Giant cell arteritis

Giant cell arteritis — DVA SoP factors

Every factor in the Repatriation Medical Authority Statements of Principles for Giant cell arteritis. DVA can only accept a claim for Giant cell arteritis 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. 11 of 2021 · BoP No. 12 of 20216 factors

Meaning of giant cell arteritis: For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, giant cell arteritis means a systemic autoimmune vasculitis that involves large and medium-sized arteries and principally affects the cranial branches of the carotid arteries.

Reasonable Hypothesis (RH) — Statement of Principles No. 11 of 2021

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 giant cell arteritis or death from giant cell arteritis with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:

(1)
having smoked at least 10 pack-years of tobacco products before the clinical onset of giant cell arteritis, and where smoking has ceased, the clinical onset of giant cell arteritis has occurred within 20 years of cessation;
Note: pack-year of tobacco products is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(2)
having smoked at least 10 pack-years of tobacco products before the clinical worsening of giant cell arteritis, and where smoking has ceased, the clinical worsening of giant cell arteritis has occurred within 20 years of cessation;
Note: pack-year of tobacco products is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(3)
inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for giant cell arteritis;

Aggravation-only factors: the factors in subsections 9(2) to 9(3) 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. 12 of 2021

3 factors

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

(1)
having smoked at least 10 pack-years of tobacco products before the clinical onset of giant cell arteritis, and where smoking has ceased, the clinical onset of giant cell arteritis has occurred within 20 years of cessation;
Note: pack-year of tobacco products is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(2)
having smoked at least 10 pack-years of tobacco products before the clinical worsening of giant cell arteritis, and where smoking has ceased, the clinical worsening of giant cell arteritis has occurred within 20 years of cessation;
Note: pack-year of tobacco products is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(3)
inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for giant cell arteritis;

Accepted — what is it worth?

A Statement of Principles decides one thing only: whether DVA accepts liability for giant cell arteritis. 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.