Statement of Principles concerning diverticular disease of the colon No. 67 of 1994 (Cth)

Instrument No.67 of 1994

Statement of Principles

concerning

DIVERTICULAR DISEASE OF THE COLON

ICD CODE: 562.1

Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
subsection 196B(2)

1.         Being of the view that there is sound medical-scientific evidence that indicates that diverticular disease of the colon and death from diverticular disease of the colon can be related to operational service rendered by veterans, peacekeeping service rendered by members of Peacekeeping forces and hazardous service rendered by members of the Forces, the Repatriation Medical Authority determines, under subsection 196B(2) of the Veterans’ Entitlements Act1986, that the factors that must as a minimum exist before it can be said that a reasonable hypothesis has been raised connecting diverticular disease of the colon or death from diverticular disease of the colon with the circumstances of that service, are:

(a)       suffering from scleroderma before the clinical onset of diverticular disease of the colon; or

(b)       changing to a diet lower in dietary fibre more than three months before the clinical worsening of diverticular disease of the colon; or

(c)       inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for diverticular disease of the colon.

2.         Subject to clause 3 (below) at least one of the factors set out in paragraphs 1(a) to (c) must be related to any service rendered by a person.

3.         The factors set out in paragraphs 1(b) and (c) apply only where:

(a)       the person’s diverticular disease of the colon was contracted prior to a period, or part of a period, of service to which the factor is related; and

(b)       the relationship suggested between the diverticular disease of the colon and the particular service of a person is a relationship set out in paragraph 8(1)(e), 9(1)(e), 70(5)(d), or 70(5A)(d) of the Act.

4.         For the purposes of this Statement of Principles:

“diverticular disease of the colon” means the clinical consequences of a herniation or sac-like protusion of the colonic mucosa and the submucosa through the muscular coat of the colon, attracting ICD code 562.1;

“ICD code” means a number assigned to a particular kind of injury or disease in the tenth edition of the International Classification of Diseases 9th Revision, effective date of 1 October 1993, copyrighted by the US Commission on Professional and Hospital Activities, and having the Library of Congress number 77-94472;

“scleroderma” means a multisystem disorder characterised by the association of vascular abnormalities, connective tissue sclerosis and atrophy, and auto-immune changes, attracting ICD code 710.1.

Dated this       Seventeenth     day of   November       1994

The Common Seal of the    )

Repatriation Medical Authority                   )

was affixed to this instrument   )

in the presence of:   )

KEN DONALD

CHAIRMAN