Amendment Statement of Principles
concerning
 
LUMBAR SPONDYLOSIS
No. 69 of 2013
 
for the purposes of the
 
Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
and
Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004
1.                     This Instrument may be cited as Amendment Statement of Principles concerning lumbar spondylosis No. 69 of 2013.
2.                     In accordance with the Specialist Medical Review Council Declaration No. 19 of 21 June 2013 under subsection 196W(4) of the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 (the VEA), the Repatriation Medical Authority amends, pursuant to subsection 196B(10) of the VEA, Statement of Principles concerning lumbar spondylosis Instrument No. 37 of 2005, as amended by Instrument No. 78 of 2008 and Instrument No. 36 of 2010, by:
(A)         Inserting additional factor "(jb)" immediately following factor "(ja)" in clause 6 as follows:
"(jb)     extreme forward flexion of the lumbar spine for a cumulative total of at least 1 500 hours before the clinical onset of lumbar spondylosis; or";
(B)         Inserting additional factor "(sb)" immediately following factor "(sa)" in clause 6 as follows:
"(sb)     extreme forward flexion of the lumbar spine for a cumulative total of at least 1 500 hours before the clinical worsening of lumbar spondylosis; or"; and
(C)         Inserting a definition for "extreme forward flexion of the lumbar spine" in clause 9 as follows:
'"extreme forward flexion of the lumbar spine" means being in a posture involving greater than 90 degrees of trunk flexion;'.
3.                     The amendments made by this instrument apply to all matters to which Instrument No. 37 of 2005, as amended by Instrument No. 78 of 2008 and Instrument No. 36 of 2010, section 120A of the VEA and section 338 of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 apply.
4.                     The amendments made by this instrument take effect from 26 June 2013.
Dated this   twenty-sixth   day of   August   2013