What does Workers Compensation cover?

Although the legislation varies between states, the basic requirements to be considered for Workers Compensation are:

• You must be defined as a 'worker' by your state authority
• You must have suffered an incident as defined by your state's Workers Compensation Act
• Most importantly, WorkCover must be presented with proof that your employment conditions were a 'significant contributing factor' to causing incident.

Under the Workers Compensation Act, compensation may be awarded for:

• Pain and suffering – damages can be awarded for the mental anguish caused by permanent disfigurement, pain and suffering
• Medical expenses, including initial consultation, medical reports and treatment
• Economic losses – such as loss of wages and working benefits (including superannuation)
• Rehabilitation expenses, both short and long term

Work injuries that may qualify for workers compensation from either WorkCover or your employer include:

• Debilitating sickness or disease (including respiratory conditions and sickness/disease caused by travelling abroad)
• Broken bones, fractures and other bodily damage (cuts, damage to muscles, tendons, ligaments etc)
• Death due to sickness, disease or incident
• Aggravation of previous Compensation, pre-existing medical condition/disease
• Psychiatric/psychological disorders (this includes those suffered by family members of injured workers)

If you are in need of legal advice, contact Stacks/Goudkamp today. Stacks/Goudkamp is a Sydney based law firm with Accredited Specialists in Compensation Law and Compensation matters. We are situated in the heart of the Sydney CBD and also have offices in Parramatta, Liverpool, Newcastle and Wollongong. Call us today on 1800 25 1800 or alternatively, fill out the form on the right.