Workcover Claim in Victoria

The Steps to Take When Making a Workcover Claim in Victoria.

If you are a worker in Victoria, you are probably aware of WorkCover and its purpose. In Victoria, the Victorian Workcover Authority (VWA, its official name), trades under Worksafe Victoria. One of its purposes is to provide compensation to workers in Victoria in the event of an accident at work. Understanding the WorkCover process will help you if you decide to make a workcover claim in Victoria.

Other states have similar systems. Broadly the VWA has the following responsibilities:

1. Enforcing occupational health & safety laws
2. Providing support to injured employees and helping them back into the workplace
3. Managing and implementing the workers compensation scheme
4. Injury prevention at work

Important Steps When Making a WorkCover Claim in Victoria

It’s a fact of life that accidents and illness can occur in the workplace. This is not only stressful for you but also for your family and dependents and could also cause financial hardship. If you do suffer an accident, injury or work related illness that prevents you from carrying out your occupation, you may be able to seek compensation and benefits by lodging a workcover claim through your employer.

We’ll look at the following actions you should undertake when making a workcover claim in Victoria.

1.  Log Everything. From the moment you are injured at work, log everything precisely including the date / time / any personnel that are involved, a full description and copies of any paperwork. Some claims can become protracted. It is vitally important that you maintain a thorough and detailed chronology with all supporting documentation during the claims process.
2. Get treatment for your injury immediately. Your health is the most important thing. Just remember to keep all your receipts and invoices for any treatment you receive. Notify your employer in writing.You should record your injury in your workplace’s register of injuries within 30 days. This should be done by you, or someone on your behalf. If you do not do this, you may not be entitled to compensation. If you’re unable to record the injury in the register of injuries, you must notify your employer in writing within 30 days.
3. Motor Vehicles. Always report the accident to police when a vehicle is involved in your workplace accident. This should always be done in conjunction with the workcover claims process.
4. Get a Certificate of Capacity.  If you want to claim for loss of income (weekly payments), you’ll need to give your employer a Certificate of Capacity which is issued by a medical practitioner. The first certificate can cover up to the first 14 days of work capacity.As your recovery progresses, it may be necessary to obtain more certificates of capacity from a medical practitioner such as your GP, a specialist, physiotherapist and so on.
5. If you decide to make a workcover claim, you will need to complete a Worker’s Injury Claim form which you can get from the Worksafe Victoria website.
6. After you have completed the claim form, make a copy and pass the form to your employer. They will then lodge the claim and provide you with a copy. Generally a decision is made within 28 days. You may be required to:
   1. give a statement regarding the accident.
   2. undergo an independent medical evaluation. This will determine any benefits that you may be entitled to as a consequence of lost income, medical costs etc.