What can I claim secondary to osteoarthritis?
1 condition in the Repatriation Medical Authority's Statements of Principles list osteoarthritis as a factor. If DVA has accepted your osteoarthritis, each of these has a documented pathway to a further claim.
At a glance
- Accepted conditionOsteoarthritis
- Conditions it may open1
- 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 osteoarthritis, and another condition's SoP lists osteoarthritis 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 osteoarthritis 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.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
RH No. 93 of 2021 · BoP No. 94 of 2021
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (13): “having osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis involving the affected wrist or hand at the time of the clinical onset of carpal tunnel syndrome” [clinical onset] — factor (30): “having osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis involving the affected wrist or hand at the time of the clinical worsening of carpal tunnel syndrome” [worsening]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (12): “having osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis involving the affected wrist or hand at the time of the clinical onset of carpal tunnel syndrome” [clinical onset] — factor (28): “having osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis involving the affected wrist or hand at the time of the clinical worsening of carpal tunnel syndrome” [worsening]
Note: inflammatory arthritis is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Other accepted conditions that also open carpal tunnel syndrome
If any of these is also on your file, it reaches some of the same conditions osteoarthritis does.
What DVA means by osteoarthritis
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.
Osteoarthritis, for the purposes of the Statement of Principles, for the purposes of this Statement of Principles, osteoarthritis: (a) means a degenerative joint disorder with: (i) clinical manifestations of pain, impaired function and stiffness; and (ii) osteophytes or loss of articular cartilage; and (b) excludes acute articular cartilage tear and osteochondritis dissecans.
Note the exclusion. This instrument expressly excludes Acute articular cartilage tear and osteochondritis dissecans. A diagnosis of that is not a diagnosis of osteoarthritis, and a claim framed the wrong way fails on the definition before any factor is considered.
Aggravation-only factors. In this instrument, subsections 9(24) to 9(47) apply only to material contribution to, or aggravation of, osteoarthritis where it was already present before or during service. If service caused osteoarthritis outright, those factors are not available to you.
BoP No. 62 of 2017 · 47 factors
What could support a claim for osteoarthritis?
The Statement of Principles for osteoarthritis names 7 other conditions among its own factors. If any of these is already accepted on your file, it may be the factor that carries a osteoarthritis claim — quoted here from the instrument.
Fracture
Balance of Probabilities — factor (3): “having an intra-articular fracture of the affected joint before the clinical onset of osteoarthritis in that joint” [clinical onset]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (26): “having an intra-articular fracture of the affected joint before the clinical worsening of osteoarthritis in that joint” [worsening]
Acute articular cartilage tear
Balance of Probabilities — factor (7): “having an acute articular cartilage tear of the affected joint within the 25 years before the clinical onset of osteoarthritis in that joint” [clinical onset]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (30): “having an acute articular cartilage tear of the affected joint within the 25 years before the clinical worsening of osteoarthritis in that joint” [worsening]
Frostbite
Balance of Probabilities — factor (9): “having frostbite involving the affected joint before the clinical onset of osteoarthritis in that joint” [clinical onset]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (32): “having frostbite involving the affected joint before the clinical worsening of osteoarthritis in that joint” [worsening]
Osteonecrosis
Balance of Probabilities — factor (11): “having necrosis of the subchondral bone near the affected joint, including that from dysbaric osteonecrosis, before the clinical onset of osteoarthritis in that joint” [clinical onset]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (34): “having necrosis of the subchondral bone near the affected joint, including that from dysbaric osteonecrosis, before the clinical worsening of osteoarthritis in that joint” [worsening]
Chondromalacia patella
Balance of Probabilities — factor (18): “for osteoarthritis of the patello-femoral joint only, having chondromalacia patella before the clinical onset of osteoarthritis in that joint” [clinical onset]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (41): “for osteoarthritis of the patello-femoral joint only, having chondromalacia patella before the clinical worsening of osteoarthritis in that joint” [worsening]
Joint instability
Balance of Probabilities — factor (22): “having joint instability or dislocation of the affected joint, at least one year before the clinical onset of osteoarthritis in that joint” [clinical onset]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (45): “having joint instability or dislocation of the affected joint, at least one year before the clinical worsening of osteoarthritis in that joint” [worsening]
Femoroacetabular impingement syndrome
Balance of Probabilities — factor (23): “for osteoarthritis of a hip joint only, having femoroacetabular impingement syndrome of the affected joint, before the clinical onset of osteoarthritis in that joint” [clinical onset]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (46): “for osteoarthritis of a hip joint only, having femoroacetabular impingement syndrome of the affected joint, before the clinical worsening of osteoarthritis in that joint” [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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