Animal envenomation

Animal envenomation — DVA SoP factors

Every factor in the Repatriation Medical Authority Statements of Principles for Animal envenomation. DVA can only accept a claim for Animal envenomation if at least one of these factors is met and connected to your service. Reasonable Hypothesis (RH) applies to operational service; Balance of Probabilities (BoP) applies to peacetime service.

Source: Repatriation Medical Authority Statements of Principles as held by the Veterans Health Centre. SoPs are amended and replaced regularly; always confirm the current instrument at rma.gov.au before relying on it.

RH No. 81 of 2016 · BoP No. 82 of 20168 factors

Meaning of animal envenomation: For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, animal envenomation means experiencing the toxic or hypersensitivity effects of contact with animal venom. (3) While animal envenomation attracts ICD-10-AM code T63, X20-X25, X26, X27 or X29, excluding specified and unspecified plants in X26 and X29, in applying this Statement of Principles the meaning of animal envenomation is that given in subsection (2). (4) For subsection (3), a reference to an ICD-10-AM code is a reference to the code assigned to a particular kind of injury or disease in The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM), Ninth Edition, effective date of 1 July 2015, copyrighted by the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, ISBN 978-1-76007-020-5.

Reasonable Hypothesis (RH) — Statement of Principles No. 81 of 2016

At least one of the following factors must as a minimum exist before it can be said that a reasonable hypothesis has been raised connecting animal envenomation or death from animal envenomation with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:

(1)
having external contact with venom from a venomous animal at the time of the clinical onset of animal envenomation;
Note: venomous animal is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(2)
having internal absorption of venom from a venomous animal, by means of a bite, sting or injection, within the three days before the clinical onset of animal envenomation;
Note: venomous animal is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(3)
having internal absorption of venom from a tick of the family Ixodidae within the 12 days before the clinical onset of animal envenomation;
(4)
inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for animal envenomation;

Aggravation-only factors: the factors in subsection 9(4) apply only to material contribution to, or aggravation of, the condition where it was suffered or contracted before or during (but did not arise out of) the person’s relevant service.

Balance of Probabilities (BoP) — Statement of Principles No. 82 of 2016

4 factors

At least one of the following factors must exist before it can be said that, on the balance of probabilities, animal envenomation or death from animal envenomation is connected with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:

(1)
having external contact with venom from a venomous animal at the time of the clinical onset of animal envenomation;
Note: venomous animal is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(2)
having internal absorption of venom from a venomous animal, by means of a bite, sting or injection, within the three days before the clinical onset of animal envenomation;
Note: venomous animal is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(3)
having internal absorption of venom from a tick of the family Ixodidae within the 12 days before the clinical onset of animal envenomation;
(4)
inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for animal envenomation;

Accepted — what is it worth?

A Statement of Principles decides one thing only: whether DVA accepts liability for animal envenomation. It says nothing about how much you are paid. Compensation is worked out separately, from impairment points under the GARP — so a condition can be accepted and still rate few points, or rate more than you expect once it is combined with everything else on your file.