Alcohol Use Disorder - A serious medical illness or injury Factor
The SoP factor is 'having a medical illness or injury which is life-threatening or which results in serious physical or cognitive disability'. The RMA has not defined this factor.
Whether a condition is life-threatening can be a difficult assessment, particularly where cancer has been diagnosed in the past but is currently causing little, if any, incapacity – for example a man with cancer of the prostate that attracts only 10 points under GARP for urinary problems. It can be argued that cancer of any type (except perhaps skin) is always a serious disease, but in this case it is clearly not a serious physical or cognitive disability. But is it "life-threatening"? An assessment in terms of the Life-Expectancy table in GARP can help. The phrase "normal, or near normal, five year survival" used in table 14.2 of GARP means that statistically there is little chance of dying from the disease in the next five years. It doesn't mean the person will remain disease free, but if the person is disease free at five years after diagnosis or staging then there is little prospect of disease recurrence. To a certain extent "life-threatening" is also a matter of perspective. An 80 year old with low grade prostate cancer does not have a life threatening disease. A 50 year old with aggressive prostate cancer does
Last reviewed for CCPS 9 September 2009.
Preliminary questions [40567]
37289 there is some evidence that a serious medical illness or injury may be a factor in the development or worsening of the condition under consideration.
37310 the veteran has had a serious medical illness or injury at some time.
37311 a serious medical illness or injury means a medical illness or injury which is life-threatening or which results in serious physical or cognitive disability.
40571 the veteran has established the causal connection between the serious medical illness or injury and operational service for alcohol or drug dependence or abuse.
40572 the veteran has established the causal connection between the serious medical illness or injury and operational service for the clinical onset of alcohol or drug dependence or abuse.
or
7334 the clinical onset of the condition under consideration occurred after the end of the veteran's last period of VEA service.
7335 the condition under consideration permanently worsened
40573 the veteran has established the causal connection between the serious medical illness or injury and operational service for the clinical worsening of alcohol or drug dependence or abuse.
Clinical onset and operational service [40572]
37312 the veteran had the identified illness or injury, a serious medical illness or injury, within the five years before the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.
37316 the identified illness or injury, a serious medical illness or injury, is causally related to operational service.
Clinical worsening and operational service [40573]
37314 the veteran had the identified illness or injury, a serious medical illness or injury, after the clinical onset of the condition under consideration and within the five years before its clinical worsening.
37316 the identified illness or injury, a serious medical illness or injury, is causally related to operational service.
37318 the clinical onset of the veteran's condition under consideration occurred prior to that part of operational service to which the identified illness or injury, a serious medical illness or injury, is causally related.