Do Workers Compensation payments continue if I leave my job?

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After suffering a work-related injury, you may be receiving workers’ compensation payments for a period of time to allow your body to heal so you can commence your duties again. But what happens to these payments if, within this time period, you decide to leave your job or you are let go by your employer?

Here’s what you need to know about the termination of an employment contract while receiving workers’ compensation.

Resigning from your job while receiving workers compensation payments

The purpose of workers’ compensation is to allow injured workers the time to heal from their injury without worrying about earning an income. Therefore, injured workers should not resign from their job while they are healing from a work-related injury and receiving workers’ compensation.

WorkCover will usually pay 75% or 85% of an injured worker’s usual weekly earnings, plus additional payments for medical, pharmaceutical, rehabilitation, and travel costs. So, the time spent not working is the optimal opportunity to rest, seek treatment and undertake rehabilitation (if required). This will help ensure bills will continue to be paid even if you are not attending your place of work.

If you are an injured worker who is receiving compensation and you are having doubts about your ability to return to work, do not resign. Have an honest and open conversation with your treating doctor so you can seek reassurance and map out your next steps for your eventual return to work. The most important thing you can do at this time is to heal and maintain your employment so that you continue to receive WorkCover payments. With this in mind, it is advised that you do not resign while on workers compensation.

Will compensation payments continue if I am fired while on WorkCover?

Termination whilst on WorkCover within 12 months of the work-related injury is illegal. Employers can face a fine of up to $5,338 if they are found to have unlawfully fired you.

It is also illegal to deny injured workers from receiving opportunities such as a promotion or bar them from working their regular hours (if they are fit to do so). Equally, it is illegal to demote or suspend an injured worker for being unable to complete their duties.

If an injured worker is still receiving workers’ compensation payments more than 12 months on from their injury their employer is legally allowed to terminate their employment. Payments made by WorkCover to the injured party will likely reduce to 75% of their ordinary weekly pay in this instance.

If, after two years, the injured worker is still unfit for work and their abilities have been impaired by more than 15% they will continue to receive 75% of their usual weekly pay as workers compensation payments. However, if it is found that their injury has caused them less than a 15% impairment their payments will reduce to the same rate as the current Centrelink disability support pension rates.

Is it legal for my employer to make me redundant while I am on WorkCover?

If a position is genuinely becoming redundant within a business, then it is legal for an employer to make an employee redundant even if they are receiving WorkCover payments.

It is important for employers to handle situations like these properly, and ensure they handle the redundancy the same as they would if the employee wasn’t receiving WorkCover payments. A minimum notice period or payment in lieu of a notice period in addition to redundancy pay is still a requirement of the employer. All entitlements and accrued annual or long service leave is still required to be paid out.

Employers should also be aware that if they cannot prove the redundancy was genuine, they may be fined and end up paying further compensation to the employee.

Cairns Compensation Lawyers can help you navigate issues with your employer whilst you are receiving WorkCover payments. Our lawyers are experts in workers compensation claims and the legalities surrounding them, so if you are dealing termination or redundancy, get in touch with our Cairns office today.