icare

Lifetime Care funds treatment, rehabilitation and care for people who are severely injured in motor accidents in NSW, regardless of who was at fault. Lifetime Care does not pay income support to scheme participants.

Lifetime Care’s legislation and guidelines do not require a participant to return to work but acknowledges that returning to work is an important part of rehabilitation.

Vocational programs for Lifetime Care

Lifetime Care participants may be receiving additional benefits, such as through compulsory third party or workers compensation insurance, or Centrelink entitlements, all of which may have return to work obligations.

The participant may have return to work obligations and an existing return to work program initiated by the compulsory third party insurer. These participants may be able to access SIRA vocational programs.

Lifetime Care participants seeking new employment will typically start with a Work Options Plan completed by a vocational rehabilitation consultant.

The Work Options Plan is a tool to explore vocational options for participants and to develop a plan to achieve participant vocational goals. The Work Options Plan is a fixed price assessment of six hours (plus travel). It is expected to be completed across two appointments with the participant.

Vocational training (which includes pre-vocational training) may be considered reasonable to achieve the participant’s vocational goals.

Lifetime Care may make payments for incidental expenses, not exceeding $1,000, to assist a participant to start employment when:

• it will address an immediate or short-term barrier that directly prevents the participant from commencing employment or accepting an offer of employment
• there is written evidence of a job offer to the participant
• the need arises before the participant starts employment and receives their first payment from their employer
• it is not provided by the employer.

Workers Care funds treatment, rehabilitation and care for people severely injured at work. It and is managed within the Lifetime Schemes. Participants receive income support from the workers compensation insurer. They are required to have a certificate of work capacity with obligations to return to work.

Workers Insurance provides insurance and care services for people injured at work (excluding severe injury). They receive income support. They are required to have a certificate of work capacity with obligations to return to work.

Vocational programs for Workers Care and Workers Insurance

Vocational programs for Workers Care and Workers Insurance participants may include:

• work trials
• funding for workplace equipment and modifications
• training to develop new skills and qualifications
• financial support to remove barriers for clients
• financial incentives via the Job Cover Placement Program.

Vocational providers for NSW Workers Care and Workers Insurance programs need to be approved by SIRA to provide return-to-work services.

CTP Care provides benefits for treatment and care for people injured in a motor accident in NSW from 1 December 2017, and have treatment and care needs five years or longer after their accident.

Eligibility and transition

• An injured person is eligible if they have treatment and care needs five years or longer after their motor vehicle accident.
• CTP Early by Agreement enables an early transfer of an injured person if it is likely that there will be a requirement for ongoing treatment and care more than five years from the date of the accident.
• Any transition to CTP Care will not impact on an injured person’s entitlements, including damages claims, weekly benefits or treatment and care.

Vocational support

Persons under CTP Care will have a recovery plan that includes their treatment and rehabilitation needs with consideration for improving earning capacity.

They may participate in a SIRA-funded program to support their recovery at work if they are certified as having a current fitness for work certificate and receiving or entitled to receive weekly payments.