|
The Repatriation Medical Authority (the Authority) has now been in existence
for twelve years, developing and regularly reviewing the Statements of
Principles (SOPs). These SOPs are the medical-scientific basis for the
compensation system provided for veterans in the Veterans’ Entitlements
Act 1986 (the VEA) and more recently for serving members in the Military
Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (the MRCA).
The demand for investigations into existing and new SOPs from veterans
and veterans’ organisations continues at a high level. This year forty-six
new notices of investigations were advertised compared to forty-seven
in 2004-2005. The Authority is continuing its long-term plan to review
older SOPs to comply with the provisions of the Legislative Instruments
Act 2003 (the LIA), and believes that this legislative requirement
to regularly review all Statements of Principles will provide more confidence
in the accuracy and reliability of the SOPs in light of the rapid change
and increase in medical-scientific knowledge. The resultant workload,
however, is continuing to put pressure on the Authority and the research
staff in the RMA Secretariat, resulting in undesirable delays in completion
of notified investigations. This will continue to be the case for the
foreseeable future unless additional resources are provided.
In 2005-06, the Authority finalised a number of outstanding investigations
arising from consideration of a 2002 National Research Centre for Environmental
Toxicology (NRCET) report, the “Examination of the potential exposure
of Royal Australian Navy (RAN) personnel to polychlorinated dibenzodioxins
and polychlorinated dibenzofurans via drinking water”. The Authority has
now finalised the amendment of all relevant SOPs to incorporate exposure
to dioxins via the water distillation processes utilised by RAN ships.
The Authority also finalised a number of investigations arising from the
SHOAMP study of RAAF personnel involved in deseal-reseal processes with
F111 aircraft, and determined or amended a number of SOPs where warranted
by the sound medical-scientific evidence.
There were thirty-four investigations completed by the Authority in 2005/2006,
which resulted in SOPs concerning thirty-three conditions being determined.
There are ongoing investigations into eighty-nine separate conditions,
which is a significant increase from last year. Investigations are complex
and continue to require a total review of all causal and possible causal
factors contained within the published scientific literature.
As at 30 June 2006, Statements of Principles provide cover for 287 particular
kinds of injury and disease. This figure includes eight new conditions
determined this year (not including changes to the titling of a number
of SOPs). SOPs provide cover for approximately 95% of primary level determinations
under the VEA in respect of disability and death claims handled by the
Department of Veterans’ Affairs ( DVA).
In the last year, three additional conditions have been referred for
review by veterans or their representatives to the Specialist Medical
Review Council (SMRC). Reviews in respect of SOPs concerning five other
conditions, notified by veterans or their representatives in past years,
are also with the SMRC for consideration. The workload associated with
the timely and accurate provision to the SMRC of the large amount of information
available to the Authority when it determined the SOPs under review, as
required by the VEA, is considerable, particularly as the Authority remains
without access to a suitable electronic document management system.
Effective communication between the Authority and the veteran and defence
communities, the Repatriation Commission, the DVA, and the Minister for
Veterans’ Affairs has been a vital mechanism over the years to ensure
that these stakeholders understand the processes and outcomes of the Authority’s
deliberations. A central part of the Authority’s communication strategy,
the holding of Authority meetings in the different capital cities in a
rolling program of alternating visits, has now been discontinued as a
cost containment measure. As an alternative, the Chairperson and occasionally
individual Authority Members, have increased their attendance at, and
presentations to, a wider range of veterans’ meetings (including National
and sometimes State conferences of the RSL, Legacy and other representative
veterans’ organisations). The Authority continues to have telephone, written
and face to face interaction with veterans, members of the forces and
their representatives to inform these groups about the functioning of
the SOP system.
The Authority has decided to hold its third Forum in early 2008, and
is presently seeking funding to enable the forum to be conducted with
as wide an involvement as its previous successful forums in 1998 and 2004.
These forums have been an opportunity for veterans, their representative
organisations, the DVA, ADF, and other stakeholders, such as the Veterans
Review Board and the SMRC, to raise matters for public discussion and
for the Authority to assist stakeholders of the system to gain a detailed
understanding of the system.
Regular meetings with the Minister and Repatriation Commission continue
to occur, involving the Chairperson and senior staff of the RMA Secretariat.
Issues relevant to the legislation, and matters raised by Ex-Service Organisations
(ESOs) that need to be considered at that level, are discussed at these
meetings.
In 2005-06, dialogue continued with the DVA and the veteran community,
through the major ESOs, in relation to a proposal to amend the VEA in
regard to investigations. The proposed changes would allow the Authority
to limit its review to a single factor, rather than the entire contents
of the SOP, where the Authority deemed it appropriate. At the time of
this report, the proposed changes are yet to be drafted by the Office
of Parliamentary Counsel and considered by Parliament.
The Authority continues to hold pre-meeting discussions with representatives
from the DVA and Department of Defence. DVA representatives provide advice
on the operational implications of the SOPs determined or reviewed by
the Authority, whilst the Australian Defence Force representative provides
advice on conditions of service and deployments which may be relevant.
The Authority has observer status on the joint Defence/DVA Health Consultative
Forum. This panel deals with health issues of concern to both DVA and
Defence, including deployments, research, and occupational health and
safety matters. The Authority continues to be actively involved with the
annual Sir Edward Dunlop Medical Research Foundation, with the Chairperson
providing a presentation to the 2005 Symposium.
The year 2005 saw the retirement of the RMA Registrar, Mrs Carole Friedrichs.
Mrs Friedrichs has served the Authority with great diligence and commitment
since its inception in 1994, initially as the Deputy Registrar and in
recent years as Registrar. The Authority is very appreciative of the efforts
and service of Mrs Friedrichs over so many years and expresses its best
wishes for her in retirement. Mr Paul Murdoch, formerly the RMA Deputy
Registrar, has replaced Mrs Friedrichs as RMA Registrar.
Statistics regarding claims, as well as feedback from stakeholders, reveal
consistency of outcomes and high levels of confidence in the SOP system
generally, despite occasional ‘hot spots’ of debate. It is important for
the Authority to continue its broad portfolio of interactions with stakeholders
(especially with younger veterans and serving ADF members), as well as
to deliver timely, well-researched and accessible SOPs that keep up to
date with expanding modern medical science.
Previous | Contents
| Next
This page last updated 29 October 2006. |
