Many existing ground reinforced embankments are experiencing deterioration, meanwhile the risk of rockfall is aggravated by the weathering and the infiltration of rainfall. However, research on the assessment of the residual characteristics and efficiency of post-impact embankments is currently insufficient. This article conducts model experiments to observe the deformation behavior and damage evolution of embankments impacted by multiple medium-energy rockfalls, and to investigate the mode of energy dissipation. The experimental results show that the deformation evolution of the embankments undergoes three phases: soil compaction, interfacial slip between geo-inclusions, and backward leaning. The dissipative kinetic energy is dissipated by soil compaction and friction between geo-inclusions, and the proportions of energy dissipated by the two modes in the three phases are ≥9:1, 9:1~7:3, and 7:3~5:5. The dissipation capacity and the distribution of dissipated energy are affected by geometry of cross-section at which the impact occurs. The simplified damage assessment criterion, based on the geometries of the cross-section during the successive impacts, is proposed to assess the current damage degree of post-impact embankments. And the precision and applicability of the criterion can be improved by understanding the structural deformation evolution and deformation mechanism in each phase. The proposed criterion is proven feasible by its agreement with experimental results. These findings should be beneficial to the design of ground reinforced embankments. Highlights: The deformation evolution of GREs is divided into soil compaction, interfacial slip between geo-inclusions and backwards leaning. The impact energy is dissipated by soil compaction and friction between geo-inclusions. The proportions of energy dissipated by the two modes in the three phases are ≥ 9:1, 9:1~7:3, and 7:3~5:5. A simplified damage assessment criterion is proposed to assess the residual efficiency of the post-impact embankments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]