Upcoming Changes to WorkCover Claims: What Workers and Employers Need to Know from 1 July 20251/7/2025  Upcoming Changes to WorkCover Claims: What Workers and Employers Need to Know from 1 July 2025 From 1 July 2025, significant changes will come into effect regarding how WorkCover Queensland handles provider-lodged work capacity certificates. These changes reflect new privacy obligations under the Information Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2023 and will impact both injured workers and employers. What’s Changing? Currently, when a doctor sends a work capacity certificate to WorkCover, a workers’ compensation claim is automatically registered — even if the injured worker hasn’t personally lodged a claim. As of 1 July 2025, this automatic process will no longer occur. Instead: Injured workers will now need to actively make a claim themselves using their work capacity certificate. How Can a Worker Make a Claim? Workers must now:
By phone: call 1300 362 128 By form: complete and submit a physical claim form Can Employers Help? Yes — with the worker’s explicit consent, an employer can initiate the claim process on the worker’s behalf. This requires: • A completed claim form • A copy of the work capacity certificate This change is designed to give workers more control over their information and ensure that claims are made intentionally, in line with updated privacy legislation. What About Serious or Catastrophic Injuries? Importantly, in cases where a worker: • Suffers a catastrophic or serious injury (such as a spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, or coma), and • Is unable to lodge a claim themselves, WorkCover will continue to initiate a claim when a certificate is received from the treating doctor. Why This Matters At Arthur Browne & Associates, we often assist clients who assumed a claim had already been started — only to discover later that it hadn’t. These new rules make it even more crucial for injured workers to actively take steps to lodge their claims. Failing to lodge a claim correctly could delay access to entitlements like: • Weekly compensation payments • Medical treatment • Rehabilitation support Need Help with Your WorkCover Claim? If you’ve been injured at work or need advice on how these changes affect your claim, don’t leave it to chance. Contact Arthur Browne & Associates — we’re here to guide you through the claim process and protect your legal rights every step of the way. Call us today or make an online request for a free initial consultation through our website. Comments are closed.
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