|
The demand for investigations into existing and new Statements of
Principles from veterans and veterans’ organisations is still high. The Repatriation
Medical Authority (the Authority) has recently commenced a long-term plan
to review older Statements of Principles to comply with the provisions of
the Legislative Instruments Act 2003. This year forty-seven new notices
of investigations were advertised compared to forty-one in 2003-2004. The
resultant workload is continuing to put pressure on the Authority and the
research staff in the Secretariat and will continue to do so into the future
if this trend continues.
There were twenty-five investigations completed by the Authority
in 2004/2005, which resulted in twenty-two conditions having Statements of
Principles being determined. There are ongoing investigations into eighty
separate conditions, which is an increase from last year. Investigations
outstanding increased last year and again this year due to the significant
increase in requests and notifications. Investigations are complex and require
a total review of the published scientific literature.
As at the 30 June 2005, Statements of Principles provide cover for
279 particular kinds of injury and disease. While this figure includes four
new conditions determined this year, the total number remains the same as
reported in 2003-2004 due to adjustments made in this report to reflect changes
to titling and the combining of previously counted separate conditions. Statements
of Principles also provide cover for approximately 95% of primary level determinations
under the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA) in respect of disability
and death claims handled by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA).
In July 2004, dialogue was commenced with the Department of Veterans’
Affairs and the veteran community through the major Ex-Service Organistations
to change the VEA in regard to investigations, so that the Authority might,
when appropriate, limit its review to a single factor, rather than the entire
contents of the Statement of Principles. At the time of this report, the
proposed changes are still to be drafted by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel.
In the last year, five new conditions have been referred, by veterans
or their representatives, to the Specialist Medical Review Council (SMRC)
for review. This is a significant increase in such requests from previous
years.
As of 1 July 2004, Associate Professor (now Professor)
Robyn Ward took up the position in the Authority previously vacated by Professor
John Kearsley. Professor Ward’s appointment by the Minister for Veterans’
Affairs is until 30 June 2007.
One of the challenges for the Authority commenced from 1 July 2004,
with the introduction of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act
2004 (MRCA), as the Statements of Principles are also included in this
legislation. The Authority has endeavoured to form closer associations with
representatives from Defence and Defence personnel to consult on matters of
mutual interest. As part of this activity, a ship’s tour of the HMAS
Tobruk while it was visiting Brisbane was organised in October
for the Chairperson and some members of the Secretariat. A representative
from the Centre for Miliary and Veterans’ Health regularly attends open meetings
of the Authority.
The Authority continues to have telephone, written and face to face
interaction with veterans and their representatives to inform these groups
about the functioning of the Statements of Principles system.
In August 2004, the Authority held its meeting in Sydney. This allowed
the Authority the opportunity to hold a pre-meeting forum attended by local
Ex-Service Organisations and Defence personnel representatives as well as
local Department of Veterans’ Affairs State Office staff.
In October 2004, prior to the regular Brisbane meeting, a similar
pre-meeting forum was held.
In March 2005, the Authority travelled to Perth where a pre-meeting
forum was again held. The opportunity was also taken to visit the SAS Regiment,
where the Commanding Officer provided an update on initiatives introduced
since the release of the Expert Committee Report detailed in the 2003-04 Annual
Report. Unfortunately, an inspection of a submarine during the visit to Perth
was cancelled, due to naval operational requirements.
These pre-meeting forums continue to provide an avenue for the Authority
to explain its role, function and processes and to also obtain information
on matters of concern to the ex-service community. Feedback from these forums
is that representatives find them very useful.
In November 2004, Professor Raphael and Ms T Enders, a Secretariat
research officer, attended a conference “War as a Universal Trauma” hosted
by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies held in New Orleans,
Louisiana, USA. A number of issues relating to Statements of Principles for
psychiatric conditions have been identified and these conditions are presently
the subject of investigation and review, following receipt of a request from
the Repatriation Commission.
The Authority continued to be represented on the Consultative Forum
for the study of health outcomes of personnel involved in the F111 Fuel Tank
Deseal/Reseal program until the release of the Health Study Report. The Authority
also has observer status on the joint Defence/DVA Medical Advisory Panel (MAP)
which deals with health issues arising from deployments.
In April 2005 the Authority held its one hundredth meeting, which
provided a timely opportunity to look back on past achievements as well as
looking forward to the challenges of the future.
Previous | Contents | Next
This page last updated 28 September 2005.
|
