9.5.2.1 Eligibility under the MRCAETS

To be eligible under the MRCAETS, individuals must be an eligible child, which includes:

• an eligible young person who is a dependant of a member or former member who:
  • is eligible, or was at some point, for the Special Rate Disability Pension (SRDP) under section 199 of the MRCA;
  • is eligible, or was at some point, for payment of an ‘Additional Disablement Amount’ under section 220A of the MRCA;
  • suffers an impairment that constitutes 80 or more impairment points under Part 2 of Chapter 4 of the MRCA due to one or more service injuries or diseases;  
  • was a dependant of the member in respect of whom section 12 of the MRCA applies.
• a VEA eligible child; or
• a VEA eligible grandchild (limited to the Long Tan Bursary).

An eligible young person (is someone who is:

• under 16 years old; or
• between 16 and 25, undertaking full-time education (including an Australian Apprenticeship, Traineeship or cadetship) and
• not ordinarily engaged in full-time work on his or her own account.

A student may be eligible for the MRCAETS under the ‘EYP pathway’ if they both meet the definition of an eligible young person and they are a dependant of a veteran who satisfies the relevant eligibility criteria as outlined above. See 9.5.2.3 for guidance on assessing whether a person is a dependant.  

A VEA eligible child is someone who is:  

• a child of a veteran who is receiving (or was receiving prior to their death) a disability compensation payment under the VEA:
  • at the special rate (formerly known as T&PI)
  • at the Extreme Disablement Adjustment (EDA) rate
  • at an increased rate because of multiple amputations, or multiple amputations and blindness in one eye, or  
• a child of a veteran whose death was war-caused or defence-caused, or  
• a child of a veteran who was an Australian prisoner of war and is now deceased.  

A child of veteran is someone who is:

• under 16 years old; or
• Between 16 and 25, undertaking full-time education (including an Australian Apprenticeship, Traineeship or cadetship), and
• wholly or substantially dependent on an eligible veteran (or was prior to their death)

A student may be eligible for MRCAETS under the ‘VEA eligible child’ pathway if they both meet the definition of child of a veteran and are wholly or substantially dependent on a veteran who satisfies the relevant eligibility criteria as outlined above. See 9.5.2.3 for guidance on assessing whether a person is a dependant.  

A student who is 25 years or older is still eligible for the MRCAETS where:

• before turning 25, the person begun a course of education or training provided under the scheme; and
• the person turns 25 before finishing the course; and
• after turning 25, the person continues the course in order to finish it.

For more information on the eligible young person definition, see section 7.9 of the MRCA Policy Manual 7.9.1 Who is an Eligible Young Person? | CLIK.