The Workcover NSW Medical Certificate

In order to claim compensation for lost time a person must provide a WorkCover medical certificate and this medical certificate can only be completed by a registered medical practitioner.

Your local doctor or treating GP will have these certificates on hand.

The certificate serves these main purposes:
1. To verify that a work related injury or illness has occurred
2. It enables a workers compensation insurance company or employer to determine liability for a workers compensation claim; and
3. It provides essential information on whether a person can return to their normal job or they require special duties until they have recovered from the injury. For example a cook with severely lacerated fingers may not be able to cook for two weeks and could be provided with other tasks i.e. cashier.

It is not the role of the medical practitioner to determine whether a worker has a valid claim under the Act or not.

Medical opinion should be restricted to diagnosis, the likelihood that the worker's employment was a substantial contributing factor to the injury and the resulting degree of incapacity, that is, totally unfit/partially unfit for work.

For injury notifications made from 1 January 2002, the provision of a properly completed medical certificate will be sufficient evidence of the existence of a work related medical condition.

For further information

Contact	:	OHS & Workers Compensation Officer - Mary Yaager
Phone	:	+61 2 9264 1691
Email	:	m.yaager@labor.org.au
WWW	:	http://ohsnet.labor.net.au/ohsnet/news

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