The Specialist Medical Review Council is a statutory body which, on request, reviews decisions made by the Repatriation Medical Authority on Statements of Principles. The Council does not have a fixed number of members: separate panels or ‘review councils’ are constituted for each review and overall member numbers are determined by the number of reviews being managed by the Council at any one time. Length of appointment varies from between 3 and 5 years. The Veterans’ Entitlement Act 1986 (VEA) sets out the appointment process and term of office for SMRC members, and whilst a person may not be appointed to office for a period of more than 5 years, they are eligible for reappointment after that period. The Minister appoints nominees selected for their expertise in the particular disease or condition that is the subject of a review.