Coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) — DVA SoP factors

Every factor in the Repatriation Medical Authority Statements of Principles for Coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19). DVA can only accept a claim for Coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) 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.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19)

RH No. 46 of 2020 · BoP No. 47 of 20204 factors

Meaning of coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19): For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) means an illness caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Reasonable Hypothesis (RH) — Statement of Principles No. 46 of 2020

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 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) or death from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19) with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:

(1)
being exposed to SARS-CoV-2 as specified within the 14 days before the clinical onset of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19);
Note: being exposed to SARS-CoV-2 as specified is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(2)
inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19);

Aggravation-only factors: the factors in subsection 8(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. 47 of 2020

2 factors

At least one of the following factors must exist before it can be said that, on the balance of probabilities, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) or death from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is connected with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:

(1)
being exposed to SARS-CoV-2 as specified within the 14 days before the clinical onset of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19);
Note: being exposed to SARS-CoV-2 as specified is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(2)
inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19);

Accepted — what is it worth?

A Statement of Principles decides one thing only: whether DVA accepts liability for coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19). 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.