In this video, Senior Associate Jessica Prasser discusses how long will your workers’ compensation claim take in New South Wales.
Transcript
Hi, I’m Jessica Prasser and I’m a senior associate here at Bourke Legal. Today I’m going to be speaking to you about how long you can expect your New South Wales Workers’ Compensation claim to take so you can prepare yourself for the future.
So there’s not one specific timeframe for each case? It depends from person to person and from case to case. If you suffer a minor injury, for example, a sprained ankle, and you only require a few physiotherapy sessions and a few weeks off work, then you can expect your case to be finalised within a few weeks.
If, however, you suffer a major injury which has a slow recovery, has serious complications, or you require surgery, then your case could go for quite some years or even for the rest of your life.
It is therefore very important that you do not compare your case to someone else on the New South Wales Workers’ Compensation scheme, as your injury and recovery could be very different to that other person.
There are also a number of legal reasons why your case could take longer than expected or be delayed. For example, the insurer has two months to decide your claim for whole person impairment and there is nothing we as lawyers can do to speed up that time frame.
Further, there are a number of reasons why your case may be delayed being ready for the Personal Injury Commission, which is the independent tribunal that resolves disputes between insurers and injured workers.
An example of this is the lack of availability of medical experts. Or maybe your treating doctor is taking us quite some time to provide us with the information required. Or if you have suffered a further aggravation and you require further surgery, your case could even be delayed even further.
It is therefore very important that you speak to a specialised New South Wales Workers’ compensation lawyer as soon as possible so you can understand how long your case is going to take so that you can prepare yourself, which may be a long journey.
We here at Bourke Legal are specialised and can help you understand how long your case is going to take. So please give us a call and we’ll help you with this journey.