Have you been injured at work? Our specialised and experienced team of personal injury lawyers will fight for the compensation you deserve.
Workers Compensation NSW

Suffering an injury at work can be shattering. As well as causing pain, stress and financial hardship, when insurers and rehabilitation experts become involved it can be confusing to understand what your workers compensation rights are and who is on your side.

If you have suffered a workplace injury then you may be entitled to workers compensation. Workers compensation in NSW can cover your wages, medical expenses and other costs incurred to help provide financial peace of mind.

Why Choose Stacks Goudkamp For Your Workers Compensation Claim?
Our work injuries lawyers have more than 40 years of experience advising people who have experienced workplace accidents. We understand how devastating injuries at work can be and will be there by your side, every step of the way. We can help you cut through the confusion and receive the workers compensation that you are entitled to.

John’s STORY

John was involved in a horrific workplace accident that left him with severe injuries to his neck and back. The accident occurred due to his employer’s negligent actions, leaving his family devastated. Watch John’s story and see how Stacks Goudkamp were able to help.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WORKERS COMPENSATION

You will be entitled to workers compensation, so long as you meet the below requirements:
  • You must be classified as a ‘worker’
  • You must have suffered an injury or illness
  • You must be able to prove that your employment conditions were a substantial or main contributing factor to your injury or illness

Please note that in the event you have suffered a psychological injury as a result of your workplace, it is important that you also establish that your injury was not “wholly or predominantly caused by the reasonable action of the employer”.

This means that your psychological injury was not wholly or predominantly caused due to a:

  • Performance appraisal;
  • Disciplinary action;
  • Promotion;
  • Demotion;
  • Retrenchment; or
  • Dismissal.

You are eligible for workers compensation in the event you are classified as a ‘worker’ under the workers compensation scheme. For the purpose of the workers compensation legislation, this refers to employees or workers that are ‘deemed employees’.

‘Deemed employees’ come in all classes of workers, including salespeople, labour hire workers, referees, entertainers. There is no specific set of criteria in determining a deemed employee, with many factors coming into it, including their reliance on that specific employer, uniform and often what the “reasonable person” would think.

‘Contractors’ are workers that are not covered under workers compensation insurance, and are often required to obtain their own insurance for workers under them. Contractors more often than not, engage in obtaining their own work or contracts, provide quotes for work, and carry on an independent business.

The Workers Compensation scheme covers a multitude of injuries and diseases. Under the workers compensation scheme, you are covered for various physical injuries, psychological injuries, dust diseases, hearing injuries, cardiological injuries, skin injuries etc.

No matter the injury, so long as a worker can establish that their workplace was either the substantial or main contributing factor in causing their injury, the worker will be entitled to compensation.

The Workers compensation scheme also provides compensation for the dependents of a worker, in the event the worker unfortunately dies during the course of their employment.

A worker will be entitled to a lump sum payment in the event that their injury or injuries are such, that they are assessed over the recommended threshold.

Under the Workers Compensation Scheme, a worker is eligible for a lump sum payment if they are assessed by an Approved Medico-Legal Doctor as being over 11% whole person impairment (physical injuries) or over 15% whole person impairment (psychological injuries).

If the worker is unable to reach these thresholds, they will not be entitled to a lump sum payment, however this does not mean the entitlement to weekly compensation or medical treatment expenses will end, and it will be important to speak with our Lawyers if this occurs.

Nothing! We don’t charge you anything for workers compensation claims. We are Independent Review Office IRO (formally WIRO) approved lawyers. IRO will pay us directly for any work that we do.

We will also fund all your expenses (disbursements), so you are never out-of-pocket. IRO reimburse our expenses at the end of your workers compensation claim.

For all other work injury compensation claims we will represent you on our no win, no fee basis.

In relation to a worker’s compensation claim, all disbursements and legal costs are covered by the Independent Review Office (IRO). IRO is responsible for providing funding to a lawyer in order to investigate or dispute a claim on the workers behalf.

This means that any clinical records, reports, necessary travel expenses for assessments, medico-legal reports and legal fees will be covered by IRO.

This is an effective way of ensuring that there is no added financial pressure placed on the injured worker, whilst ensuring they are afforded legal advice.

In order for a worker to make a claim for negligence against their employer, they must meet two criteria:
  1. Their injury or injuries that were sustained during the course of employment have been assessed and accepted to be over 15% whole person impairment; and
  2. The injury or injuries were as a result of the negligence of the employer.
Once the worker has proceeded with their lump sum compensation claim under the statutory scheme, and it is confirmed that they are over 15% whole person impairment, they will then be able to pursue the claim through the civil system so long as there was negligence.

In the event you are eligible to bring forward a negligence claim or Work Injury Damages claim, as it is often referred to, you are eligible to make a claim for your past and future economic loss.

Under the workers compensation legislation, a worker that is injured in the course of work, is only eligible for the loss of earnings as a result of the workplace injury. Please note that any settlement or court decision on costs will be less than the workers compensation entitlements already paid by the insurer up until the time of the settlement or decision.

The weekly payments that you receive in the event that you are off work as a result of your workplace injury will differ from your weekly earnings just before the time of your injury.

Under the Workers Compensation Scheme, the insurer will assess your Pre-Injury Average Weekly Earnings (PIAWE) up until 52 weeks prior to the injury (or less in the event the worker has not worked for the employer for that long). This will consider overtime and other bonuses the worker may have received up until that point.

Once the PIAWE has been calculated, the insurer will pay you the following weekly payments dependent on the period:

  1. First period (13 weeks) – the worker will receive 95% of the gross PIAWE calculated each week, in the event the worker has no capacity for work.
  2. Second period (14 – 130 Weeks) – the worker will receive 80% of the gross PIAWE calculated each week, in the event the worker has no capacity for work.
  3. Third period (131 – 260 Weeks) – the worker will receive 80% of the gross PIAWE calculated each week.

Please note that in the event the worker has returned to work on suitable duties and reduced hours, the worker will be entitled to up to 95% of the gross PIAWE per week, less the earnings they are receiving for work done.

MEET THE TEAM

Anna Tavianatos

Practice Group Leader
Anna is an experienced and personable personal injury lawyer who specialises in assisting injured workers. Anna primarily handles Workers Compensation

Krystal Parisis

Special Counsel
Krystal specialises in assisting workers access the compensation and support they need after suffering a workplace accident.

Cassandra Dien

Lawyer
Cassandra is a personal injury lawyer who specialises in Workers Compensation, Work Injury Damages, Superannuation claims for Income Protection

WHAT CAN I CLAIM COMPENSATION FOR?

If you have sustained an injury or illness at work, it can have a devastating effect on your life and finances. In the event you have been injured at work, you may be eligible to receive weekly payments, reasonably necessary treatment expenses, and the possibility of a tax-free lump sum payment.

You may be able to claim the following compensation:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Permanent impairment
  • Past and future earning losses and loss of working and earning capacities
  • Medical and other expenses
  • Rehabilitation expenses
  • Travel expenses
  • Domestic assistance due to your injuries and restrictions
  • Benefits for death of a worker

The amount of compensation you will receive depends on many factors; these include:

  • The severity of your injuries
  • Your age
  • If your employer was negligent
  • Your working conditions
  • Your capacity for work
  • Dependent on meeting different thresholds
  • How the injuries occurred, specifically in relation to psychological injuries
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Such as:

The Stacks Goudkamp way

We are dedicated and the leading No Win, No Fee personal injury lawyers in NSW. For over 40 years, Stacks Goudkamp has been helping injured Australians to receive the compensation they need and deserve.

We are dedicated and the leading No Win, No Fee personal injury lawyers in NSW. For
over 40 years, Stacks Goudkamp has been helping injured Australians to receive the
compensation they need and deserve.

Reach Out

Call or Email us to start the process and to receive expert legal advice for personal injury or compensation claims. Seek the professional support you deserve on (02) 4058 2715 or enquire online through our website.

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We are just a call or email away. Do not struggle with complex personal injury claims processes and in dealing with insurance companies on your own. We are here to listen and to help you to get the compensation you deserve.

Free Initial Consultation

We will not charge you for a comprehensive initial consultation where we will listen to your needs and provide you with free detailed advice. Compassion is what drives us. You can be sure that your questions will be answered.

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Here, we will explain the next steps and what it takes to achieve the best possible outcome.

No Win, No Fee

We will not require you to pay our legal fees, or any expenses (disbursements), unless we win your personal injury claim i.e you receive compensation. We know that being injured can result in terrible financial pressures.

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We pride ourselves on giving every injured Australian the peace of mind that we will look after them by acting on a no win no fee basis for their compensation claims.

CONTACT US

Contact your local team for a free consultation to find out if you are eligible for compensation

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I could write a book as to how the last 4 years would have been different if not for Tom and his team.
The support, assistance, advice from the first conversation till even after the settlement was second to none from the team at Stacks Goudkamp.
Four years on and after many downs, my children and I have our lives back.
We are unable to THANK YOU enough, but know that you have changed our lives for the better in so many ways since the accident.