What can I claim secondary to anxiety disorder?
7 conditions in the Repatriation Medical Authority's Statements of Principles list anxiety disorder as a factor. If DVA has accepted your anxiety disorder, each of these has a documented pathway to a further claim.
At a glance
- Accepted conditionAnxiety disorder
- Conditions it may open7
- SourceRMA SoPs
- Chart Review$600 + GST
How a secondary claim works
Some Statement of Principles factors are not about service at all — they name another condition. Where DVA has already accepted your anxiety disorder, and another condition's SoP lists anxiety disorder as a factor, that part of the next claim is already established on your file. How a secondary claim works, in full →
Conditions that list anxiety disorder as a factor
Quoted from the instrument. A pathway existing is not the same as a claim succeeding — each factor carries thresholds your record has to satisfy.
Cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
RH No. 45 of 2024 · BoP No. 46 of 2024
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (47): “having clinically significant anxiety disorder within the 1 year before clinical onset” [clinical onset]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Note: clinically significant is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Duodenal ulcer and duodenal erosion
RH No. 49 of 2024 · BoP No. 50 of 2024
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (20): “being diagnosed by a registered medical practitioner with anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder or panic disorder at the time of clinical onset or clinical worsening” [onset and worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Gastric ulcer and gastric erosion
RH No. 51 of 2024 · BoP No. 52 of 2024
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (22): “being diagnosed by a registered medical practitioner with anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder or panic disorder at the time of clinical onset or clinical worsening” [onset and worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Inflammatory bowel disease
RH No. 90 of 2020 · BoP No. 91 of 2020
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (9): “having a clinically significant depressive disorder or a clinically significant anxiety disorder for at least the one year before the clinical onset of inflammatory bowel disease” [clinical onset] — factor (20): “having a clinically significant depressive disorder or a clinically significant anxiety disorder for at least the one year before the clinical worsening of inflammatory bowel disease” [worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Note: clinically significant is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Ischaemic heart disease
RH No. 27 of 2025 · BoP No. 28 of 2025
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (27): “having one of following clinically significant disorders of mental health for at least the 5 years before clinical onset or clinical worsening; (a) adjustment disorder; (b) agoraphobia; (c) anxiety disorder; (d) depressive disorder; (e) panic disorder; (f) posttraumatic stress disorder; (g) schizophrenia; or (h) social anxiety disorder” [onset and worsening]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (19): “having one of following clinically significant disorders of mental health for at least the 5 years before clinical onset or clinical worsening; (a) adjustment disorder; (b) agoraphobia; (c) anxiety disorder; (d) depressive disorder; (e) panic disorder; (f) posttraumatic stress disorder; (g) schizophrenia; or (h) social anxiety disorder” [onset and worsening]
Note: clinically significant disorder of mental health is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Parkinson's disease and secondary parkinsonism
RH No. 55 of 2016
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (1): “for Parkinson's disease only: (a) inhaling, ingesting or having cutaneous contact with a pesticide from the specified list of pesticides, for a cumulative period of at least 1 000 hours, before the clinical onset of Parkinson's disease; (b) having moderate to severe traumatic brain injury more than 15 years before the clinical onset of Parkinson's disease; (c) inhaling trichloroethylene vapour in an enclosed space, or having cutaneous contact with trichloroethylene, for a cumulative period of at least 2 000 hours, at least 20 years before the clinical onset of Parkinson's disease; (d) an inability to undertake any physical activity greater than three METs for at least ten years within the 20 years before the clinical onset of Parkinson's disease; (e) consuming an average of at least one litre of milk per day for at least the 15 years before the clinical onset of Parkinson's disease; (f) consuming an average of at least 150 grams of cheese per day for at least the 15 years before the clinical onset of Parkinson's disease; (g) having clinically significant depressive disorder or generalised anxiety disorder at least 15 years before the clinical onset of Parkinson's disease; or (h) in a person with a history of a regular smoking habit as specified, having not smoked for at least the five years before the clinical onset of Parkinson's disease; Parkinson's Disease and Secondary Parkinsonism (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 55 of 2016) Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986” [clinical onset] — factor (35): “having clinically significant depressive disorder or generalised anxiety disorder for at least the five years before the clinical worsening of Parkinson's disease or secondary parkinsonism” [worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Note: specified list of pesticides is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Note: clinically significant is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Tinnitus
RH No. 84 of 2020 · BoP No. 85 of 2020
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (39): “having a clinically significant depressive disorder or a clinically significant anxiety disorder at the time of the clinical onset of tinnitus” [clinical onset] — factor (77): “having a clinically significant depressive disorder or a clinically significant anxiety disorder at the time of the clinical worsening of tinnitus” [worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Note: clinically significant is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Other accepted conditions that also open cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
If any of these is also on your file, it reaches some of the same conditions anxiety disorder does.
What DVA means by anxiety disorder
A claim is tested against the definition first. If the diagnosis on your file does not meet this wording, the factors below never get reached — so it is worth checking that what your doctor wrote matches what the instrument requires.
Anxiety disorder, for the purposes of the Statement of Principles, for the purposes of this Statement of Principles, anxiety disorder means: (a) generalised anxiety disorder; or (b) anxiety disorder due to another medical condition; or (c) substance/medication-induced anxiety disorder; or (d) other specified anxiety disorder or unspecified anxiety disorder; where: (3) generalised anxiety disorder meets the following criteria (derived from DSM-5-TR): (a) Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, about a number of events or activities (such as work or school performance); (b) The individual finds it difficult to control the worry; (c) The anxiety and worry are associated with 3 (or more) in an adult, or one or more in a child, of the following 6 symptoms (with at least some symptoms having been present for more days than not for the past 6 months): (i) restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge; (ii) being easily fatigued; (iii) difficulty concentrating or mind going blank; (iv) irritability; (v) muscle tension; or (vi) sleep disturbance (difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless, unsatisfying sleep); (d) The anxiety, worry or physical symptoms cause clinically significant di
Aggravation-only factors. In this instrument, subsections 9(31) to 9(60) apply only to material contribution to, or aggravation of, anxiety disorder where it was already present before or during service. If service caused anxiety disorder outright, those factors are not available to you.
RH No. 100 of 2023 · BoP No. 101 of 2023 · 48 factors
What could support a claim for anxiety disorder?
The Statement of Principles for anxiety disorder names 3 other conditions among its own factors. If any of these is already accepted on your file, it may be the factor that carries a anxiety disorder claim — quoted here from the instrument.
Epilepsy
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (14): “having epilepsy at the time of the clinical onset of generalised anxiety disorder” [clinical onset]
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (44): “having epilepsy at the time of the clinical worsening of anxiety disorder” [worsening]
Tinnitus
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (15): “having severe and permanent tinnitus at the time of the clinical onset of generalised anxiety disorder” [clinical onset]
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (45): “having severe and permanent tinnitus at the time of the clinical worsening of anxiety disorder” [worsening]
Substance use disorder
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (26): “having an alcohol use disorder or a substance use disorder at the time of the clinical onset of substance/medication-induced anxiety disorder” [clinical onset]
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (56): “having an alcohol use disorder or a substance use disorder at the time of the clinical worsening of anxiety disorder” [worsening]
Reviewed by Dr Thomas Perkins
Founding doctor, Veterans Health Centre · former RAAF aviation medical officer · 13 years working exclusively with ADF members and veterans. Full profile →
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