SIRA bulletin - Issue 35
Review of legal support in CTP scheme released
SIRA has published the findings of an independent review into the effectiveness of legal and other supports available to people injured in motor accidents.
The review, conducted by Taylor Fry, assessed if the current legislative, regulatory, and service provisions of legal support promote the objects of the Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017.
Eight options for potential reform have been put forward for SIRA to consider, including:
- No change to existing legal services arrangements
- Review the triggers for entitlement to legal services
- Set legal fees to more closely map to the work involved
- Simplify some common specific issues disputes so that the requirement for legal representation is reduced
- Increase resourcing for and the role of CTP Assist
- Discontinue the Legal Advisory Service and consider alternatives to replace this function
- Introduce a modified Independent Legal Assistance and Review Service (ILARS) to CTP
- Defer consideration of ILARS so that it can be considered as part of the broader scheme review.
SIRA will assess the likely effectiveness, feasibility and cost implications of the options.
You can read more about the findings and options of the Review of legal support online.
Results from workers compensation regulatory activity in 2020-2021
SIRA has published a summary of workers compensation regulatory activity in 2020-2021, which shows that:
- $37,500 in penalty notices were issued to businesses that were uninsured
- audits were carried out on the Nominal Insurer’s claims management and pre-injury average weekly earnings calculations
- three performance audits were conducted on self and specialised insurers
- 340 allied health providers were suspended from delivering services in the workers compensation scheme for failure to meet the approval criteria.
To learn more about SIRA’s enforcement action, you can view the NSW workers compensation system regulatory activity 2020-2021 update.
Register to attend the rehabilitation research symposium
Discover the latest in recovery and rehabilitation at the John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation (JWCRR) virtual symposium on 29 September.
Delegates can join Dr Petrina Casey of SIRA and other industry experts as they explore ‘Rehabilitation Research: Changing policy and practice’.
Last week SIRA announced its continuing partnership with the JWCRR with a joint grant of $9.6 million to undertake their widely recognised work in rehabilitation research, knowledge translation and evaluation.
Find out more about the agenda, speakers, and register for the free event before registrations close on 29 September.
Have your say on draft guidelines for hearing service providers
Consultation on draft guidelines that set requirements to deliver hearing-related services in workers compensation is now open.
The guidelines aim to ensure that qualified and experienced hearing service providers deliver treatment that prioritises health, quality of life, and work outcomes for people with work-related hearing loss.
Once finalised, providers will have 12 months to declare they meet and will adhere to the guidelines to continue providing hearing services in workers compensation.
SIRA invites all hearing specialists to provide feedback on the draft guidelines for the approval of hearing service providers before the consultation closes on 8 October.
Recovery through work measurement framework launches
SIRA has launched a framework that introduces a new approach to measure a person's recovery through work journey following an injury.
The new measures reflect the range of factors that influence a person’s recovery at work and will form part of future reporting and regulatory requirements in SIRA’s personal injury schemes.
You can access the Recovery through work framework online for more information on the new measures.
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