Resources and programs to help your employee recover and return to work

Funding is available to help injured employees develop new skills and obtain qualifications. This is so they may remain working with you, their pre-injury employer, or obtain employment with a new employer.

For more information, see:

• SIRA website
• SIRA training program

Funding may be available for equipment or workplace modifications if it will help an injured employee remain at work with you or commence work with a new employer.

Modifications to the workplace may be necessary to accommodate a change in your employee’s capacity, or equipment may be required for the employee’s new role (for example, a basic toolkit for a maintenance worker).

For more information see:

• SIRA equipment and workplace modification program

Workplace rehabilitation providers offer specialist rehabilitation services to help employees recover and return to work.

Workplace rehabilitation providers are often engaged for those injured employees whose return to work is not straightforward. Workplace rehabilitation services are usually delivered at the workplace, in consultation with all parties and may involve:

• Identifying and addressing risks that may impact an injured employees recovery at, and/ or return to work
• Identifying duties that will support improvement in a worker’s capacity. Identifying and coordinating rehabilitation strategies (including providing advice on equipment, job or workplace modifications) that ensures injured employees are able to safely perform their work duties
• Implementing and monitoring a plan to achieve an agreed recovery at work or return to work goal.
• Arranging appropriate retraining and placement in alternative employment when the injured employee is unable to return to pre-injury employment.

As an employer you may be involved in the decision about which workplace rehabilitation to use, however the worker should be consulted on the decision and given the opportunity to refuse or request a change in workplace rehabilitation provider.

Workplace rehabilitation provider costs are recorded as a claims cost and is paid by icare.

For more information see: 

• What to expect from your workplace rehabilitation provider

A work trial is a SIRA initiative that provides work-based opportunities for a worker (‘trainee’) to upgrade their physical and psychological capacity for work and/or develop marketable skills.

When an employer is unable to provide suitable work, a work trial places the injured employee with another employer for short periods. A work trial is a voluntary short term agreement aimed at increasing the employee’s capacity to return to their pre-injury job or obtain transferrable skills to gain a different job with you or a new employer.

A work trial is arranged and monitored by a workplace rehabilitation provider (for more information on a workplace rehabilitation provider please see link below).

The injured employee receives no payment from the host employer during the work trial. icare or SIRA pays for fares to and from the workplace and essential equipment to perform work trial duties.

For more information on the benefits, financial and insurance arrangements, work trial host responsibilities and employment incentives, please see the SIRA website.

For further information see: 

• Work trial information for potential host employers
• Work trial information for workers

This program provides funding to address immediate or short term barriers or needs that prevent an injured worker from obtaining or accepting an offer of employment with a new employer.

There are two payment tiers under the transition to work program:

• Tier 1 – up to $200 to help a injured employee prepare for job seeking or to commence work. The payment can be used more than once provided the cumulative costs do not exceed $200.
• Tier 2 –up to $5,000 to address immediate or short term barrier/s that prevent injured employee accepting an offer of new employment. This might include travel, transitional child care arrangements, and clothing. The payment can be used more than once provided the cumulative costs do not exceed $5,000.

Return to work coordinators, insurers or workplace rehabilitation providers can develop the application for the program.

The SIRA transition to work guidance material provides detailed information on the policies and procedures when applying for a transition to work payment.

For more information see: 

• SIRA transition to work program guidance material

JobCover placements give financial incentives to new employers to employ injured workers. It provides incentives of up to $27,400 for the injured worker's first year of employment.

The incentive payment increases according to the length of time the injured worker remains employed with the new employer. New employers are given:

• up to $400 per week for the first 12 weeks (maximum of $4,800)
• up to $500 per week for the next 14 weeks (maximum of $7,000)
• up to $600 per week for the next 26 weeks (maximum of $15,600).

In addition:

• the injured worker's wages aren’t included in the calculation of the new employer's workers insurance premium for two years
• the new employer is protected against further costs associated with the existing injury for up to two years.

Please visit the SIRA website for further information and: 

• JobCover placement program fact sheet for workers and employers