Due to changes made to the law in 2012, an injured worker on workers compensation will only get their medical treatment expenses covered for so long – how long depends on how permanently affected the worker is by their injuries.
Karen (not her real name) was devastated to find out that, after so many years of having workers compensation pay for her physiotherapy and pain management, she was now going to have to bear the full cost of her debilitating back injury.
This is because section 59A of the Workers Compensation Act 1987 NSW states if you are 11% – 20% whole person impaired, and you aren’t getting weekly payments, your medical treatments will only be covered for 5 years. Karen was a fighter and in spite of her back injury she strove to keep working, but she needed a little help to keep herself strong and mobile, and to manage the pain.
Karen didn’t have the money to keep up her treatments, and came to Brazel Moore Compensation Lawyers for help. At no cost to Karen, we were able to have her medically assessed by an independent doctor, who held that she was over 20% whole person impaired. We sent the evidence to the workers compensation insurer, along with a request that they pay for house modifications to help Karen get around easier at home.
Brazel Moore Compensation Lawyers were able to get the insurer to accept that Karen was over 20% whole person impaired, and could therefore continue to have her medical treatments covered. Section 59A does not apply to workers who are over 20%, so Karen now has the peace of mind of knowing she can always depend on her necessary medical needs being paid for.
If you are having an issue with your workers compensation payments, call Brazel Moore Compensation Lawyers for a free and confidential discussion about your rights.
