Victorians who suffer a work-related mental injury can now access immediate treatment and support while they await the outcome of their claim.
Minister for Workplace Safety, Ingrid Stitt said that under the recently passed Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Provisional Payments) Act 2021, anyone seeking compensation for a mental injury in a workplace may be entitled to provisional payments to cover reasonable medical expenses.
“The change will ensure eligible workers and volunteers no longer have to choose between delaying critical care or facing stressful out-of-pocket costs for GP visits, psychologist or psychiatrist appointments and medication,” Ms Stitt said.
“Provisional payments will be provided for up to 13 weeks, giving workers certainty of immediate support whether a claim is accepted or not,” she said.
“Providing better support is important, because mental injury claims are often complex taking an average of 20 days longer to determine than physical injury claims.”
Ms Stitt said the scheme was an expansion of a successful pilot program which provided provisional payments to police and emergency services workers and volunteers.
WorkSafe Victoria said employers now had an obligation to provide early notification of mental injury claims and must notify their WorkSafe agent within three business days.
The Agency said it had released an updated If you are injured at work poster and made changes to the Worker’s Injury Claim Form to include the provisional payments.
Further information on the provisional payments, including WorkSafe resources, can be accessed at this PS News link.
