When a Former Officer disagrees with a claim decision made by the Insurance Commission, access to a two stage dispute resolution process is available.
The two stages of dispute resolution are:
The Former Officer should contact the Insurance Commission Claims Officer assigned to the claim. This will provide the Former Officer with access to the Insurance Commission's Internal Dispute Resolution process. Either the Claims Officer will be able to resolve the issue for the Former Officer directly, or will refer the matter to a senior Insurance Commission Officer for review and resolution.
The Insurance Commission will respond to any dispute created either at the time of the initial contact with the party concerned, or within 3 working days of the lodgement of the dispute.
If the matter cannot be resolved by the initial informal discussion, and further information (e.g. new medical or factual evidence) that may allow a decision to be reconsidered is subsequently provided, the Insurance Commission will review the further submission within 10 days of receipt and notify the party whether or not the dispute can be resolved.
A Former Officer may refer the matter to the WorkCover WA Dispute Resolution Directorate for determination where:
The Dispute Resolution Directorate is a division of WorkCover WA with the responsibility of arbitrating disputes between parties within the workers' compensation system. The Dispute Resolution Directorate will also arbitrate disputes between parties relating to the Police (Medical and Other Expenses for Former Officers) Act 2008.
Where a Former Officer is legally represented, the Insurance Commission will provide the representative with copies of any correspondence that is sent to the Former Officer.
The Insurance Commission recommends that the Former Officer follows this process through the stages however, the Former Officer has the right to move directly to stage 2 if they wish.
