What can I claim secondary to sleep apnoea?
14 conditions in the Repatriation Medical Authority's Statements of Principles list sleep apnoea as a factor. If DVA has accepted your sleep apnoea, each of these has a documented pathway to a further claim.
At a glance
- Accepted conditionSleep apnoea
- Conditions it may open14
- 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 sleep apnoea, and another condition's SoP lists sleep apnoea 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 sleep apnoea 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.
Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter
RH No. 1 of 2023 · BoP No. 2 of 2023
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (33): “having obstructive sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical onset of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter” [clinical onset] — factor (77): “having obstructive sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical worsening of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter” [worsening]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (32): “having obstructive sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical onset of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter” [clinical onset] — factor (69): “having obstructive sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical worsening of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter” [worsening]
Carotid artery disease
RH No. 54 of 2020 · BoP No. 55 of 2020
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (21): “having obstructive sleep apnoea for at least the one year before the clinical onset of carotid artery disease” [clinical onset] — factor (46): “having obstructive sleep apnoea for at least the one year before the clinical worsening of carotid artery disease” [worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
RH No. 45 of 2024 · BoP No. 46 of 2024
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (69): “having sleep apnoea at the time of clinical onset” [clinical onset]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (54): “for brain ischaemia only, having sleep apnoea at the time of clinical onset” [clinical onset]
Cluster headache
RH No. 57 of 2018 · BoP No. 58 of 2018
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (4): “having sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical onset of cluster headache” [clinical onset] — factor (7): “having sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical worsening of cluster headache” [worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Deep vein thrombosis
RH No. 35 of 2021 · BoP No. 36 of 2021
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (12): “having sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical onset of deep vein thrombosis” [clinical onset]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (10): “having sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical onset of deep vein thrombosis” [clinical onset]
Dental malocclusion
RH No. 19 of 2019 · BoP No. 20 of 2019
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (6): “using a mandibular repositioning appliance for treatment of snoring or obstructive sleep apnoea for at least five hours per night, on at least five days per week, for at least the four months before the clinical onset of dental malocclusion” [clinical onset] — factor (15): “using a mandibular repositioning appliance for treatment of snoring or obstructive sleep apnoea for at least five hours per night, on at least five days per week, for at least the four months before the clinical worsening of dental malocclusion” [worsening]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (6): “using a mandibular repositioning appliance for treatment of snoring or obstructive sleep apnoea for at least five hours per night, on at least five days per week, for at least the four months before the clinical onset of dental malocclusion” [clinical onset] — factor (15): “using a mandibular repositioning appliance for treatment of snoring or obstructive sleep apnoea for at least five hours per night, on at least five days per week, for at least the four months before the clinical worsening of dental malocclusion” [worsening]
Note: mandibular repositioning appliance is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Epilepsy
RH No. 84 of 2022 · BoP No. 85 of 2022
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (15): “having obstructive sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical onset of epilepsy” [clinical onset] — factor (36): “having obstructive sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical worsening of epilepsy” [worsening] — factor (42): “inability to use continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) ventilation for diagnosed sleep apnoea, at the time of the clinical worsening of epilepsy” [worsening]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (15): “having obstructive sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical onset of epilepsy” [clinical onset] — factor (34): “having obstructive sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical worsening of epilepsy” [worsening] — factor (39): “inability to use continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) ventilation for diagnosed sleep apnoea, at the time of the clinical worsening of epilepsy” [worsening]
Heart block
RH No. 23 of 2022 · BoP No. 24 of 2022
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (27): “having obstructive sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical onset of heart block” [clinical onset] — factor (60): “having obstructive sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical worsening of heart block” [worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Hypertension
RH No. 21 of 2022 · BoP No. 22 of 2022
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (9): “having sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical onset of hypertension” [clinical onset] — factor (34): “having sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical worsening of hypertension” [worsening]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (9): “having sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical onset of hypertension” [clinical onset] — factor (27): “having sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical worsening of hypertension” [worsening]
Ischaemic heart disease
RH No. 27 of 2025 · BoP No. 28 of 2025
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (39): “having sleep apnoea for at least the 1 year before clinical onset or clinical worsening” [onset and worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Panic disorder
RH No. 55 of 2018 · BoP No. 56 of 2018
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (6): “having sleep apnoea within the ten years before the clinical onset of panic disorder” [clinical onset] — factor (18): “having sleep apnoea within the ten years before the clinical worsening of panic disorder” [worsening]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (6): “having sleep apnoea within the five years before the clinical onset of panic disorder” [clinical onset] — factor (17): “having sleep apnoea within the five years before the clinical worsening of panic disorder” [worsening]
Pulmonary thromboembolism
RH No. 37 of 2021 · BoP No. 38 of 2021
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (9): “having sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical onset of pulmonary thromboembolism” [clinical onset]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (8): “having sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical onset of pulmonary thromboembolism” [clinical onset]
Restless legs syndrome
RH No. 113 of 2022 · BoP No. 114 of 2022
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (12): “having narcolepsy or obstructive sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical onset of restless legs syndrome” [clinical onset] — factor (30): “having narcolepsy or obstructive sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical worsening of restless legs syndrome” [worsening]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (20): “having obstructive sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical worsening of restless legs syndrome” [worsening]
Sick sinus syndrome
RH No. 66 of 2022 · BoP No. 67 of 2022
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (16): “having obstructive sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical onset of sick sinus syndrome” [clinical onset] — factor (41): “having obstructive sleep apnoea at the time of the clinical worsening of sick sinus syndrome” [worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Note: obstructive sleep apnoea is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Other accepted conditions that also open atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter
If any of these is also on your file, it reaches some of the same conditions sleep apnoea does.
What DVA means by sleep apnoea
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.
Sleep apnoea, for the purposes of the Statement of Principles, for the purposes of this Statement of Principles, sleep apnoea: (a) means chronic sleep-related disordered breathing characterised by periods of cessation or reduction in airflow in the upper airway, leading to arousals from sleep and disrupted sleep architecture, which has been diagnosed by a specialist physician; and (b) includes: (i) central sleep apnoea; (ii) mixed sleep apnoea; and (iii) obstructive sleep apnoea.
Aggravation-only factors. In this instrument, subsections 9(10) to 9(20) apply only to material contribution to, or aggravation of, sleep apnoea where it was already present before or during service. If service caused sleep apnoea outright, those factors are not available to you.
RH No. 68 of 2022 · BoP No. 69 of 2022 · 18 factors
What could support a claim for sleep apnoea?
The Statement of Principles for sleep apnoea 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 sleep apnoea claim — quoted here from the instrument.
Human immunodeficiency virus infection
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (8): “for obstructive sleep apnoea only: (a) having hypothyroidism, including Hashimoto thyroiditis that has resulted in hypothyroidism, at the time of the clinical onset of obstructive sleep apnoea; (b) having chronic obstruction or chronic narrowing of the upper airway at the time of the clinical onset of obstructive sleep apnoea; (c) being obese at the time of the clinical onset of obstructive sleep apnoea; (d) being in a supine position when sleeping for at least the 6 months before the clinical onset of obstructive sleep apnoea; or (e) taking protease inhibitors as antiretroviral drugs for human immunodeficiency virus infection before the clinical onset of obstructive sleep apnoea” [clinical onset]
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (18): “for obstructive sleep apnoea only: (a) having hypothyroidism, including Hashimoto thyroiditis that has resulted in hypothyroidism, at the time of the clinical worsening of obstructive sleep apnoea; (b) having chronic obstruction or chronic narrowing of the upper airway at the time of the clinical worsening of obstructive sleep apnoea; (c) being obese at the time of the clinical worsening of obstructive sleep apnoea; (d) being a supine position when sleeping for at least the 6 months before the clinical worsening of obstructive sleep apnoea; or (e) taking protease inhibitors as antiretroviral drugs for human immunodeficiency virus infection before the clinical worsening of obstructive sleep apnoea” [worsening]
Hashimoto thyroiditis
Balance of Probabilities — factor (7): “for obstructive sleep apnoea only: (a) having hypothyroidism, including Hashimoto thyroiditis that has resulted in hypothyroidism, at the time of the clinical onset of obstructive sleep apnoea; (b) having chronic obstruction or chronic narrowing of the upper airway at the time of the clinical onset of obstructive sleep apnoea; (c) being obese at the time of the clinical onset of obstructive sleep apnoea; or (d) Being in a supine position when sleeping for at least the 6 months before the clinical onset of obstructive sleep apnoea” [clinical onset]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (16): “for obstructive sleep apnoea only: (a) having hypothyroidism, including Hashimoto thyroiditis that has resulted in hypothyroidism, at the time of the clinical worsening of obstructive sleep apnoea; (b) having chronic obstruction or chronic narrowing of the upper airway at the time of the clinical worsening of obstructive sleep apnoea; (c) being obese at the time of the clinical worsening of obstructive sleep apnoea; or (d) Being in a supine position when sleeping for at least the 6 months before the clinical worsening of obstructive sleep apnoea” [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 →
Sleep apnoea accepted?
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