Can You Claim Osteoarthritis Secondary to a Joint Injury With DVA?

Osteoarthritis secondary to a service-related joint injury is a well-established secondary DVA claim pathway. If an accepted service injury involved significant physical force to a joint and you’ve since developed osteoarthritis in that same joint, the Statement of Principles contains a direct trauma factor linking the two.

The SoP pathway

The Osteoarthritis SoP (No. 61 of 2017 for RH, No. 62 of 2017 for BoP, both as amended) contains a joint trauma factor: having trauma to the affected joint before the clinical onset of osteoarthritis in that joint. Trauma means a discrete event involving significant physical force to or through the joint that damages the joint, causes pain, tenderness and reduced movement within 24 hours, and lasts at least seven days (unless treated by splinting, injection or surgery). The SoP also has separate factors for an intra-articular fracture, an acute meniscal tear of the knee, internal derangement of the knee, and joint instability or dislocation at least one year before onset.

The injury must have involved significant physical force: a fall, impact, crush, or acute mechanism causing documented structural damage. Cumulative wear and tear from service activities does not satisfy this factor — that pathway to OA is covered by separate load-bearing or physical work factors within the SoP.

Which joints are covered

The trauma factor applies to any synovial joint. The most commonly relevant for ADF veterans:

Timing in practice

The trauma factor has no time limit. A veteran who sustained a significant knee injury in 2006 and developed knee OA in 2024 can rely on the factor, and so can one whose OA appeared decades later. What matters is that the trauma came first and is documented.

If you have signs of OA in a joint you injured in service, get imaging and an assessment. The SoP requires imaging or arthroscopic evidence of loss of articular cartilage or osteophytes, plus pain, stiffness and impaired function.

Evidence required

Multiple joint claims

Each affected joint is a separate claim and a separate GARP M assessment under Chapter 3 (Spine and Limbs). A veteran with accepted knee and shoulder injuries who develops OA in both joints has two separate secondary claims, each contributing impairment points to the combined score.

Frequently asked questions

My knee injury was accepted but the original condition was meniscal damage. Does the osteoarthritis connect?

The OA SoP has a specific factor for an acute meniscal tear of the affected knee before the clinical onset of OA, and another for internal derangement of the knee. If the meniscal damage was an acute tear, those factors may apply alongside the trauma factor. Medial meniscal tears associated with significant force, particularly when accompanied by ACL or capsular involvement, are the type of injury that can satisfy the factor.

My injury is more than 20 years ago. Is the claim closed?

No. The osteoarthritis trauma factor has no time limit between the injury and the onset of OA. The injury must have come before the OA and must be documented well enough to meet the SoP definition of trauma.

Can I claim osteoarthritis in multiple joints?

Yes. Each affected joint is a separate claim. A combined OA claim across multiple joints, each anchored to separate accepted service injuries, is straightforward to prepare once the injuries and imaging are documented.

My OA was diagnosed before my injury was accepted by DVA. Does that affect the claim?

The claim can still proceed. What matters is that the accepted injury caused damage to the joint and that the OA developed post-injury. The sequence of DVA acceptances doesn’t change the clinical timeline, though having the primary injury accepted first makes the secondary claim more straightforward.