Statement of Principles concerning Barrett oesophagus (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 93 of 2025)
1Statement of Principles concerning Barrett oesophagus (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 93 of 2025)
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The Repatriation Medical Authority determines the following Statement of Principles under subsection 196B(2) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.
Dated 24 October 2025
Professor Terence Campbell AM
Chairperson
by and on behalf of
The Repatriation Medical Authority
Contents
1 Name
2 Commencement
3 Authority
4 Repeal
5 Application
6 Definitions
7 Kind of injury, disease or death to which this Statement of Principles relates
8 Basis for determining the factors
9 Factors that must exist
10 Relationship to service
11 Factors referring to an injury or disease covered by another Statement of Principles
Schedule 1 - Dictionary
1 Definitions
Name
This is the Statement of Principles concerning Barrett oesophagus (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 93 of 2025).
Commencement
This instrument commences on 24 November 2025.
Authority
This instrument is made under subsection 196B(2) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.
Repeal
The Statement of Principles concerning Barrett’s oesophagus (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 67 of 2016) (Federal Register of Legislation No. F2016L01135) made under subsection 196B(2) of the VEA is repealed.
Application
This instrument applies to a claim to which section 120A of the VEA or section 338 of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 applies.
Section 1 - Statement of Principles concerning Barrett oesophagus (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 93 of 2025) - Statement of Principles concerning Barrett oesophagus (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 93 of 2025) | Zoe
Definitions
The terms defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary have the meaning given when used in this instrument.
Kind of injury, disease or death to which this Statement of Principles relates
This Statement of Principles is about Barrett oesophagus and death from Barrett oesophagus.
Meaning of Barrett oesophagus
For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, Barrett oesophagus:
means a condition in which there is metaplasia of the epithelium of the lower oesophagus from the normal stratified squamous epithelium to abnormal columnar epithelium; and
includes metaplasia at the gastro-oesophageal junction.
While Barrett oesophagus attracts ICD‑10‑AM code K22.7, in applying this Statement of Principles the meaning of Barrett oesophagus is that given in subsection (2).
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.
Death from Barrett oesophagus
For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, Barrett oesophagus, in relation to a person, includes death from a terminal event or condition that was contributed to by the person's Barrett oesophagus.
Note: terminal event is defined in the Schedule 1 – Dictionary.
Basis for determining the factors
The Repatriation Medical Authority is of the view that there is sound medical-scientific evidence that indicates that Barrett oesophagus and death from Barrett oesophagus can be related to relevant service rendered by veterans, members of Peacekeeping Forces, or members of the Forces under the VEA, or members under the MRCA.
Note: MRCA, relevant service and VEA are defined in the Schedule 1 – Dictionary.
Factors that must exist
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 Barrett oesophagus or death from Barrett oesophagus with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:
having gastro-oesophageal reflux disease for at least the 1 year before clinical onset or clinical worsening;
having a hiatus hernia before clinical onset or clinical worsening;
having:
a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or greater; or
for males, a waist circumference exceeding 102 centimetres; or
for females, a waist circumference exceeding 88 centimetres.
for at least the 5 years immediately preceding clinical onset or clinical worsening;
Note: Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated as W/H2 where:
W is the person's weight in kilograms; and
H is the person's height in metres.
having systemic sclerosis before clinical onset or clinical worsening;
Note: Systemic sclerosis is also known as scleroderma.
inability to consume an average of at least 200 g/day of any combination of fruit and vegetables, for at least the 5 years before clinical onset or clinical worsening;
inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for Barrett oesophagus before clinical worsening.
Relationship to service
The existence in a person of any factor referred to in section 9, must be related to the relevant service rendered by the person.
The clinical worsening aspects of factors set out in section 9 apply only to material contribution to, or aggravation of, Barrett oesophagus where the person's Barrett oesophagus was suffered or contracted before or during (but did not arise out of) the person's relevant service.
Factors referring to an injury or disease covered by another Statement of Principles
In this Statement of Principles:
if a factor referred to in section 9 applies in relation to a person; and
that factor refers to an injury or disease in respect of which a Statement of Principles has been determined under subsection 196B(2) of the VEA;
then 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.
Schedule 1 - Dictionary
Note: See Section 6
1 Definitions
In this instrument:
Barrett oesophagus—see subsection 7(2).
MRCA means the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004.
relevant service means:
(a) operational service under the VEA;
(b) peacekeeping service under the VEA;
(c) hazardous service under the VEA;
(d) British nuclear test defence service under the VEA;
(e) warlike service under the MRCA; or
(f) non-warlike service under the MRCA.
Note: MRCA and VEA are defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
terminal event means the proximate or ultimate cause of death and includes the following: