What Makes a DVA Psychiatric Assessment Comprehensive? GARP, Tools & Process
When you attend a psychiatric assessment for a DVA claim, the quality and thoroughness of that assessment directly affects your compensation outcome. A comprehensive assessment isn’t just about getting a diagnosis—it’s about documenting the full extent of your impairment in a way that DVA delegates can use to accurately calculate your entitlements.
Yet not all psychiatric assessments are equal. Some veterans receive rushed evaluations that fail to capture the true impact of their conditions, while others receive thorough assessments that support accurate impairment ratings and appropriate compensation.
This guide explains what goes into a comprehensive DVA psychiatric assessment, why each component matters for your claim, and how to recognise whether your assessment meets the standard required for fair compensation.
Why Assessment Depth Matters for Your Claim
DVA uses a structured system to calculate permanent impairment compensation. Under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act (MRCA), your compensation is determined by combining two key factors: your medical impairment rating (measured in impairment points) and your lifestyle rating (how your conditions affect daily functioning).
The psychiatric assessment report provides the evidence DVA needs to assign these ratings. If the report is incomplete, lacks objective data, or fails to document functional impacts, the delegate may have insufficient information to assign an accurate impairment rating—often resulting in lower compensation than the veteran deserves.
The Stakes Are Significant
- 60+ impairment points: Qualifies you for a Gold Card, providing free healthcare for all conditions
- Higher impairment ratings: Translate directly to higher lump sum or periodic payments
- Accurate lifestyle ratings: Reflect the true impact on your employment, relationships, and daily activities
- Thorough documentation: Reduces the likelihood of appeals and reassessments
Reality Check: A rushed 30-minute assessment simply cannot capture the information needed to support accurate ratings for conditions like PTSD, depression, or anxiety.
Understanding GARP: How Impairment Points Are Calculated
The Guide to the Assessment of Rates of Veterans’ Pensions (GARP) is the legislative instrument DVA uses to calculate permanent impairment. There are two versions: GARP V for claims under the Veterans’ Entitlements Act (VEA), and GARP M for claims under MRCA. Both use substantially similar assessment tables for psychiatric conditions.
How Psychiatric Impairment Is Assessed Under GARP
GARP contains specific tables for rating psychiatric impairment. The assessment considers two main components:
- Medical Impairment: The degree of psychiatric impairment based on clinical findings. This includes the severity and persistence of symptoms, the impact on cognitive and emotional functioning, and the level of treatment required.
- Lifestyle Effects: How your accepted conditions affect four key areas of your life:
- Recreation and community activities: Your ability to participate in social and leisure activities
- Employment and domestic activities: Your capacity to work and manage household responsibilities
- Personal relationships: Your ability to maintain social, sexual, and interpersonal relationships
- Mobility: Your ability to move about effectively in carrying out ordinary activities
The psychiatric assessment must provide sufficient detail for a delegate to rate each of these areas. Without comprehensive documentation of functional impacts, the lifestyle rating may not accurately reflect your situation.
Why GARP Experience Matters
Many psychiatrists provide excellent clinical care but lack familiarity with DVA’s specific assessment requirements. A clinician who doesn’t understand GARP may:
- Focus on diagnosis without adequately documenting functional impairment
- Fail to address all four lifestyle effect domains
- Use clinical language that doesn’t translate to GARP rating criteria
- Underestimate impairment because they’re comparing to clinical populations rather than healthy individuals
Psychometric Testing: The Objective Foundation
Psychometric testing provides standardised, validated measures of symptom severity that support clinical observations. These tools have been extensively researched in veteran populations and provide objective data that strengthens your assessment.
Key Instruments Used in DVA Assessments
- PCL-5 (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5): The gold standard self-report measure for PTSD symptoms. Research in veteran populations has established its strong psychometric properties.
- PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9): A validated measure of depression severity with established thresholds for mild, moderate, and severe depression.
- GAD-7 (Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7): A measure of anxiety severity specifically validated in veteran populations.
- AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test): Screens for hazardous or harmful alcohol consumption, which commonly co-occurs with PTSD.
Why Testing Takes Time
Completing psychometric measures properly requires time. Rushing through questionnaires or skipping them entirely means the assessment lacks objective data to support the clinical opinion.
A comprehensive battery of psychometric tests, combined with proper scoring and interpretation, typically takes 30-45 minutes. This is in addition to the clinical interview and mental state examination.
Components of a Comprehensive DVA Psychiatric Assessment
DVA’s guidelines, developed in consultation with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP), outline specific requirements for psychiatric reports. A thorough assessment includes:
Detailed Clinical Interview (60-90 minutes)
- Personal history: Background, childhood, education, and pre-service functioning
- Military service history: Roles, deployments, operational experiences, and identified stressors
- Symptom development: When symptoms began, how they’ve progressed, and their relationship to service
- Treatment history: Previous and current treatments, response to treatment, and compliance
- Functional impact: How symptoms affect work, relationships, social activities, and daily functioning
- Risk assessment: Current risk of self-harm or harm to others
Mental State Examination (MSE)
The MSE is a structured clinical assessment of your current psychological functioning. It provides an objective snapshot of your mental state at the time of assessment, covering appearance, speech, mood, thought process, perception, cognition, and insight.
Documentation Review
A thorough assessment includes review of relevant documentation, such as service records, previous medical reports, and incident reports. This helps verify the service connection and provides context for the clinical presentation.
DVA-Compliant Report
The final report must address specific DVA requirements, including:
- DSM-5 diagnoses with supporting criteria
- Clear connection between conditions and military service
- Compliance with Statements of Principles (SOPs) timeframes
- Assessment of impairment using GARP criteria
- Detailed documentation of lifestyle effects
- Prognosis and treatment recommendations
The 2-3 Hour Assessment: Why Shortcuts Cost Veterans
A comprehensive DVA psychiatric assessment typically takes 2-3 hours. This includes time for the clinical interview, psychometric testing, mental state examination, and discussion of your circumstances.
Some providers offer shorter assessments, but this raises questions about thoroughness. Consider what can realistically be achieved:
- 30-minute assessment: May cover basic history and diagnosis but cannot adequately document functional impairment or complete psychometric testing.
- 60-minute assessment: Allows for clinical interview but limited time for testing and detailed functional assessment.
- 2-3 hour assessment: Allows comprehensive interview, full psychometric battery, thorough MSE, and detailed functional assessment.
The time invested in a thorough assessment pays dividends in the accuracy of your impairment rating and the strength of your claim.
Red Flags: Signs of an Inadequate Assessment
Be aware of warning signs that an assessment may not meet DVA requirements:
- Very short duration: Assessments under 90 minutes are unlikely to be comprehensive
- No psychometric testing: Relying solely on clinical interview misses objective symptom measurement
- Limited functional assessment: Questions focus only on symptoms, not on how they affect your life
- No documentation review: The psychiatrist hasn’t reviewed relevant service or medical records
- Lack of DVA experience: The clinician is unfamiliar with SOPs, GARP, or DVA report requirements
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use my treating psychiatrist for a DVA assessment?
Your treating psychiatrist can provide reports for DVA, and this evidence is valuable. However, treating clinicians may not be familiar with specific DVA requirements or GARP assessment criteria. An independent assessment from a DVA-experienced psychiatrist can complement treating clinician reports, particularly for permanent impairment claims.
What if my previous assessment was inadequate?
If you believe a previous assessment didn't capture the full extent of your impairment, you can request a new assessment. For permanent impairment claims, reassessments are possible when conditions have worsened (at least 5 impairment points increase). For initial liability claims that were rejected, new evidence from a comprehensive assessment may support an appeal to the Veterans Review Board.
Do psychometric test scores directly determine my impairment points?
Psychometric scores don't directly translate to impairment points. They provide objective evidence of symptom severity that supports the clinical assessment. The psychiatrist integrates test results with clinical observations, history, and functional assessment to form an opinion on impairment. DVA delegates then use the complete report to assign ratings under GARP.
How do I know if a psychiatrist is experienced with DVA claims?
Ask about their experience with DVA reports, their understanding of Statements of Principles and GARP, and their typical assessment duration. A DVA-experienced psychiatrist will be familiar with these terms and can explain how they structure their assessments to meet DVA requirements.
Book with March Ahead
At March Ahead, we understand that a psychiatric assessment is the foundation of your compensation claim. Our assessments are 2-3 hours long, fully DVA-compliant, and include full psychometric testing.
Crisis Support
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis:
- Emergency: 000
- Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling: 1800 011 046 (24/7)
- Lifeline: 13 11 14
- Safe Zone Support: 1800 142 072