DVA Advocate Fees

DVA Advocate Fees.
Your Entitlement Stays Yours.

Commission, outcome-linked and break fees, free ESO advocates, and a fixed fee. What each does to the money DVA owes you.

Book a Free Consultation → What a DVA Advocate Does
Who This Is For

Anyone About to Sign
With an Advocate.

You do not have to pay anyone to lodge a DVA claim. Over half are lodged by veterans themselves, and free ESO advocates exist. Paid help is for the complex claim: a stack of conditions, a knockback, or a medical separation.

In 2025 a Senate committee reported fee-for-service practices that harm veterans, and DVA has since put a ban on commission and contingency fees on the table. Until that is law, know the fee models before you sign.

Watch: Fixed Fee DVA Advocacy.

How Advocates Charge

Four Fee Models, and Where BAC Sits

Commission on Your Back Pay

A cut of the lump sum or back pay DVA sends you. DVA is aware of commission rates as high as 29%.

  • More conditions, more points, bigger cut
  • Rewards overstating impairment and needless tests
  • BAC takes no percentage of anything

Outcome-Linked Fees

DVA calls these contingency fees: a charge that switches on at a set number of impairment points or a Gold Card.

  • Rewards lodging everything, service-related or not
  • Low-quality claims clog the queue for everyone
  • BAC's fee never moves with points or cards

Free ESO Advocates

ESO advocates do not charge, though some may ask a small amount to cover incidental costs. ATDP-trained, insured, and bound by a code of ethics.

  • Find one on the DVA Advocacy Register at advocateregister.org.au
  • DVA also runs free Claims Lodgement Assistance
  • If one suits your claim, I will say so

Fixed Fee: How BAC Charges

One number, in writing, before any work starts. Not a percentage of anything, and nothing linked to the outcome.

  • Does not go up with impairment points or a Gold Card
  • Quoted, not published, because it depends on the work
  • Institute of Veterans' Advocacy member, veteran owned and led
What You'll Need

Before You Sign With Anyone

  • The total fee in writing before any work starts. A number, not a range.
  • Whether any part of it comes from your compensation, points or a card outcome.
  • What you owe if you stop, and whether that is tied to the work done.
  • Where your data is stored, plus qualifications, insurance and IVA membership.
Common Questions

What Veterans Ask About Fees

Is a percentage fee even legal?

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Not banned yet. DVA's consultation paper put bans on commission and contingency fees, unreasonable termination fees and "no win, no fee" advertising on the table. Until that is law, refusing a percentage fee is on you.

Are free ESO advocates worse than paid ones?

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No. DVA says paying does not guarantee faster processing, a successful outcome or more compensation. Paid help earns its keep on complex claims, and I will tell you if yours is not one.

What does BAC's fixed fee cover?

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Every eligible condition, the medical evidence, the lodgement, and chasing DVA until a decision lands. If DVA knocks something back, I work the review with you. BAC is not a law firm, and I say so when you need one.

Can I switch to BAC from another advocate?

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DVA says you can switch advocates. Read your contract first: some providers charge break fees well above the work done, and DVA says some veterans were never told. Bring the contract to the consult.

I wrote the full guide on choosing a DVA advocate so you can put seven questions to any advocate, including me. Fees bite hardest where the money is biggest, usually a permanent impairment claim, where a percentage comes straight out of your lump sum. Fixed fee. No percentage cuts. You know what it costs before we start.

Get the Number
Before You Sign.

A free chat with Kai, and a fixed fee in writing before anything is lodged.

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