Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024C00216:front:0:p2
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024C00216
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 2924–6126

2023).
     3               Authority
This instrument is made under subsection 196B(2) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.
     5               Application
This instrument applies to a claim to which section 120A of the VEA or section 338 of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 applies.
     6               Definitions
The terms defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary have the meaning given when used in this instrument.
     7               Kind of injury, disease or death to which this Statement of Principles relates
(1)          This Statement of Principles is about cervical intervertebral disc prolapse and death from cervical intervertebral disc prolapse.
Meaning of cervical intervertebral disc prolapse
(2)          This Statement of Principles applies to cervical intervertebral disc prolapse that has been diagnosed on the basis of:
(a)          clinical manifestations of local pain and stiffness, or symptoms and signs of cervical spinal cord compression or cervical nerve root compression; and
(b)          imaging evidence of cervical intervertebral disc prolapse, including protrusion, herniation, extrusion or rupture of the nucleus pulposus or annulus fibrosis of a cervical intervertebral disc into the vertebral canal of the cervical spine.
Note: imaging evidence of cervical intervertebral disc prolapse is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary. It will usually be the case that the date of the imaging evidence of cervical intervertebral disc prolapse is after the date of clinical onset.
(3)          For the purposes of this Statement of Principles "cervical intervertebral disc prolapse" means protrusion, herniation, extrusion or rupture of the nucleus pulposus or annulus fibrosis of an intervertebral disc into the vertebral canal of the cervical spine, causing symptoms or signs, including intervertebral disc prolapses at the cervicothoracic junction.
(4)          The definition of cervical intervertebral disc prolapse given at subsection (3) excludes bulging of the intervertebral disc and Schmorl's nodes.
(5)          Whilst cervical intervertebral disc prolapse attracts ICD‑10‑AM codes M50.0, M50.1 or M50.2 in this Statement of Principles, the definition of "cervical intervertebral disc prolapse" is that given at subsection (3).
(6)          For subsection (5), a reference to an ICD-10-AM code is a reference to the code assigned to a particular kind of injury or disease in The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM), Tenth Edition, effective date of 1 July 2017, copyrighted by the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, ISBN 978-1-76007-296-4.
Death from cervical intervertebral disc prolapse
(7)          For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, cervical intervertebral disc prolapse, in relation to a person, includes death from a terminal event or condition that was contributed to by the person's cervical intervertebral disc prolapse.
Note: terminal event is defined in the Schedule 1 – Dictionary.
     8               Basis for determining the factors
The Repatriation Medical Authority is of the view that there is sound