Retirement
Your injured worker's entitlement to compensation is impacted by their retirement age.
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Weekly benefits
If an injured worker is impacted by a workplace injury before reaching retirement age, they may be eligible to receive weekly benefits until the one-year anniversary of reaching retirement age. If a worker is injured after retirement age, they are limited to weekly payments for up until 12 months after the date of first incapacity.
Your insurer should provide the employer and the injured worker with appropriate time notice prior to the cessation of weekly payments. Your insurer must provide written notification at least 13 weeks before the cessation of weekly benefits.
In the notification, the injured worker and employer should be provided with the date payments will cease and the date the last payment will be processed. The injured worker and employer must also be provided with information regarding when medical benefits will cease.
The early notification can assist to ensure the injured worker has sufficient time to prepare for cessation and make appropriate arrangements.
Back to top ⇡Medical benefits
If an injured worker is assessed as having 10 per cent whole person impairment (WPI) or less, the medical benefits claimable are for two years commencing from when weekly benefits stop, or from the date of the claim if no weekly benefits were paid.
If a worker's injury has been assessed as having a WPI between 11 per cent and 20 per cent, they are entitled to reasonably necessary medical benefits for five years from when weekly benefits stop, or from the date of claim if no weekly payments are made.
If an injured worker is assessed as having a WPI of 21 per cent or more, they are entitled to reasonably necessary medical benefits for life.
Government workers
Weekly benefits
For all NSW Government Agency workers, which includes exempt and non-exempt workers:
An injured worker can receive weekly benefits up until the one-year anniversary of reaching retirement age. If a worker is injured after retirement age, they are limited to weekly payments for up until 12 months after the date of first incapacity.
Your Claims Service Provider should provide the injured worker and employer with appropriate time notice prior to the cessation of weekly payments. Your Claims Service Provider must provide with written notification at least 13 weeks before the cessation of weekly benefits.
In the notification, the injured worker and employer should be provided with the date payments will cease and the date the last payment will be processed.
The early notification can assist to ensure the injured worker has sufficient time to prepare for cessation and make appropriate arrangements.
For firefighter volunteers, official firefighters with RFS or SES/Surf life saver volunteers, there are no retirement age limitations to weekly benefits.
Medical Benefits
For exempt workers (including police officers, firefighters and ambulance officers):
There is no time limit for reasonably necessary medical expenses.
For firefighter volunteers, official firefighters of the RFS and SES/Surf life saver volunteers, there are no retirement age limitations to medical expenses.
For non-exempt workers (all other NSW Government Agency workers):
- If an injured worker is assessed as having 10 per cent whole person impairment (WPI) or less, the medical benefits claimable are for two years commencing from when weekly benefits stop, or from the date of the claim if no weekly benefits were paid.
- If a worker's injury has been assessed as having a WPI between 11 per cent to 20 per cent, they are entitled to reasonably necessary medical benefits for five years from when weekly benefits cease, or from the date of claim if no weekly payments are made.
- If an injured worker is assessed as having a WPI of 21 per cent or more, there is no time limit for reasonably necessary medical expenses related to the claim.