RMA and SMRC
The Repatriation Medical Authority (RMA) and Specialist Medical Review Council (SMRC) are independent statutory bodies. They are made up of expert medical specialists and are jointly responsible for the maintenance of the Statements of Principles (SoPs) system.
Back to topWhat the RMA does
The RMA makes and reviews SoPs. Veterans and certain other groups can request that the RMA amend SOPs or create a new SoP if there is medical and scientific evidence to support this. The RMA also makes and amends SoPs on its own initiative.
Back to topWhat the SMRC does
The SMRC can review the contents of SoPs and the RMA’s decisions not to make or amend SOPs. The SMRC does this where someone requests a SMRC review.
People can only request reviews if they are eligible to do so. The SMRC website provides more information on who can request a review and how they can request one.
Back to topWhat SOPs are
SOPs apply only under the VEA and MRCA and describe medical conditions and the things that cause them. SOPs only include causes that the RMA has decided have enough sound medical evidence to back them up.
Where required in the claims process, DVA uses SoPs to determine if there is a link between a veteran’s service and a medical condition the veteran has, by assessing whether a veteran’s service has met a factor in the SoP. SoPs are not utilised for some claims, such as where a veteran’s death is attributed to a medical condition previously accepted as caused by their defence service. Also, claims assessed from 1 July 2026 under the Presumptive Liability and On Duty head of liability will not need to reference SoPs.
Back to topMaking SOPs
The RMA and SMRC’s roles are complex. They have to take into account laws as well as scientific and epidemiological principles when they make SoPs.
The RMA makes two separate SOPs for each medical condition. This is because of different standards the law places on the evidence needed for claims relating to different types of service. For each condition, the RMA and SMRC must consider the evidence against each of these two standards and make a SOP for each one. A different SoP and a more generous standard of proof apply to claims attributable to service in operational (warlike and non-warlike) or wartime conditions.
Back to topMore information
Read more about who the RMA and SMRC are, what they do and how they make their decisions:
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