3.1.5 Injury, disease and death

An 'injury' means any physical or mental injury, including the recurrence of a physical or mental injury.  It does not include a 'disease' (as defined below) or an aggravation of a physical or mental injury.

A 'disease' means any physical or mental ailment, disorder, defect or morbid condition (whether sudden onset or gradual development), or the recurrence of same.  It does not include the aggravation of such an ailment, disorder, defect or morbid condition;  nor the temporary departure from the normal physiological state or accepted ranges of physiological or biomechanical measures, resulting from:

• normal physiological stress (e.g. the effect of exercise on blood pressure);  or
• temporary effect of extraneous agents (e.g. the effect of alcohol on blood cholesterol levels).

Whether or not an injury or disease is a 'service injury' or 'service disease' depends on whether or not a causal or temporal relationship to MRCA service can be established via the relevant heads of liability – section 27; subsections 29(1) and (2);  and section 30.  These heads of liability are detailed elsewhere in this chapter.

Whether or not a 'death' is a 'service death' depends on whether or not a relationship to MRCA service can be established via the relevant heads of liability – section 28;  and subsection 29(3).  These heads of liability are detailed elsewhere in this chapter.