Since the transition to icare, as the nominal insurer, a lot has changed in the way workers compensation operates in NSW. One of the major changes will take effect from 1 January 2018 with EML acting as the sole appointed claims service provider.
Following our NSW claim transition update in August icare has advised all new CGU & QBE claims will be managed by GIO now from October. We have seen some processing delays resulting from claim files moving to GIO & if you need help, we are here to help.
According to a recent article there has been a significant increase in complaints in relation to workers compensation claims fraud. Fraudulent claims include claiming for a non-work related injuries, failure to declare information, altering medical certificates, etc. The recent conviction of a fraudulent worker highlights the emphasis placed on legitimate claims.
Guidelines for Claiming Workers Compensation released by SIRA in 2016, effective 30 June 2017 there will be important changes to Notifications. With NSW insurers now required to contact the injured worker and employer, clarity will be critical.
At the end of April 2017, icare announced 2018 claims service partners for the NSW Workers Compensation scheme. As a shock to most in the industry, icare communicated that EML had been successful in being selected as the sole agent for new NSW cworkers compensation claims effective from 1 January 2018. This is a major change for NSW with the remaining 4 existing agents (i.e. Allianz, CGU, GIo & QBE) existing at various times.
icare recently announced the launch a pilot program trialling the use of an independent panel of medical providers. This initiative is hoped to provide various benefits including decreasing time currently taken to approve injured worker treatments.