Immersion pulmonary oedema

Immersion pulmonary oedema — DVA SoP factors

Every factor in the Repatriation Medical Authority Statements of Principles for Immersion pulmonary oedema. DVA can only accept a claim for Immersion pulmonary oedema 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. 34 of 2017 · BoP No. 35 of 20174 factors

Meaning of immersion pulmonary oedema: For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, immersion pulmonary oedema means: (a) a condition in which acute pulmonary oedema develops while swimming or diving; and (b) excludes acute pulmonary oedema attributed to pulmonary decompression sickness, acute myocardial infarction or an acute exacerbation of chronic heart failure.

Reasonable Hypothesis (RH) — Statement of Principles No. 34 of 2017

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 immersion pulmonary oedema or death from immersion pulmonary oedema with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:

(1)
undertaking swimming or underwater diving at the time of the clinical onset of immersion pulmonary oedema;
(2)
inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for immersion pulmonary oedema;

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. 35 of 2017

2 factors

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

(1)
undertaking swimming or underwater diving at the time of the clinical onset of immersion pulmonary oedema;
(2)
inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for immersion pulmonary oedema;

Accepted — what is it worth?

A Statement of Principles decides one thing only: whether DVA accepts liability for immersion pulmonary oedema. 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.