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

This matter concerned an appeal by Mr Monger against a decision of the Secretary of the Department of Social Services affirming a decision to refuse him a disability support pension. The core of the dispute revolved around whether Mr Monger's medical conditions met the criteria for a disability support pension, specifically whether his impairments attracted an impairment rating of 20 or more points under the relevant tables. The case was heard by D K Grigg M.

The legal issues before the court were whether Mr Monger's medical conditions were fully diagnosed, fully treated, and fully stabilised, and whether these conditions resulted in an impairment rating of 20 or more points during the relevant qualification period, as required by section 94(1)(a) and (b) of the Social Security Act 1991 (Cth). The court was required to consider the functional impact of Mr Monger's impairments, rather than simply assessing his medical conditions themselves.

The court considered evidence from Ms Wood, a treating professional, who reported that Mr Monger met the criteria for a "depressive disorder due to another medical condition" and had a moderate functional impact on his mental health. Ms Wood also indicated that Mr Monger's mental health condition was stable, having been managed with cognitive behavioural therapy over a significant period. The court accepted that Mr Monger suffered from a lumbar spine impairment, a knee impairment, and a psychiatric impairment for the purposes of the Act. However, the decision text provided does not detail the final outcome or orders made by the court.