In the last 12 months, the NSW workers compensation industry has experienced dramatic change. As we approach 30 June 2016, it should be relieving for businesses to know that for there are no changes for workers compensation WorkCover Industry Classification (WIC) rates. As 2016/17 rates for NSW Workers Compensation apply to all renewals that fall due at 4pm on 30th June 2016, businesses and brokers will now be receiving renewal notices for these policies without fear of rate driven increases.
For large employers, icare however announced changes to the Retro Paid Loss (RPL) model by introducing Loss Prevention & Recovery (LPR) scheme as the replacement. LPR is progressively moving closer to providing pricing similar to that of insurers in privately underwritten schemes. This is an important change for large business.
Following the Workers Compensation Commission decision in Sabanayagam v St George Bank Ltd [2016], any cessation of weekly compensation payments must now be issued via a Work Capacity Decision (WCD). As WCDs require a legislated 3?month process, businesses face added wage costs that flow into workers’ compensation premiums for the next three renewals. Timely, effective claim management, including specialist input, has become increasingly critical
Significant challenges defined the 2015/16 renewal period for NSW workers’ compensation premiums. ABILITY GROUP has closely monitored these developments to keep employers informed and supported through the transition.
At ABILITY GROUP, we are proud to showcase the outstanding results of our specialist workplace rehabilitation provider, Health Ability, which has achieved a 100% Return-to-Work (RTW) rate. This milestone demonstrates the effectiveness of timely, tailored rehabilitation services in helping injured employees recover and reintegrate into the workplace
In 2015/16, many employers faced sharp increases in premiums due to prior year adjustments and a new renewal formula. For businesses with tariff premiums above $30,000, the impact was substantial, creating financial strain at the most critical time of year.
On the 4th of December 2015, icare (previously known as WorkCover NSW) announced further changes as a component of the NSW government ongoing NSW workers compensation reforms.
The latest reforms include benefit changes to injured employees in need of the highest benefits being those with a Whole Person Impairment (WPI) of >30%. In addition to this there were several other as well as additional changes.
