What can I claim secondary to rotator cuff syndrome?
1 condition in the Repatriation Medical Authority's Statements of Principles list rotator cuff syndrome as a factor. If DVA has accepted your rotator cuff syndrome, each of these has a documented pathway to a further claim.
At a glance
- Accepted conditionRotator cuff syndrome
- 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 rotator cuff syndrome, and another condition's SoP lists rotator cuff syndrome 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 rotator cuff syndrome 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.
Adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder
RH No. 72 of 2020 · BoP No. 73 of 2020
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (4): “having rotator cuff syndrome of the affected side at the time of the clinical onset of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder” [clinical onset] — factor (15): “having rotator cuff syndrome of the affected side at the time of the clinical worsening of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder” [worsening]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (4): “having rotator cuff syndrome of the affected side at the time of the clinical onset of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder” [clinical onset] — factor (13): “having rotator cuff syndrome of the affected side at the time of the clinical worsening of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder” [worsening]
Other accepted conditions that also open adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder
If any of these is also on your file, it reaches some of the same conditions rotator cuff syndrome does.
What DVA means by rotator cuff syndrome
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.
Rotator cuff syndrome, for the purposes of the Statement of Principles, for the purposes of this Statement of Principles, rotator cuff syndrome: (a) means a clinically symptomatic inflammatory or degenerative disorder of the rotator cuff of the shoulder joint or the long head of biceps and their associated bursae; and (b) includes: (i) calcifying tendonitis of the shoulder; (ii) rotator cuff tear or rupture; (iii) rotator cuff impingement syndrome; (iv) rotator cuff tendinopathy or tendonitis; (v) subacromial impingement syndrome; (vi) supraspinatus syndrome; or (vii) tendonitis of the long head of the biceps; and (c) excludes adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder.
Note the exclusion. This instrument expressly excludes adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder. A diagnosis of that is not a diagnosis of rotator cuff syndrome, and a claim framed the wrong way fails on the definition before any factor is considered.
Aggravation-only factors. In this instrument, subsections 9(17) to 9(33) apply only to material contribution to, or aggravation of, rotator cuff syndrome where it was already present before or during service. If service caused rotator cuff syndrome outright, those factors are not available to you.
RH No. 109 of 2022 · BoP No. 110 of 2022 · 33 factors
What could support a claim for rotator cuff syndrome?
The Statement of Principles for rotator cuff syndrome names 2 other conditions among its own factors. If any of these is already accepted on your file, it may be the factor that carries a rotator cuff syndrome claim — quoted here from the instrument.
Joint instability
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (10): “having joint instability of the affected shoulder, or dislocation or subluxation of the affected shoulder joint before the clinical onset of rotator cuff syndrome” [clinical onset]
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (30): “having joint instability of the affected shoulder, or dislocation or subluxation of the affected shoulder joint before the clinical worsening of rotator cuff syndrome” [worsening]
Diabetes mellitus
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (16): “having diabetes mellitus before the clinical onset of rotator cuff syndrome” [clinical onset]
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (36): “having diabetes mellitus before the clinical worsening of rotator cuff syndrome” [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 →
Rotator cuff syndrome accepted?
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