Chemical burn

Chemical burn — DVA SoP factors

Every factor in the Repatriation Medical Authority Statements of Principles for Chemical burn. DVA can only accept a claim for Chemical burn 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. 3 of 2024 · BoP No. 4 of 20244 factors

Meaning of chemical burn: For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, chemical burn: (a) means an injury to the skin and external body covering tissues due to external contact with chemical agents; and (b) includes chemical burns of deep tissues and organs that are part of a multiple chemical burn injury that includes injury to the skin and external body covering tissues; and (c) excludes irritant contact dermatitis.

Reasonable Hypothesis (RH) — Statement of Principles No. 3 of 2024

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 chemical burn or death from chemical burn with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:

(1)
having contact with vesicant or corrosive chemicals sufficient to cause at least erythema at the affected area of the body within the 48 hours before the clinical onset of chemical burn;
(2)
inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for chemical burn before the clinical worsening of chemical burn;

Aggravation-only factors: the factors in subsection 9(2) 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. 4 of 2024

2 factors

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

(1)
having contact with vesicant or corrosive chemicals sufficient to cause at least erythema at the affected area of the body within the 48 hours before the clinical onset of chemical burn;
(2)
inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for chemical burn before the clinical worsening of chemical burn;

Accepted — what is it worth?

A Statement of Principles decides one thing only: whether DVA accepts liability for chemical burn. 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.