30th April, 2014

What you need to know about workers’ compensation in WA

Workers’ compensation insurance is a compulsory requirement for Australian businesses, but it can be a challenging area of cover due to the different regulations enforced state by state.

One of the best ways to ensure your organisation is sufficiently covered for workers’ compensation in Western Australia is to seek help from a specialist insurance broker in Perth. This will help you end up with the right policy tailored specifically for your business.

However, here are some general guidelines for approaching workers’ compensation claims should they arise.

When can employees claim?

An employee has the right to claim workers’ compensation when they sustain an injury or illness through the course of their employment that results in them taking time off or requiring medical treatment.

This can include:

·      Personal injuries due to an accident
·      A disabling disease
·      The recurrence or aggravation of a pre-existing disease due to employment conditions.

Employers have five working days in which to submit a worker’s claim form to their insurance company. The insurer then has 14 working days to make a decision on the claim.

Alternatively, if a company is a self-insurer, it has 17 working days to complete the claims process. Employees are expected to cover their expenses during this period, although they will be reimbursed in the event their claim is accepted.

Medical review

As an employer, you or your insurance company can request that an employee attends a medical examination before or after a claim has been accepted.

However, there are certain conditions associated with this exam. The employee cannot be expected to:

·      Attend more frequently than once every two weeks
·      Be examined outside of reasonable hours
·      Attend examinations with more than three medical practitioners who specialise in the same field.

If the employee does not attend the appointment without a reasonable excuse or refuses to submit to an examination, they can have their right to compensation suspended.

Author: Murray Bruce