Can a doctor lodge a WorkCover claim (Vic)?

No, a doctor is not able to lodge a WorkCover claim on your behalf in Victoria.

A doctor can provide you with the WorkCover claim form, a WorkCover certificate (called a certificate of capacity) and they can help you to complete the claim form, but they cannot sign it on your behalf. You must sign the claim form.

This article will explore things further.

A claim form must be completed, signed and lodged

In order to initiate a claim, you will need to complete the WorkCover claim form.

The first two pages of the claim form in Victoria looks like this:

If you’re looking for a copy of the claim form, you can get that here.

On the claim form, you’ll need to list your contact information, details of the injury, treatment you’ve received and pay and employment information.

Once the claim form is accurate, you will need to sign it and date it on the final page. This needs to be done by you and nobody else (this means your doctor can’t do it).

Then, the claim form will need to be submitted to either your employer directly, or alternatively to the WorkCover insurance company (which will be either: Allianz, EML, Gallagher Bassett or XChanging).

The form can also be submitted directly to WorkSafe.

Has a claim been lodged?

Many people believe that a WorkCover claim has been lodged when it hasn’t.

For example, some people believe that after seeing their GP – and if the doctor provides a WorkCover certificate which then gets provided to the employer – that a WorkCover claim has been lodged.

This is not correct as a WorkCover claim will not have been lodged in this instance.

A WorkCover certificate is just a piece of the puzzle. These certificates are necessary to claim weekly payments under a WorkCover claim, but they do not initiate a claim.

You can read more about certificates here.

As mentioned above, you will need to complete the WorkCover claim form for there to be a WorkCover claim on foot.

Similarly, many people believe that their employer has lodged a WorkCover claim on their behalf when it hasn’t. For example, it’s not uncommon for people to believe that the process of filling out the injury register at their place of employment initiates a claim.

It should be repeated because it is important – in order to have a WorkCover claim, you will need to complete, sign and lodge the standard claim form document. If this hasn’t been done, then you will not have a WorkCover claim.

How do I know whether a claim has been lodged?

There are number of ways that you can determine whether a claim has been lodged if you’re not sure.

The easiest way is if you’ve received a letter or an email from the insurance company confirming that a claim has been lodged.

Once you lodge a WorkCover claim, the insurer should send you a letter or an email letting you know they have received the claim and are processing.

Your claim number should be printed on the correspondence.

Also, what usually happens after you’ve lodged the claim form is that the insurer will have you medically assessed.

So if you haven’t had a medical assessment organised by the insurer, then it’s quite possible you haven’t lodged a claim.

Another way that you can check to see whether a claim has been lodged is by contacting your employer’s WorkCover Insurer directly if you know who they are.

You’ll need to tell them your name and your employer details and they can look on their system to see whether they have a claim for you.

If they do, you should ask them to provide you with your claim number.

The final way that you can figure out if a claim has been lodged is to contact WorkSafe and ask them.

WorkSafe oversee the WorkCover scheme.

They’ll be able to tell you who the relevant WorkCover insurer is, and what your claim number is.

The final thing you can do to find out whether you have a claim is to engage the services of a lawyer who can make the relevant enquiries for you.