People living with persistent (chronic) pain – or indeed almost any chronic medical condition -  are faced with an enormous range of challenges and issues which they will often be required to negotiate at some stage of their life. Many involve complex legal matters. These can include financial matters – including accessing insurance, superannuation or Centrelink benefits; workplace rights; discrimination legislation; health privacy; making a will and powers of attorney.

APMA is a member of the Chronic Illness Alliance – a national peak organisation of over 55 member organisations, both state and national. The aim of the Alliance is to build a better focus in health policy and health services for all people with chronic illnesses, which it does through education and research projects. The Alliance offers the following definition of chronic illness:

"…an illness that is permanent or lasts a long time. It may get slowly worse over time. It may lead to death, or it may finally go away. It may cause permanent changes to the body. It will certainly affect the person's quality of life."

A grant from the Victoria Law Foundation several years ago enabled the Chronic Illness Alliance to develop a plain English web-based guide, containing general information about a wide range of legal issues concerning health and life changes faced by people with a chronic illness. It is designed to assist people and their families make informed decisions, or know when they might need to seek specific legal advice. This guide, WorkWelfareWills can be accessed here,  is a valuable resource. However, it was produced for use in Victoria only as many of the laws and advice contained in it vary from State to State (which is fortunate for APMA's Victorian members!) 

APMA is currently working with Maurice Blackburn lawyers and the Chronic Illness Alliance to update the guide, in the first instance to expand it to include Queensland material and subsequently other States. We would welcome your feedback on any additional issues which should be added to the guide. Watch this space…