The Victoria government has announced significant changes to supports available for injured workers claiming the current system is broken. Over the past decade, WorkCover's claims have tripled, with more people remaining on the scheme for extended periods with a significant increase in mental health injury claims.
The proposed changes will impact how mental injury claims are processed and introduce time limits for long-term claims.
Under the new rules, workers with stress and burnout claims will no longer receive weekly payments from WorkCover. They will still be eligible for provisional payments for 13 weeks to cover medical treatment and related expenses.
Criteria for workers receiving weekly benefits for more than two and a half years will also change, requiring a 'whole person impairment' of over 20% for continued benefits.
The Government intends to establish 'Return to Work Victoria' to assist injured workers in finding suitable employment, training, and job placement opportunities, though no details of this body were included in the new Bill.
VTHC rejects all changes that reduce access and support for injured workers or remove injured workers from the WorkCover scheme.
Read VTHC's full response here.