Injured worker's entitlements restored and nearly $8,000 backpaid

Summary

Arjun was stuck overseas due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Before going overseas, he had been receiving WorkCover payments. While overseas, it was difficult to get a medical certificate of capacity. His WorkCover agent therefore stopped his payments. Once Arjun received the certificate, he was worried about when his payments would resume. We contacted the agent. They processed the certificate the next day, resumed Arjun’s payments and backpaid him nearly $8,000.

What was the case?

Arjun was unable to work and received WorkCover payments. He was the sole income earner for his large family.

From time to time, Arjun needed to provide a medical certificate of capacity to his WorkCover agent CGU. Due to Coronavirus restrictions, he was stuck overseas longer than expected. At the start, he found it difficult to see a doctor and to receive a certificate. As a result, CGU stopped his payments.

After some time, Arjun was able to see a doctor and have the certificate scanned and sent.

Arjun contacted us as he didn’t know how long CGU’s assessment would take. By the time he contacted our office, he had not received payments for two months, which added up to nearly $8,000.

Our enquiries

We contacted CGU and asked them to clarify the situation. They said they did not know about Arjun’s situation until we contacted them. We asked them to contact Arjun to discuss his concerns.

Outcome

A day later, CGU told us said they had processed Arjun’s certificate of capacity. They arranged for Arjun to be promptly backpaid nearly $8,000 and worked with Arjun's employer to re-start payments.