Page 3563 - Week 10 - Thursday, 20 October 2022
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• 99.1 per cent of
- injury claims were determined within 30 days and
- disease claims were determined within 75 days.
2. What is the average time for a PTSD claim to be processed by the current claims manager from when they are submitted?
Since 1 January 2022, there have been streamlined arrangements in place for first responders (e.g. firefighters, ambulance officers and paramedics) employed by the Justice and Community Safety Directorate. The average time taken to determine one of these claims has reduced significantly as a result of the change and currently averages six days.
In the years prior to this change (from 1 July 2016 to 1 January 2022) the average number of days taken to determine a PTSD claim for first responders was 45 days.
For workers other than first responders who suffer PTSD, the average amount of time taken to determine the claim has reduced since the ACT Government became a self-insurer. By way of example, in the 12 months to September 2022, there were 10 claims for post traumatic stress disorder made by employees of the Justice and Community Safety Directorate. The average time taken to determine these was 38 days.
3. What arrangements are in place to ensure first responders suffering from PTSD are not experiencing financial loss if and while they are unable to work but are waiting on the resolution of their claim?
As indicated in the response to question two above, the amount of time taken to determine a first responder’s PTSD claim has reduced significantly. In addition, the ACT Government workers’ compensation insurer provides immediate medical, allied health and rehabilitation assistance for an injury or illness that is the subject of a workers’ compensation claim from the time that a claim is made up until it is determined. In the event a claim is declined, the payments made during this interim period are not recovered. This means that first responders would not have out of pocket medical costs associated with treatment of their PTSD.
Personal leave would also generally be available for an ACTPS employee if they are unable to work because of an injury or illness. Personal leave would be recredited by the workers’ compensation insurer if liability for the injury or illness that caused the incapacity is accepted.
ACT Ambulance Service—fees
Mr Gentleman (in reply to a question and a supplementary question by Mr Braddock and Mr Davis on Thursday, 30 June 2022):
The ACT Ambulance Service (ACTAS) has no evidence that people are delaying or not calling an ambulance because of concerns relating to cost.
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