SOP Bulletin No. 152

1234567

Rehabilitation & Entitlements Policy Group

11 July 2011

THE FOLLOWING RMA SOPS TAKE EFFECT ON 13 JULY, 2011

NOTEWORTHY FEATURES

• The only notable change to existing SOP factors has been to the obesity factor, with a new requirement that obesity be present for at least five years.
• A large number of new factors have been added to both the RH and BOP SOPs for diseases/conditions that cause: blood vessel inflammation; coagulation problems; external compression of retinal blood vessels; and raised pressure within the eyeball.  There are also new factors for taking the oral contraceptive pill and having an acute hypotensive episode.

• There is a new smoking onset factor in both the RH and BOP SOPs.
• The alcohol dose has been reduced from 180 kg within 5 years to 36 Kg within 2 years (RH & BOP).
• There are new factors (RH & BOP) for having biliary microlithi — a — sis/sludge and having a course of peritoneal dialysis for renal disease.
• There have been expansions of a number of the existing factors, with amended factors now covering a wider range of drugs, more specified diseases, a longer list of infectious organisms, more toxic agents and further venous snakes and scorpions.
• Minor changes have also been made to the factors for surgery, transplantation and endoscopy and to the definition for pancreatic outflow obstruction.  The previous definition for hypercalcaemia has been omitted.

• This S — OP has been updated as part of a rolling review of older SOPs.  There are minor changes to the disease definition and the definition for “an antigenic source”.  There are no new factors or other substantial changes.

• The disease definition has been changed to reflect updated diagnostic criteria.  An HBA1c level can now be used for diagnosis.
• The obesity factor (type II diabetes only) has been replaced with one for being overweight.
• There are a number of new factors, for type II diabetes only (onset & worsening), for: passive smoking (RH only); bilateral orchiectomy; arsenic exposure; HIV infection; and specified psychiatric disorders (all RH & BOP).
• There is a further new factor, for type I or II, for ingesting Vacor (a rodenticide).
• The factors concerning pancreatic diseases, endocrine diseases and drugs have been reorganised.  There is now a specified list of causal drugs and a separate factor (for type II only) for glucocorticoid therapy.
• The previous three factors concerning 2,3,7,8-TCDD (dioxin) exposure, including the previous serum dioxin level factor, have been replaced by a single factor for contact with a chemical agent contaminate by TCDD.  As a result of this change, no further serum dioxin level testing in diabetes claims should be arranged. 

• These two SOPs have been updated as part of the review of SOPs with ionising radiation factors.  For both conditions there was a therapeutic radiation factor in the RH SOP only, which has now been removed.

• This SOP has also been updated as part of the review of SOPs with ionising radiation factors.  Previous factors in the RH SOP for therapeutic radiation and atomic radiation have been removed.

# Central retinal artery occlusion