What can I claim secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus?
11 conditions in the Repatriation Medical Authority's Statements of Principles list systemic lupus erythematosus as a factor. If DVA has accepted your systemic lupus erythematosus, each of these has a documented pathway to a further claim.
At a glance
- Accepted conditionSystemic lupus erythematosus
- Conditions it may open11
- 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 systemic lupus erythematosus, and another condition's SoP lists systemic lupus erythematosus 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 systemic lupus erythematosus 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.
Acute myeloid leukaemia
RH No. 21 of 2024 · BoP No. 22 of 2024
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (14): “having one of the following autoimmune diseases before clinical onset: (a) autoimmune haemolytic anaemia; (b) giant cell arteritis; (c) pernicious anaemia; (d) polymyalgia rheumatica; (e) rheumatoid arthritis; (f) sarcoidosis; (g) systemic lupus erythematosus; (h) systemic vasculitis; or (i) ulcerative colitis” [clinical onset]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (12): “having one of the following autoimmune diseases before clinical onset: (a) autoimmune haemolytic anaemia; (b) giant cell arteritis; (c) pernicious anaemia; (d) polymyalgia rheumatica; (e) rheumatoid arthritis; (f) systemic lupus erythematosus; (g) systemic vasculitis; or (h) ulcerative colitis” [clinical onset]
Cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
RH No. 45 of 2024 · BoP No. 46 of 2024
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (10): “having one of the following systemic inflammatory disorders causing cerebral vasculitis at the time of clinical onset: (a) ankylosing spondylitis; (b) dermatomyositis; (c) inclusion body myositis; (d) polymyositis; (e) psoriatic arthritis; (f) rheumatoid arthritis; (g) systemic sclerosis (scleroderma); (h) Sjögren syndrome; or (i) systemic lupus erythematosus” [clinical onset]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (10): “having one of the following systemic inflammatory disorders causing cerebral vasculitis at the time of clinical onset: (a) ankylosing spondylitis; (b) dermatomyositis; (c) inclusion body myositis; (d) polymyositis; (e) psoriatic arthritis; (f) rheumatoid arthritis; (g) systemic sclerosis (scleroderma); (h) Sjögren syndrome; or (i) systemic lupus erythematosus” [clinical onset]
Ischaemic heart disease
RH No. 27 of 2025 · BoP No. 28 of 2025
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (25): “having one of the following systemic inflammatory rheumatological diseases at the time of clinical onset or clinical worsening: (a) ankylosing spondylitis; (b) dermatomyositis; (c) inflammatory bowel disease; (d) polymyositis; (e) psoriasis; (f) psoriatic arthritis; (g) rheumatoid arthritis; (h) Sjögren syndrome; (i) systemic lupus erythematosus; (j) systemic sclerosis” [onset and worsening]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (17): “having one of the following systemic inflammatory rheumatological diseases at the time of clinical onset or clinical worsening: (a) dermatomyositis; (b) polymyositis; (c) psoriasis; (d) psoriatic arthritis; (e) rheumatoid arthritis; (f) Sjögren syndrome; (g) systemic lupus erythematosus; (h) systemic sclerosis” [onset and worsening]
Malignant neoplasm of the anus and anal canal
RH No. 82 of 2022 · BoP No. 83 of 2022
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (7): “having systemic lupus erythematosus for at least 3 years before the clinical onset of malignant neoplasm of the anus or anal canal” [clinical onset]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Malignant neoplasm of the cervix
RH No. 80 of 2020 · BoP No. 81 of 2020
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (6): “having systemic lupus erythematosus within the five years before the clinical onset of malignant neoplasm of the cervix” [clinical onset]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Meniere disease and meniere syndrome
RH No. 68 of 2024 · BoP No. 69 of 2024
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (3): “having any of the following autoimmune diseases before clinical onset; (a) ankylosing spondylitis; (b) Hashimoto thyroiditis; (c) rheumatoid arthritis; (d) systemic lupus erythematosus; (e) Cogan syndrome; (f) Susac syndrome; (g) Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome; or (h) psoriatic arthritis” [clinical onset]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Myelodysplastic neoplasm (syndrome)
RH No. 76 of 2024 · BoP No. 77 of 2024
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (10): “having one of the following autoimmune diseases before clinical onset; (a) pernicious anaemia; (b) polymyalgia rheumatica; (c) rheumatoid arthritis; (d) systemic lupus erythematosus; or (e) Behcet's disease” [clinical onset]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Myocarditis
RH No. 17 of 2024 · BoP No. 18 of 2024
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (8): “having one of the following systemic inflammatory diseases: (a) antiphospholipid syndrome; (b) coeliac disease; (c) dermatomyositis; (d) Graves disease; (e) Hashimoto disease; (f) IgG4-related disease; (g) inflammatory bowel disease; (h) mixed connective tissue disease; (i) polymyositis; (j) psoriatic arthritis; (k) rheumatoid arthritis; (l) scleroderma (progressive systemic sclerosis); (m) Sjögren syndrome; or (n) systemic lupus erythematosus; at the time of clinical onset or clinical worsening” [onset and worsening]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (8): “having one of the following systemic inflammatory diseases: antiphospholipid syndrome; coeliac disease; dermatomyositis; Graves disease; Hashimoto disease; inflammatory bowel disease; polymyositis; rheumatoid arthritis; scleroderma (progressive systemic sclerosis); Sjögren syndrome; or systemic lupus erythematosus; at the time of clinical onset or clinical worsening” [onset and worsening]
Osteoporosis
RH No. 66 of 2024
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]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Trigeminal neuralgia or trigeminal neuropathy
RH No. 84 of 2024 · BoP No. 85 of 2024
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (11): “having one of the following inflammatory connective tissue diseases: (a) mixed connective tissue disease; (b) Sjögren syndrome; (c) systemic lupus erythematosus; (d) systemic sclerosis (scleroderma); at the time of clinical onset or clinical worsening” [onset and worsening]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (11): “having one of the following inflammatory connective tissue diseases: (a) mixed connective tissue disease; (b) Sjögren syndrome; (c) systemic lupus erythematosus; (d) systemic sclerosis (scleroderma); at the time of clinical onset or clinical worsening” [onset and worsening]
Tuberculosis
RH No. 47 of 2024 · BoP No. 48 of 2024
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (17): “having systemic lupus erythematosus before the clinical worsening of tuberculosis” [worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Other accepted conditions that also open acute myeloid leukaemia
If any of these is also on your file, it reaches some of the same conditions systemic lupus erythematosus does.
What DVA means by systemic lupus erythematosus
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.
Systemic lupus erythematosus, for the purposes of the Statement of Principles, for the purposes of this Statement of Principles, systemic lupus erythematosus: (a) means a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease characterised by the presence of antibodies directed against cell nuclei; and (b) includes: (i) drug induced systemic lupus erythematosus; (ii) lupus nephritis; and (iii) lupus pneumonitis; and (c) excludes: (i) subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus; (ii) discoid lupus erythematosus; and (iii) mixed connective tissue disease.
RH No. 47 of 2025 · BoP No. 48 of 2025 · 7 factors
What could support a claim for systemic lupus erythematosus?
The Statement of Principles for systemic lupus erythematosus names 1 other condition among its own factors. If any of these is already accepted on your file, it may be the factor that carries a systemic lupus erythematosus claim — quoted here from the instrument.
Posttraumatic stress disorder
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (12): “having posttraumatic stress disorder for at least the 3 months before clinical onset or clinical worsening” [onset and worsening]
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Systemic lupus erythematosus accepted?
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