Section 319 specifies that a claims for compensation can be made in writing or orally. From 25 July 2018, legislative amendments to section 319 of the MRCA enables veterans to indicate orally, that he or she is seeking some form of compensation under the MRCA and for that oral indication to be treated as a valid claim. A claim made verbally will be dealt with in the same manner as claims that have been made in writing and are registered in accordance with the requirements of MRCA.
Previously, if a member or former member contacted the Department and indicate they are seeking compensation for their accepted conditions they would be required to put this into writing prior to the claim being treated as valid under the MRCA.
A client is now able to advise they wish to claim for compensation in one of the following ways:
- A tick in one of the boxes at question 23 on the MRCA claim form D2051; or
- The claimant's signature on the needs assessment; or
- Elect the benefit at the "Request for Benefits" section of the Online Single Claim Form (OSCF) for MRCA claims; or
- A written request for compensation.
No compensation is payable until DVA has received a claim by one of the above mechanisms.