What can I claim secondary to osteoporosis?
6 conditions in the Repatriation Medical Authority's Statements of Principles list osteoporosis as a factor. If DVA has accepted your osteoporosis, each of these has a documented pathway to a further claim.
At a glance
- Accepted conditionOsteoporosis
- Conditions it may open6
- 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 osteoporosis, and another condition's SoP lists osteoporosis 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 osteoporosis 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.
Conductive hearing loss
RH No. 81 of 2019 · BoP No. 82 of 2019
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (3): “having osteoporosis at the time of the clinical onset of conductive hearing loss” [clinical onset] — factor (16): “having osteoporosis at the time of the clinical worsening of conductive hearing loss” [worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Fracture
RH No. 62 of 2024 · BoP No. 63 of 2024
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (6): “having osteoporosis at the time of the fracture non-union”
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Note: Fracture non-union is considered to be a clinical worsening of the fracture.
Pathological fracture
RH No. 64 of 2024 · BoP No. 65 of 2024
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (1): “having one of the following medical conditions involving the affected region of bone at the time of clinical onset: (a) benign neoplasm; (b) malignant primary or secondary neoplasm; (c) osteomalacia; (d) osteomyelitis; (e) osteonecrosis; (f) osteoporosis; or (g) Paget disease of bone” [clinical onset] — factor (5): “having osteoporosis at the time of the fracture non-union”
Balance of Probabilities — factor (1): “having one of the following medical conditions involving the affected region of bone at the time of clinical onset: (a) benign neoplasm; (b) malignant primary or secondary neoplasm; (c) osteomalacia; (d) osteomyelitis; (e) osteonecrosis; (f) osteoporosis; or (g) Paget disease of bone” [clinical onset]
Note: osteomalacia and osteonecrosis are defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Note: Fracture non-union is considered to be a clinical worsening of the pathological fracture.
Periodontitis
RH No. 27 of 2022 · BoP No. 28 of 2022
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (33): “having osteoporosis at the time of the clinical worsening of periodontitis” [worsening]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (33): “having osteoporosis at the time of the clinical worsening of periodontitis” [worsening]
Sensorineural hearing loss
RH No. 98 of 2019 · BoP No. 99 of 2019
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (18): “having osteoporosis at the time of the clinical onset of sensorineural hearing loss; Compilation No. 1 Compilation date: 30/05/2022 Authorised Version F2022C00587 registered 31/05/2022” [clinical onset] — factor (53): “having osteoporosis at the time of the clinical worsening of sensorineural hearing loss” [worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Tinnitus
RH No. 84 of 2020 · BoP No. 85 of 2020
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (13): “having osteoporosis at the time of the clinical onset of tinnitus” [clinical onset] — factor (51): “having osteoporosis at the time of the clinical worsening of tinnitus” [worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Other accepted conditions that also open conductive hearing loss
If any of these is also on your file, it reaches some of the same conditions osteoporosis does.
What DVA means by osteoporosis
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.
Osteoporosis, for the purposes of the Statement of Principles, for the purposes of this Statement of Principles, osteoporosis: (a) means a systemic bone disease characterised by low bone density resulting in a greater susceptibility to fracture (fragility fracture), where low bone mineral density is 2.5 standard deviations or more below the mean bone mineral density of young adult sex-matched controls (T score); or radiologically confirmed fragility fracture or loss of ≥20% of vertebral height due to fragility fractures; and the fragility fracture is not better explained by other types of bone pathology than osteoporosis; or anyone over 70 years with a low bone mineral density; or people with low bone density taking glucocorticoids for at least 3 months; and (b) excludes: (i) localised osteoporosis; (ii) Paget disease of bone; (iii) osteomalacia; (iv) osteonecrosis; (v) osteomyelitis; (vi) malignant or benign neoplasm of bone; and (vii) osteogenesis imperfecta.
RH No. 66 of 2024
What could support a claim for osteoporosis?
The Statement of Principles for osteoporosis 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 osteoporosis claim — quoted here from the instrument.
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (2): “having one of the following autoimmune diseases for at least the 1 year before clinical onset or clinical worsening; (a) ankylosing spondylitis; (b) dermatomyositis; (c) psoriatic arthritis; (d) rheumatoid arthritis; (e) systemic lupus erythematosus; or (f) systemic sclerosis” [onset and worsening]
Human immunodeficiency virus infection
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (3): “having human immunodeficiency virus infection for at least the 1 year before clinical onset or clinical worsening” [onset and worsening]
Multiple sclerosis
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (4): “having multiple sclerosis or Parkinson disease for at least the one year before clinical onset or clinical worsening” [onset and worsening]
Hodgkin lymphoma
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (6): “having myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma or systemic mastocytosis at the time of clinical onset or clinical worsening” [onset and worsening]
Diabetes mellitus
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (8): “having one of the following endocrine abnormalities for a continuous period of at least 1 year within the 10 years before clinical onset or clinical worsening; (a) Cushing syndrome; (b) Graves disease; (c) hyperprolactinaemia; (d) hyperthyroidism or thyrotoxicosis; (e) hypogonadism (including menopause); (f) primary hyperparathyroidism; or (g) type 1 diabetes mellitus” [onset and worsening]
Inflammatory bowel disease
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (9): “having one of the following gastrointestinal diseases at the time of clinical onset or clinical worsening; (a) chronic exocrine pancreatic insufficiency; (b) cirrhosis of the liver; (c) coeliac disease; or (d) inflammatory bowel disease” [onset and worsening]
Fracture
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (11): “for a minimal trauma fracture only, being pregnant within the 6 months before clinical onset” [clinical onset]
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 →
Osteoporosis accepted?
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