What is Qualifying Service?
Qualifying service is one criteria for getting a Service Pension. It also means that you may be entitled to the Veteran Gold Card when you turn 70, giving you access to the Veterans’ Pharmaceutical Reimbursement Scheme.
What you can get if you have Qualifying Service?
You may be able to receive the Service Pension. If you are an Australian veteran you may also be able to receive other benefits.
If certain eligibility is met you may be entitled to a Veteran Gold Card.
Who has qualifying service
You may be considered to have qualifying service if you are any of the following:
- An Australian veteran
- An allied veteran
- A Commonwealth veteran
You may have qualifying service if you served between 2 September 1939 and 29 October 1945 and are either:
- A civilian who performed certain tasks in aid of the Australian war effort
- A person regarded as a member of the Australian armed forces
There are different eligibility requirements for other conflicts. Depending on the conflict, to have qualifying service you may need to have served in any of the following:
- In operations against the enemy
- In an operational area during certain time periods; and/or
- At a time when you incurred danger from hostile forces of the enemy
When you are not eligible
You are not eligible for qualifying service as an Allied Veteran or Allied Mariner if you have at any time either:
- Served in the forces of a country, or allies of country, that was at war with Australia
- Engaged in hostile operations against Australia
Service during the Second World War
You may have performed qualifying service if you served overseas between 2 September 1939 and 29 October 1945 (inclusive) and incurred danger from hostile forces of the enemy.
Service inside Australia
You may have qualifying service if you are an Australian veteran of the Second World War and served either:
- For a continuous 3 months in the Northern Territory above 14.5 degrees south latitude. This covers service in and around Darwin during the period of Japanese air attacks.
- In other areas of Australia that were subject to enemy attack. You will need to provide a statement to DVA describing how you incurred danger from hostile forces of the enemy.
Service after the Second World War
You may have qualifying service from either:
- A pre-1998 deployment overseas to an operational area defined in Schedule 2 of the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA) if you were allotted for duty on operations in that area;
- A deployment which the Minister for Defence has declared to be warlike service
Operations that may count as qualifying service are listed below in the Post Second World War Operations Table. Please note that the requirements and eligibility for benefits are different for Commonwealth and Allied veterans of post Second World War conflicts.
Service for Commonwealth and Allied veterans
You may be considered a Commonwealth or allied veteran with qualifying service if you served prior to 12 January 1973 and incurred danger from a hostile force in any of the following conflicts:
- Second World War
- Korean War
- Malaya Emergency
- Other war-like operations from 31 July 1962 to 11 January 1973
Service in bomb and mine clearance operations
You may have qualifying service if you were awarded the Naval General Service Medal or General Service Medal (Army and Royal Air Force) with one of the following medals or clasps:
- the Mine-sweeping 1945-51 Clasp
- the Bomb-Mine Clearance 1945-53 Clasp
- the Bomb and Mine Clearance 1945-49 Clasp
- the Bomb and Mine Clearance 1945-56 Clasp
Service on submarines between 1978 and 1997
You may have qualifying service if you served in submarine operations between 1978 and 1997 for which the Australian Service Medal (ASM) with Clasp Special Ops was awarded.
Service on submarines between 1978 and 1997
You may have qualifying service if you served in submarine operations between 1978 and 1997 for which the Australian Service Medal (ASM) with Clasp Special Ops was awarded.
Post Second World War Operations Table
Listed in full in VEA Schedule 2 – Operational Areas.
| Location | Start date | End date | Operation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 7 October 2001 | 31 December 2014 | Operation Enduring Freedom |
| 1 December 2001 | 31 December 2014 | Operation Ariki | |
| 18 April 2003 | 5 July 2004 | Operation Palate | |
| 17 July 2003 | 31 December 2014 | Operation Athena | |
| 11 August 2003 | 31 December 2014 | International Security Assistance Force | |
| 1 September 2004 | 31 December 2014 | Operation Herrick | |
| 27 June 2005 | 10 March 2017 | Operation Palate II | |
| 1 January 2015 | 8 October 2021 | Operation Highroad | |
| 28 April 2016 | ongoing | Operation Augury | |
| Cambodia | 20 October 1991 | 7 October 1993 | VEA, Schedule 2, Item 12 |
| East Timor | 16 September 1999 | 23 February 2000 | Operations Faber and Stabilise |
| 16 September 1999 | 10 April 2000 | Operation Warden | |
| 20 February 2000 | 19 May 2002 | Operation Tanager | |
| 20 May 2002 | 17 August 2003 | Operation Citadel | |
| Gulf War of 1990/1991 | 2 August 1990 | 9 June 1991 | VEA, Schedule 2, Item 10 |
| Iraq | 23 February 1991 | 9 June 1991 | VEA, Schedule 2, Item 11 |
| 30 June 1991 | 12 January 2003 | Operation Jural | |
| 11 August 1991 | 15 December 1996 | Operation Provide Comfort | |
| 31 August 1992 | 12 January 2003 | Operations Southern Watch and Bolton | |
| 13 January 1993 | 19 January 1993 | VEA, Schedule 2, Item 15 | |
| 1 January 1997 | 12 January 2003 | Operation Northern Watch | |
| 18 March 2003 | 22 July 2003 | Operation Falconer | |
| 21 July 2008 | 14 December2013 | Operation Riverbank | |
| 9 August 2014 | ongoing | Operations Okra (the operational area changes of time) | |
| 16 July 2003 | 31 July 2009 | Operation Catalyst | |
| 1 January 2009 | 9 August 2011 | Operation Kruger | |
| 10 September 2018 | Ongoing | Operation Steadfast | |
| Korea | 27 June 1950 | 19 April 1956 | VEA, Schedule 2, Item 1 |
| Lebanon | 12 July 2006 | 14 August 2006 | Operation Paladin |
| Libya | 31 March 2011 | 31 October 2011 | NATO no-fly zone and maritime enforcement operation against Libya |
| Malaya | 29 June 1950 | 31 August 1957 | VEA, Schedule 2, Item 2 |
| Malaya and Singapore | 1 September 1957 | 31 July 1960 | VEA, Schedule 2, Item 3 |
| Malay-Thai border | 1 August 1960 | 16 August 1964 | VEA, Schedule 2, Item 5 |
| Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei | 17 August 1964 | 14 September 1966 | VEA, Schedule 2, Item 7 |
| Mali | 1 April 2020 | Ongoing | Operation Orenda |
| Middle East Area of Operations (actual area varies according to date of service) | 11 October 2001 | 31 December 2014 | Operation Slipper |
| Namibia | 18 February 1989 | 10 April 1990 | VEA, Schedule 2, Item 9 |
| North East Thailand | 31 May 1962 | 27 July 1962 | VEA, Schedule 2, Item 3A (Ubon only) |
| 25 June 1965 | 31 August 1968 | VEA, Schedule 2, Item 3B (including Ubon) | |
| Rwanda | 25 July 1994 | 16 January 1996 | Operation Tamar |
| Sabah & Sarawak (now part of Malaysia) & Brunei | 8 December 1962 | 16 August 1964 | VEA, Schedule 2, Item 6 |
| Sierra Leone | 15 January 2001 | 28 February 2003 | Operation Husky |
| Somalia | 20 October 1992 | 30 November 1994 | VEA, Schedule 2, Item 14 |
| Syria | 9 September 2015 | ongoing | Operation Okra |
| Vietnam | 31 July 1962 | 11 January 1973 | VEA, Schedule 2, Items 4 & 8 |
| 12 January 1973 | 29 April 1975 | Australian Embassy Guards and RAAF evacuation personnel in Vietnam | |
| (Former) Yugoslavia | 12 January 1992 | 24 January 1997 | VEA, Schedule 2, Item 13 |
How to apply
You can apply for qualifying service online through MyService.
To access MyService, sign in to MyGov.
You may need to provide DVA with documentation such as:
- Service records
- A discharge certificate
All documents must be supplied as certified copies.
Important information
Qualifying service is based on actual hostilities. The dates that are accepted can differ from the formal dates of peace treaties and from the dates for operational service.
