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

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal considered the appeal of Woods against a decision by the Secretary of the Department of Social Services concerning the applicant's eligibility for a disability support pension. The core of the dispute revolved around whether the applicant's impairments met the criteria for the pension, specifically whether they were fully diagnosed, fully treated, and fully stabilised, and if they attracted the requisite 20 points under the relevant Impairment Tables.

The Tribunal was tasked with determining whether the applicant's various impairments, as presented, satisfied the legislative requirements for a disability support pension. This involved assessing whether the medical evidence established that the conditions were not likely to substantially improve and that the applicant had a continuing inability to work in any capacity. A key aspect of this assessment was the application of the Impairment Tables to quantify the severity of the diagnosed conditions.

In reaching its decision, the Tribunal carefully reviewed the medical evidence provided by the applicant and the Department. It applied the principles established in social security law regarding the assessment of impairments for disability support pension purposes, focusing on the criteria of diagnosis, treatment, and stabilisation. The Tribunal found that while the applicant suffered from a number of impairments, they did not, in combination or individually, meet the threshold for a 20-point impairment under the relevant tables, nor were they considered to be fully diagnosed, fully treated, and fully stabilised to the extent required by the legislation. Consequently, the Tribunal affirmed the decision under review.