Statement of Principles concerning posterior adventitial heel bursitis No. 55 of 1996 (Cth)

Instrument No.55 of 1996

Determination

of

Statement of Principles

concerning

POSTERIOR ADVENTITIAL HEEL BURSITIS

ICD CODE: 726.79

Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986

1. This Statement of Principles is determined by the Repatriation Medical Authority under subsection 196B(2) of the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 (the Act).

Kind of injury, disease or death

1. (a) This Statement of Principles is about posterior adventitial heel bursitis and death from posterior adventitial heel bursitis.

(b) For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, “posterior adventitial heel bursitis” means a painful and tender swelling of the ankle due to inflammation and thickening of the superficial subcutaneous adventitial bursa of the Achilles tendon, attracting ICD code 726.79.

Basis for determining the factors

1. The Repatriation Medical Authority is of the view that there is sound medical-scientific evidence that indicates that posterior adventitial heel bursitis can be related to relevant service rendered by veterans, members of Peacekeeping Forces, or members of the Forces.

Factors that must be related to service

1. Subject to clause 6, the factors set out in at least one of the paragraphs in clause 5 must be related to any relevant service rendered by the person.

Factors

1. The factors that must as a minimum exist before it can be said that a reasonable hypothesis has been raised connecting posterior adventitial heel bursitis or death from posterior adventitial heel bursitis with the circumstances of a person’s relevant service are:

(a)       wearing ill fitting closed shoes at the time of the clinical onset of posterior adventitial heel bursitis; or

(b)       wearing  ill fitting closed shoes at the time of the clinical worsening of posterior adventitial heel bursitis; or

(c)       inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for posterior adventitial heel bursitis.

Factors that apply only to material contribution or aggravation

1. Paragraphs 5(b) to 5(c) apply only to material contribution to, or aggravation of, posterior adventitial heel bursitis where the person’s posterior adventitial heel bursitis was suffered or contracted before or during (but not arising out of) the person’s relevant service; paragraph 8(1)(e), 9(1)(e), 70(5)(d) or 70(5A)(d) of the Act refers.

Other definitions

1. For the purposes of this Statement of Principles:

“ICD code” means a number assigned to a particular kind of injury or disease in the Australian Version of The International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM), effective date of 1 July 1995, copyrighted by the National Coding Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW, and having ISBN 0 642 22235 5;

“ill fitting closed shoes” means footwear which encloses the heel and the back of the foot and which exerts painful pressure upon the posterior aspect of the calcaneus or heel bone;

“relevant service” means:

(a)       operational service; or

(b)       peacekeeping service; or

(c)       hazardous service.

Dated this       Eighteenth        day of              April   1996

The Common Seal of the    )

Repatriation Medical Authority                   )

was affixed to this instrument   )

in the presence of   )

KEN DONALD

CHAIRMAN