A poorly managed workers compensation claim becomes a long, expensive burden. Expert claims management ensures injured workers are treated fairly and costs are kept to what is lawfully required.
What is Claims Management cover?
Claims Management describes the process that should occur once a workers compensation claim is received. It involves the facilitation of a proper investigation should liability be in question and thereafter compensating the injured worker as quickly as possible. Claims Management also includes the mobilisation of all medical services that along with the employers’ willingness to offer suitable employment will have the injured worker return to work early in a durable and sustainable manner whilst recovering. It involves the planning, managing, and monitoring of the entire process to ensure that the employer and injured worker comply with their lawful requirements to offer suitable duties and return to work.
The Claims Process at a Glance
When a workplace injury occurs, Australian employers have specific obligations. The process typically follows these steps:
- Report the injury: notify your insurer within the timeframe required by your state scheme
- Liability investigation: the insurer assesses the claim and must advise the outcome promptly
- Medical coordination: work with the treating GP to support the worker’s recovery
- Suitable duties offer: identify meaningful tasks that allow the worker to remain productive
- Return-to-work monitoring: review the graduated plan regularly until the worker is fully recovered
Without active employer involvement at each step, claims extend, costs escalate, and premium impacts carry forward into future policy periods.
Who’s at risk?
Every employer needs to exercise good premium Management to ensure that they are paying the correct level of workers compensation premium. At the same time, every employer must also have a good understanding of how to exercise good injury and claims management as the risk of a workplace accident causing injury is always present.
For smaller businesses without dedicated HR support, managing a complex or disputed claim alongside daily operations can be overwhelming.
Why you should protect yourself?
For most employers workers compensation premiums make up a significant portion of an employer’s total insurance spend. Many employers believe that workers compensation premiums cannot be minimised and that Agents / Insurers will manage claims on the employer’s behalf. This is not true. Premiums can be actively minimised via effective injury, claims and premium management. Agents / Insurers are not working in the employer’s or injured worker’s best interests. They exist to ensure that injured workers receive the compensation that they are legally obliged to receive. Just as injured workers can call upon lawyers to try and maximise the compensation that they receive, so can an employer call upon experts such as ReWork to minimise the cost of workplace injuries, claims and their premium.
How can you protect yourself?
Many employers that are mainly SME do not have the need or financial ability to employ a workers compensation injury, claims and premium management expert so they call upon ReWork to provide this expertise in readiness for the next workplace injury and/or to manage existing workplace injuries and claims that have become complex and expensive. Call ReWork today to ensure that your next workplace injury or current workers compensation claims are managed by an industry expert that will take good care of your workers whilst protecting your interests through effective injury claims and premium management.
ReWork acts as the employer’s expert through the claims process, ensuring rights are respected and costs are contained.