Retirement
Your entitlement to compensation is impacted by your retirement age.
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Weekly benefits
If you are impacted by a workplace injury before reaching retirement age, you may be eligible to receive weekly benefits up until the one-year anniversary of reaching retirement age. If you are injured after retirement age, you are limited to weekly payments up until 12 months after the date of first incapacity.
Your Claims Service Provider should provide you with appropriate time notice prior to the cessation of your weekly payments. Your Claims Service Provider must provide you with written notification at least 13 weeks before the cessation of weekly benefits.
The notification should contain the date your payments will cease and the date the last payment will be processed. You must also be provided with information regarding when your medical benefits will cease.
The early notification can assist to ensure you have sufficient time to prepare for cessation and make appropriate arrangements.
Back to top ⇡Medical benefits
If you are 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 you are assessed as having a WPI between 11 per cent and 20 per cent, you 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 you are assessed as having a WPI of 21 per cent or more, you are entitled to reasonably necessary medical benefits for life.
If you are reaching your medical benefits limit, you are encouraged to discuss with your case manager, doctor and treatment team, to develop a plan that allows for a smooth transition onto alternative treatment pathways outside the workers compensation scheme.
Government workers
Weekly benefits
For all NSW Government Agency workers, which includes exempt and non-exempt workers:
You can receive weekly benefits up until the one-year anniversary of reaching retirement age. If you are injured after retirement age, you are limited to weekly payments for up until 12 months after the date of first incapacity.
Your claim service provider should provide you with appropriate time notice prior to the cessation of your weekly payments. They must provide you with written notification at least 13 weeks before the cessation of weekly benefits.
In the notification, you should be provided with the date your payments will cease and the date the last payment will be processed. The early notification can assist to ensure you have sufficient time to prepare for cessation and make appropriate arrangements.
If you are a firefighter volunteer, official firefighter with RFS or SES/Surf life saver volunteer, there is no time limit for reasonably necessary medical expenses related to the claim.
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 you are 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 you are assessed as having a WPI between 11 per cent to 20 per cent, you are entitled to receive 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 you are assessed as having a WPI of 21 per cent or more the medical benefits can be lifelong.
If you are reaching your medical benefits limit, you are encouraged to discuss with your case manager, doctor and treatment team to develop a plan that allows for a smooth transition onto alternative treatment pathways outside the workers compensation scheme.
