Loone and Secretary, Department of Social Services (Social services second review)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal considered the appeal of Ms Loone against a decision by the Secretary of the Department of Social Services concerning her eligibility for a disability support pension. The core of the dispute revolved around whether Ms Loone's medical conditions met the criteria for a disability support pension under the Social Security (Tables for the Assessment of Work-related Impairment for Disability Support Pension) Determination 2011.

The Tribunal was required to determine whether Ms Loone's claimed conditions, when assessed against the Impairment Tables, attracted sufficient points to qualify her for a disability support pension. Specifically, the Tribunal had to consider the impact of some conditions not being fully diagnosed, treated, and stabilised, while only one claimed condition met these requirements.

The Tribunal affirmed the decision, reasoning that the Impairment Tables require a condition to be fully diagnosed, treated, and stabilised to attract points. As only one of Ms Loone's claimed conditions met this threshold, the other conditions could not be considered for the purposes of the assessment. Consequently, the total points awarded were insufficient to meet the threshold for a disability support pension.