{"id":"F2025L01644","name":"Statement of Principles concerning relapsing polychondritis (Balance of Probabilities) (No. 14 of 2026)","slug":"statement-of-principles-concerning-relapsing-polychondritis-balance-of-probabilities-no-14-of-2026","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":443119,"registerId":"F2025L01644-fast-fetch-1775958034838","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Statement of Principles concerning relapsing polychondritis (Balance of Probabilities) (No. 14 of 2026)","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![RMA Australian Government Coat of Arms](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nStatement of Principles\n\nconcerning\n\nRELAPSING POLYCHONDRITIS  (Balance of Probabilities)\n\n(No. 14 of 2026)\n\nThe Repatriation Medical Authority determines the following Statement of Principles under subsection 196B(3) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.\n\n \n\nDated 19 December 2025\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nProfessor Terence Campbell AM\n\nChairperson\n\nby and on behalf of\n\nThe Repatriation Medical Authority\n\n \n\n   \n\n\nContents\n\n1 Name\n\n2 Commencement\n\n3 Authority\n\n4 Repeal\n\n5 Application\n\n6 Definitions\n\n7 Kind of injury, disease or death to which this Statement of Principles relates\n\n8 Basis for determining the factors\n\n9 Factors that must exist\n\n10 Relationship to service\n\n11 Factors referring to an injury or disease covered by another Statement of Principles\n\nSchedule 1 - Dictionary\n\n1 Definitions\n\n \n\n \n\n\n\n\n1.                Name\n\n\nThis is the Statement of Principles concerning relapsing polychondritis (Balance of Probabilities) (No. 14 of 2026).\n\n1.                Commencement\n\n\n              This instrument commences on 19 January 2026.\n\n1.                Authority\n\n\nThis instrument is made under subsection 196B(3) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.\n\n1.                Repeal\n\n\nThe Statement of Principles concerning relapsing polychondritis (Balance of Probabilities) (No. 6 of 2017) (Federal Register of Legislation No. F2017L00008) made under subsection 196B(3) of the VEA is repealed.\n\n1.                Application\n\n\nThis instrument applies to a claim to which section 120B of the VEA or section 339 of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 applies.\n\n1.                Definitions\n\n\nThe terms defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary have the meaning given when used in this instrument.\n\n1.                Kind of injury, disease or death to which this Statement of Principles relates\n  1.           This Statement of Principles is about relapsing polychondritis and death from relapsing polychondritis.\n\n\nMeaning of relapsing polychondritis\n\n1.           For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, relapsing polychondritis means a systemic autoimmune disease characterised by episodic, progressive inflammatory destruction of cartilaginous structures and connective tissue throughout the body, predominantly affecting the ears, nose, eyes, joints and respiratory tract.\n2.           While relapsing polychondritis attracts ICD‑10‑AM code M94.1, in applying this Statement of Principles the meaning of relapsing polychondritis is that given in subsection (2).\n3.           For subsection (3), a reference to an ICD-10-AM code is a reference to the code assigned to a particular kind of injury or disease in The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM), Tenth Edition, effective date of 1 July 2017, copyrighted by the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, ISBN 978-1-76007-296-4.\n\n\nDeath from relapsing polychondritis\n\n1.           For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, relapsing polychondritis, in relation to a person, includes death from a terminal event or condition that was contributed to by the person's relapsing polychondritis.\n\n\nNote: terminal event is defined in the Schedule 1 – Dictionary.\n\n1.                Basis for determining the factors\n\n\nOn the sound medical‑scientific evidence available, the Repatriation Medical Authority is of the view that it is more probable than not that relapsing polychondritis and death from relapsing polychondritis can be related to relevant service rendered by veterans or members of the Forces under the VEA, or members under the MRCA.\n\nNote: MRCA, relevant service and VEA are defined in the Schedule 1 – Dictionary.\n\n1.                Factors that must exist\n\n\nAt least the following factor must exist before it can be said that, on the balance of probabilities, relapsing polychondritis or death from relapsing polychondritis is connected with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:\n\n1.           inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for relapsing polychondritis before clinical worsening.\n\n\n1.            Relationship to service\n  1.           The existence in a person of any factor referred to in section 9, must be related to the relevant service rendered by the person.\n  2.           The factor set out in subsection 9(1) applies only to material contribution to, or aggravation of, relapsing polychondritis where the person's relapsing polychondritis was suffered or contracted before or during (but did not arise out of) the person's relevant service.\n2.            Factors referring to an injury or disease covered by another Statement of Principles\n\n\nIn this Statement of Principles:\n\n1.           if a factor referred to in section 9 applies in relation to a person; and\n2.           that factor refers to an injury or disease in respect of which a Statement of Principles has been determined under subsection 196B(3) of the VEA;\n\n\nthen the factors in that Statement of Principles apply in accordance with the terms of that Statement of Principles as in force from time to time.\n\n \n\n \n\nSchedule 1 - Dictionary  \n\nNote:               See Section 6\n\n1               Definitions\n\nIn this instrument:\n\n                             MRCA means the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004.\n\n                               relapsing polychondritis—see subsection 7(2).\n\n                             relevant service means:\n\n(a)          eligible war service (other than operational service) under the VEA;\n\n(b)          defence service (other than hazardous service and British nuclear test defence service) under the VEA; or\n\n(c)          peacetime service under the MRCA.\n\nNote: MRCA and VEA are also defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.\n\n                             terminal event means the proximate or ultimate cause of death and includes the following:\n\n(a)           pneumonia;\n\n(b)           respiratory failure;\n\n(c)           cardiac arrest;\n\n(d)           circulatory failure; or\n\n(e)           cessation of brain function.\n\n                             VEA means the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.\n\n \n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This instrument expressly repeals the Statement of Principles concerning relapsing polychondritis (No. 6 of 2017) (s4) and substitutes a new test that centres on inability to obtain appropriate clinical management (s9(1)). That repeal-and-replace structure alters the governing criteria for connecting relapsing polychondritis (and death from it) to relevant service (s7, s5, s10). A detailed comparison with the repealed instrument is required to specify how far the practical eligibility or evidentiary thresholds have shifted."},"complexity_factors":["Single determinative factor approach (s9(1)) — the claimant must establish inability to obtain appropriate clinical management before clinical worsening, concentrating evidentiary burden on access-to-care records and timelines.","Evidentiary standard and source of authority (instrument title and s8) — connection is assessed on the balance of probabilities and framed by the RMA's view of 'sound medical‑scientific evidence', giving medical evidence central weight.","Relationship-to-service constraints (s10(1)–(2)) — the factor must be related to 'relevant service' (defined in Schedule 1) and, where disease existed before/during service, applies only to material contribution or aggravation, complicating causal analysis.","Statutory coverage and application (s5 and Schedule 1 definitions) — applies specifically to claims under VEA s120B or MRCA s339 and relies on statutory definitions of relevant service, affecting which personnel/periods qualify.","Repeal and replacement (s4) — the 2017 Statement is expressly repealed, creating a need to compare prior and current wording for transitional claim effects.","Medical definition and coding reference (s7(1)–(3)) — includes a clinical definition of the disease and references ICD‑10‑AM code M94.1 while specifying its own definitional text, requiring clinicians and decision‑makers to reconcile code and statutory definition.","Death linked to terminal events (s7(4) and Schedule 1 terminal event) — death includes proximate/ultimate causes such as pneumonia or respiratory failure, broadening the causal chain for mortality claims.","Administrative discretion and interpretive role — the RMA determines Statements under VEA s196B(3) (s3) and thus shapes the substantive test and its medical interpretation.","Compliance and evidentiary burden on claimants — proving inability to obtain appropriate clinical management will likely demand contemporaneous medical records, appointment logs, and expert evidence, increasing claim preparation costs.","Potential overlap with other Statements (s11) — where a required factor refers to another injury/disease covered by a different Statement, that other Statement’s factors apply, creating cross-document complexity."],"plain_english_summary":"This Statement of Principles defines relapsing polychondritis for veterans’ compensation claims and replaces the 2017 Statement. For a successful claim on the balance of probabilities, a person must show they were unable to obtain appropriate clinical management before the condition worsened. It applies to claims under the VEA and the MRCA, includes death contributed to by the disease, and bases connection to service on the Repatriation Medical Authority’s medical‑scientific view."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument maintains the same narrow scope as its predecessor. It addresses only relapsing polychondritis and the specific causal factor linking it to service. There is no evidence of scope creep; it is a straightforward re-enactment/update of the 2017 Statement of Principles with the same limited purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Short document (approximately 1,500 words)","Only 5 defined terms in the Dictionary (MRCA, relapsing polychondritis, relevant service, terminal event, VEA)","Single causal factor required (section 9): inability to obtain appropriate clinical management","Minimal cross-referencing — only refers to the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 and Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004","Straightforward structure: definitions, single disease definition, single causal factor, application rules","No nested exceptions or conditional logic beyond the basic 'balance of probabilities' threshold and the requirement that the factor relate to service","Repeals and replaces a single previous instrument (No. 6 of 2017) without complex transitional provisions"],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument sets the medical test for when relapsing polychondritis — a rare, cartilage‑destroying autoimmune disease — is compensable for Australian veterans and current/former defence members (including death claims) under the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 and the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004. It says benefits apply where the condition existed before or during service but deteriorated because the person couldn’t obtain proper treatment, and that inability is linked to service. It replaces the 2017 version and decides entitlement to pensions, treatment, and dependants’ compensation."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/statement-of-principles-concerning-relapsing-polychondritis-balance-of-probabilities-no-14-of-2026","history":"/api/acts/statement-of-principles-concerning-relapsing-polychondritis-balance-of-probabilities-no-14-of-2026/history","analysis":"/api/acts/statement-of-principles-concerning-relapsing-polychondritis-balance-of-probabilities-no-14-of-2026/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/statement-of-principles-concerning-relapsing-polychondritis-balance-of-probabilities-no-14-of-2026/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/statement-of-principles-concerning-relapsing-polychondritis-balance-of-probabilities-no-14-of-2026/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/statement-of-principles-concerning-relapsing-polychondritis-balance-of-probabilities-no-14-of-2026/documents"}}