Offer of Lump Sum Compensation

Once you have had appropriate medical treatment and rehabilitation and once your injury is considered to be stable and stationary, WorkCover will ‘assess’ your injury and then make you a lump sum offer of compensation. This is a crucial stage of the claim process and it is in your best interests to speak with a solicitor at this stage if you haven’t already done so.

WorkCover’s obligation to pay your medical expenses and/or wages will stop within about three weeks of you receiving the offer of lump sum compensation. Within 28 days of receiving the lump sum offer, you must decide whether to:

1. Accept the lump sum offer – in which case you will be entitled to “keep” the benefits already paid to you, but you will lose all other legal right to claim any further compensation;

2. Defer the lump sum offer – to allow you time to take legal advice or to allow you more time to t-hink about the offer; OR

3. Reject the offer to allow you to make a claim against your employer for negligence and claim further compensation – in which case you should consult a solicitor

Before you make any decision, it is important that you take the advice of a solicitor because once you have made your decision, you can’t change your mind!!