Section 1 - Statement of Principles concerning malignant neoplasm of the brain (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 17 of 2026) - Statement of Principles concerning malignant neoplasm of the brain (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 17 of 2026) | Zoe
Statement of Principles concerning malignant neoplasm of the brain (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 17 of 2026)
1Statement of Principles concerning malignant neoplasm of the brain (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 17 of 2026)
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MALIGNANT NEOPLASM OF THE BRAIN (Reasonable Hypothesis)
(No. 17 of 2026)
The Repatriation Medical Authority determines the following Statement of Principles under subsection 196B(2) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.
Dated 20 February 2026
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 malignant neoplasm of the brain (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 17 of 2026).
Commencement
This instrument commences on 23 March 2026.
Authority
This instrument is made under subsection 196B(2) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.
Repeal
The Statement of Principles concerning malignant neoplasm of the brain (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 85 of 2016) (Federal Register of Legislation No. F2016L01692) made under subsection 196B(2) of the VEA is repealed.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.
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 malignant neoplasm of the brain and death from malignant neoplasm of the brain.
Meaning of malignant neoplasm of the brain
For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, malignant neoplasm of the brain means:
a primary malignant neoplasm arising from the cells of the brain; and
includes malignant neuroepithelial tumour and germ cell tumour; and
excludes nerve sheath tumour, soft tissue sarcoma, any central nervous system lymphoma (Hodgkin's lymphoma or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), carcinoid tumour, neoplasm of the pituitary gland, cerebral meningioma, acoustic neuroma, choroid plexus papilloma, craniopharyngioma, dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumour, gangliocytoma, hemangioblastoma, hemangiopericytoma, meningioma, neurofibroma, pituitary adenoma, schwannoma, soft tissue sarcoma of the brain.
Note: neuroepithelial tumour is defined in the Schedule 1 – Dictionary.
While malignant neoplasm of the brain attracts ICD‑10‑AM code C71, in applying this Statement of Principles the meaning of malignant neoplasm of the brain 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 malignant neoplasm of the brain
For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, malignant neoplasm of the brain, in relation to a person, includes death from a terminal event or condition that was contributed to by the person's malignant neoplasm of the brain.
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 malignant neoplasm of the brain and death from malignant neoplasm of the brain 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 malignant neoplasm of the brain or death from malignant neoplasm of the brain with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:
having a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury at least 5 years before clinical onset;
having Parkinson's disease before clinical onset;
having received a cumulative equivalent dose of at least 0.1 sievert of ionising radiation to the brain at least 2 years before clinical onset;
Note: cumulative equivalent dose is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary
receiving a cumulative exposure to benzene greater than 500 ppm-years, where that exposure was accumulated over a continuous 5-year period, and where the first exposure occurred at least 5 years before clinical onset;
Note: ppm-years means parts per million multiplied by years of exposure
For example, a worker exposed to an average of 2 parts per million (ppm) of benzene over a period of 10 years would have a cumulative exposure of 20 ppm-years. Similarly, a worker exposed to 1 ppm over 20 years would also have a cumulative exposure of 20 ppm-years.
inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for malignant neoplasm of the brain 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 factor set out in section 9 applies only to material contribution to, or aggravation of, malignant neoplasm of the brain where the person's malignant neoplasm of the brain 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:
cumulative equivalent dose means the total dose of ionising radiation received by the particular organ or tissue from external exposure, internal exposure or both, apart from normal background radiation exposure in Australia, calculated in accordance with the methodology set out in Guide to calculation of 'cumulative equivalent dose' for the purpose of applying ionising radiation factors contained in Statements of Principles determined under Part XIA of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 (Cth), Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, as in force on 2 August 2017.
Note 1: examples of circumstances that might lead to exposure to ionising radiation include being present during or subsequent to the testing or use of nuclear weapons, undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic medical procedures involving ionising radiation, and being a member of an aircrew, leading to increased levels of exposure to cosmic radiation.
Note 2: for the purpose of dose reconstruction, dose is calculated as an average over the mass of a specific tissue or organ. If a tissue is exposed to multiple sources of ionising radiation, the various dose estimates for each type of radiation must be combined.
malignant neoplasm of the brain—see subsection 7(2).
MRCA means the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004.
neuroepithelial tumour means a tumour originating from neuroepithelial tissue and includes any of the following:
(a) choroid plexus tumours;
(b) diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumours (including astrocytoma, glioblastoma multiforme);
(c) embryonal tumours;
(d) ependymal tumours;
(e) neuronal and mixed neuronal-glial tumours;
(f) other astrocytic tumours;
(g) other gliomas; or
(h) tumours of the pineal region.
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: