Average DVA payout for a knee injury in 2026
Knee injuries are rated on lost movement or how much they limit your legs, whichever is higher. Many acute knee injuries that happen during service are now accepted for any length of service.
Rates and rules checked October 2026
Where knee injury sits on the impairment scale
The use-of-legs scale runs to 70 points for both legs together. The shading spans the worked examples below.
What knee injury pays at 2026 rates
These examples run typical ratings through DVA's compensation tables. Operations service (warlike or non-warlike) pays more than peacetime service at the same rating, up to 80 points where they meet.
| Example | Points | Operations service | Peacetime service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Some loss of movement, mild limits Use of lower limbs 5 | 5 | Under 10 points: not paid on its own, but counts towards your combined rating | |
| Ongoing instability, can't run or kneel Use of lower limbs 10 combined with pain 5 | 15 | $69.35/wk $84,746 lump sum | $38.92/wk $47,560 lump sum |
| Knee replacement, still limits walking Use of lower limbs 20, no separate points for the replacement | 20 | $99.32/wk $121,369 lump sum | $55.48/wk $67,797 lump sum |
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Estimate under the MRCA at 1 July 2026 rates. Takes about a minute.
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An estimate only, not what DVA will decide. Based on GARP M 2026 and DVA's published maximum of $447.39 a week.
Get a free claim checkHow DVA rates knee injury
Knees are assessed under Part 3.2 of GARP M 2026:
- Range of movement (Table 3.2.1): rated for each hip, knee and ankle, adjusted for age. Only the worst joint counts.
- Use of the lower limbs (Table 3.2.2): how both legs work together, 0 up to 70 points.
- Pain at rest (Table 3.4.1): 0, 2, 5, 10 or 15 points for frequent pain that continues after you stop using the joint.
Your legs are treated as one unit, so knee, hip and ankle problems don't each get their own rating. DVA takes the worst joint's movement rating or the use-of-legs rating, whichever is higher. A pain-at-rest rating is then combined with it using the Combined Values Chart.
A knee replacement doesn't add points by itself. It's rated on how well your legs work afterwards. The 10 points in Table 3.2.4 for a knee or hip replacement only apply when the main cause of your leg problems is a vascular condition, such as peripheral vascular disease.
Is knee injury accepted on diagnosis?
From 1 July 2026, these knee conditions are accepted for any length of defence service:
- Acute meniscal tear, fractures, sprains, strains, dislocations and joint instability, if they happened during service.
- Internal derangement of the knee, if it started during service or within a year after it.
Chondromalacia patella and patellar tendinopathy need more than 28 days of service, not counting the first 28, and must start during service or within 4 weeks after it. Knee osteoarthritis has its own service test (see osteoarthritis).
All new claims are decided under the MRCA from 1 July 2026. If you lodged before then, your claim is decided under the Act that applied when you lodged. What changed.
Common questions
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