Labral tear

Labral tear — DVA SoP factors

Every factor in the Repatriation Medical Authority Statements of Principles for Labral tear. DVA can only accept a claim for Labral tear 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. 36 of 2017 · BoP No. 37 of 20178 factors

Meaning of labral tear: For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, labral tear means: (a) an injury involving tearing of the fibrocartilaginous rim of the hip or shoulder joint resulting in local pain and tenderness, with or without accompanying symptoms and signs of popping, clicking, catching, instability or reduced range of motion; and (b) excludes degenerative tears of the labrum associated with osteoarthritis of the relevant joint, and acetabular labral tears associated with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome.

Reasonable Hypothesis (RH) — Statement of Principles No. 36 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 labral tear or death from labral tear with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:

(1)
having a significant physical force applied to or through the affected shoulder joint or the affected hip joint at the time of the clinical onset of labral tear;
(2)
performing forceful and repetitive motions of the affected shoulder joint or the affected hip joint, involving extremes of the normal range of motion, for at least four hours per week for the one month before the clinical onset of labral tear;
Note: Examples of activities involving forceful and repetitive motions of the shoulder at extremes of the normal range of motion may include swimming, basketball, football, line or rope handling, rope ladder climbing, loading ammunition, physical employment standards training and participating in obstacle courses, infantry minor tactics courses and high rope courses.
Note: Examples of activities involving forceful and repetitive motions of the hip at extremes of the normal range of motion may include golf, hockey, rowing, running, physical employment standards training and participating in obstacle courses and infantry minor tactics courses.
(3)
for labral tear of the hip joint only, being in the third trimester of pregnancy within the one week before the clinical onset of labral tear;
(4)
inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for labral tear;

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. 37 of 2017

4 factors

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

(1)
having a significant physical force applied to or through the affected shoulder joint or the affected hip joint at the time of the clinical onset of labral tear;
(2)
performing forceful and repetitive motions of the affected shoulder joint or the affected hip joint, involving extremes of the normal range of motion, for at least four hours per week for the one month before the clinical onset of labral tear;
Note: Examples of activities involving forceful and repetitive motions of the shoulder at extremes of the normal range of motion may include swimming, basketball, football, line or rope handling, rope ladder climbing, loading ammunition, physical employment standards training and participating in obstacle courses, infantry minor tactics courses and high rope courses.
Note: Examples of activities involving forceful and repetitive motions of the hip at extremes of the normal range of motion may include golf, hockey, rowing, running, physical employment standards training and participating in obstacle courses and infantry minor tactics courses.
(3)
for labral tear of the hip joint only, being in the third trimester of pregnancy within the one week before the clinical onset of labral tear;
(4)
inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for labral tear;

Accepted — what is it worth?

A Statement of Principles decides one thing only: whether DVA accepts liability for labral tear. 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.

Labral tear may be accepted without proving the link to service

Labral tear is listed in Part 2 of the determination as attributable to defence service, provided the criteria below are met.

Qualifying service: Any defence service.
Onset: during the qualifying service.

A diagnosis is still required, and the presumption may not apply where there is clear evidence of a cause other than service. "Onset" means when an injury was sustained, or when all the signs and symptoms of a disease were first present — not the date of diagnosis. Applies to claims made on or after 1 July 2026.