Glossary
NSW injury scheme glossary
The workers compensation, CTP and icare systems come with their own vocabulary. Here are the terms that matter, in plain English, with what each term means and where it sits in a claim.
Activities of daily living
The everyday self-care and household tasks a person needs to manage, such as dressing, cooking and getting around.
DefinitionCertificate of Capacity
The document a treating doctor completes to record an injured worker's diagnosis, capacity for work and restrictions under the NSW workers compensation scheme.
DefinitionCompulsory Third Party (CTP)
The mandatory Green Slip insurance that funds treatment, care and income support for people injured in a NSW motor accident.
DefinitionGraduated return to work
A staged increase in hours or duties that builds a worker back towards their pre-injury role as capacity improves.
DefinitionHost employment
A temporary placement with another business that provides suitable duties when a worker's own employer cannot.
Definitionicare (Insurance and Care NSW)
The NSW government agency that funds and delivers the state's workers compensation and injury-care schemes, separate from the regulator.
DefinitionIndependent medical examination
An assessment by a doctor who is not treating the injured person, arranged to give an impartial opinion on an injury or claim.
DefinitionInjury management plan
The insurer's overarching plan for managing a worker's injury and recovery across the life of a claim.
DefinitionLifetime Care and Support Scheme
The NSW scheme that funds lifelong treatment, rehabilitation and care for people severely injured in a motor accident, regardless of fault.
DefinitionNominated Treating Doctor
The doctor an injured worker chooses to manage their treatment and certify their capacity for work under the NSW scheme.
DefinitionPermanent impairment
Impairment from an injury that has stabilised and is unlikely to change, assessed to determine lump-sum and other entitlements.
DefinitionPre-approval
The insurer's approval of a workplace-rehabilitation service and its cost before that service is delivered.
DefinitionProvisional liability
An insurer's early decision to start paying benefits before a work injury claim is fully investigated or accepted.
DefinitionReasonable and necessary treatment
The standard an insurer applies when deciding which treatment and services it will fund for an injury.
DefinitionRecover at Work
The scheme principle that safe, suitable work is part of recovery, not something that waits until recovery is complete.
DefinitionReturn-to-work plan
A written, dated plan setting out the duties, hours and steps for an injured worker to recover at work.
DefinitionScheme Agent
The organisation appointed to manage workers compensation claims day to day on behalf of the Nominal Insurer.
DefinitionSIRA (State Insurance Regulatory Authority)
The independent NSW regulator of the workers compensation, CTP and home building compensation schemes, and the body that approves workplace rehabilitation providers.
DefinitionSuitable Duties
The tasks an injured worker can safely do while recovering, matched to the capacity their treating doctor has certified.
DefinitionSuitable Employment
Work an injured worker could reasonably do given their injury, skills and experience, and a broader test than adjusted duties with their current employer.
DefinitionWeekly payments
Income support paid to a worker who has lost earnings because of a work injury, calculated under the NSW scheme.
DefinitionWhole person impairment
A percentage measure of permanent impairment expressed against the whole person, used to determine certain scheme entitlements.
DefinitionWork Capacity Assessment
The insurer's review of an injured worker's ability to return to work and earn, drawing together medical, functional and vocational evidence.
DefinitionWork Capacity Decision
A decision the workers compensation insurer makes about an injured worker's ability to work and earn, which can affect their weekly payments.
DefinitionWorkers Compensation (NSW)
The NSW scheme that pays for treatment, income support and return-to-work help when someone is injured or made ill through their job.
DefinitionWorkplace rehabilitation provider
A SIRA-approved organisation that coordinates return-to-work services between the worker, employer, insurer and healthcare team.
Definition