove it, and its DVA Statement of Principles identified.
Evidence DVA can accept
Each condition becomes a Diagnostic Assessment: the diagnosis, the referenced timeline, and every SoP factor argued to MET or NOT MET against the exact clinical entry — the document a delegate decides on.
Three of 319 example Diagnostic Assessments — open one and read the report exactly as DVA receives it.
319 example claims across 265 conditions — read the actual reports.
Every Diagnostic Assessment we write is the claim itself: the document a DVA delegate decides on. Browse them A to Z by condition, open any report in full and see the SoP factors argued to MET or NOT MET. All examples are fictitious-patient versions of real VHC work.
Quality in detail
See, in convenient video format, exactly what one of our Diagnostic Assessments looks like.
Affordable, upfront fees
Everything you need to unlock the claims in your medical history and progress your DVA claims in their entirety.
Complete Chart Review
Our doctor will look at every page of your medical documents — backed up with AI.
Diagnosis Forms, Diagnostic Assessments & Evidence Packs
Created for every condition already documented in your medical records.
History, Examination & Investigation
A thorough clinical work-up of any current injuries not yet in your records. (Private MRIs, where required, approximately $320 per scan paid directly to the imaging provider.)
Forms, Assessments & Evidence Packs for New Conditions
Diagnosis forms, diagnostic assessments and evidence packs created for newly identified conditions.
Everything you need to unlock the claims in your medical history — $600–$2,400 + GST, no further fees. Never a percentage of your compensation.
Every Claim. Every Factor. Every Time.
Most clinics, advocates and lawyers submit only a selection of the conditions in your documents. We find and submit all of them.
That is the correct way to do it, and there are four reasons why:
- Every condition that arose during service is claimable. It is a standard entitlement, not a favour — leaving conditions out simply forfeits it.
- Claiming everything maximises your healthcare. Each accepted condition widens what DVA will fund for you, including treatment under the White Card.
- Conditions that look minor rarely stay minor. A small injury or an untreated problem is often what a far more serious condition grows out of years later.
- One claim frequently depends on another. Acceptance of a seemingly unrelated or trivial condition is often what makes the larger claim provable.
Our philosophy is simple: every condition that arose from your service deserves recognition, whether it appears in your existing records or not. We begin with a thorough Chart Review, then sit with you to uncover the injuries you’ve been managing silently for years. Targeted imaging — primarily MRIs — objectively confirms every musculoskeletal condition. Beyond that, we pursue the full spectrum of internal medicine: gastroenterology, cardiology, metabolic conditions, and the rarer occupational presentations most clinics don’t touch.
If it can be linked to service, we make that link. 100,000+ claims submitted and 2,000 Permanent Impairment Assessments completed — every one prepared with the same commitment to detail. Because for our veterans, close enough is never good enough.
The rest of what we do.
Claims are where most veterans start, but they are not where the work ends. Each of these is run by the same doctor, on the same fixed-fee basis, and paid only once the stage is delivered.
Permanent Impairment Assessments
Once DVA accepts liability, compensation is decided by the impairment rating. Every accepted condition is examined and rated against the correct GARP table, with a full written report accompanying the DVA forms.
Ratings that survive medical adviser review — because the reasoning for every point is already on the page.
VRB & Determination Appeals
Rejected, or under-rated? We read the delegate’s decision line by line, identify every SoP factor missed or misapplied, and write the appeal document for you or your advocate to lodge.
The evidence that was missing the first time, answered against the actual reasons for refusal.
Retrospective Medical Discharge
Left the ADF without a medical discharge while your health was already affecting your capacity to work? We reconstruct the clinical picture as at your date of separation for a CSC retrospective invalidity application.
A reclassified discharge, with the invalidity benefit calculated from the date you left.
CSC Invalidity Class Appeals
Given a class of invalidity pension that does not reflect your actual incapacity? We assess your degree of incapacity properly and write the report supporting a reconsideration of Class A, B or C.
A classification decided on complete medical evidence rather than whatever CSC happened to hold.
Frequently asked questions
What does VHC actually do?
We are a doctor-led medicolegal practice for veterans. We read your entire medical record, examine you, arrange imaging where it is needed, and write the reports DVA and CSC decide on — Chart Reviews, Diagnostic Assessments, Permanent Impairment Assessments, retrospective discharge evidence and appeal documents.
Do I need an advocate or a lawyer as well?
Many veterans use one, and we work alongside them constantly. Advocates and lawyers lodge and argue; we produce the medical evidence the decision turns on. If you already have someone acting for you, we supply the reports straight to them.
What does it cost?
Every stage of claims, retrospective discharge and appeals work is $600 + GST. A Permanent Impairment Assessment is $1,500 + GST. Fees are fixed and quoted in writing before work starts, and payable only once the stage is delivered. We never take a percentage of your compensation.
Do you only see veterans in Ipswich?
No. We work with current and former ADF members Australia-wide. Records work is done wherever you are, and consultations are arranged in person at the Ipswich clinic or by telehealth where that is more practical.
Where do I start?
With a Chart Review. Every page of your record is read and organised by condition, so you can see what is claimable before deciding how far to take it. Nothing beyond that stage is committed until you say so.
Ready to find out what you can claim?
Start with a $600 + GST Chart Review. You’ll know within weeks exactly where you stand.