Hireup Injury Management Program
The Hireup Injury Management Program outlines the steps and procedures aimed at helping Hireup employees recover from workplace injuries or illnesses and return to work safely and effectively. This may include receiving necessary treatment and rehabilitation to support their return to work.
The program's objective is to assist employees in resuming their pre-injury duties in a sustainable manner. Success in injury management depends on collaborative efforts with yourself, your GP and treatment providers, Return to Work Coordinator, insurance claim manager, and a Rehabilitation Provider (if applicable), all working together towards achieving a timely return to work.
The most important person in your recovery is you
Notifying Hireup early about your illness or injury and getting prompt support can help you return to work safely and for the long term. Although a work-related injury or illness can significantly impact your life, recovering at work in a safe, timely, and lasting way is beneficial for your health, wellbeing and overall recovery.
Whether you're working fewer hours, doing different tasks, or modifying your usual duties, getting back to work is crucial for your recovery. Focus on what you can do, not what you can't, throughout your recovery.
It is also important to keep the people you support updated with your recovery and your expected return to work. This is something that Hireup can support you to do.
Workers Compensation Insurance
Workers compensation insurance is available to all Hireup employees nationally. It ensures that all employees are covered in the instance that they sustain a work-related injury or illness. Under Workers Compensation insurance you may be entitled to payments for lost wages, essential ambulance services, medical treatments, hospital care, and other necessary treatments.
Medical costs
It’s the responsibility of both you and your medical or treatment provider to seek approval before you start your treatment. However, to ensure you receive the treatment you require without delay, some services can go ahead without prior approval from the insurer. These may include:
- Initial treatment (any treatment within 48 hours of the injury happening);
- Consultations with your nominated treating doctor (NTD) in relation to your work-related injury;
- Treatment during a consultation for the injury or illness provided by your nominated treating doctor within one month of the injury;
- Any services for the injury that are provided in the emergency department of a public hospital;
- Diagnostic investigations (ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs) if referred by your NTD within 3 months of the date of injury; and
- Up to 8 consultations with a physical or psychological allied health practitioner (within 3 months of the date of injury) eg. physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, psychologists, counsellors, exercise physiologists.
Other services that may be approved by the insurer include:
- Treatment by medical practitioners, physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, psychologists, counsellors, exercise physiologists, other allied health practitioners;
- Provision of artificial aids;
- Domestic assistance services;
- Nursing, medical and medicine supplies (provided outside of hospital treatment); and
- Modifications to your home or vehicle.
Travel costs
You can claim travel ( to attend medical, hospital and rehabilitation appointments that are related to your Workplace Injury.
In order to claim these costs you will need to keep:
- a record of the kilometres if you use a private motor vehicle
- receipts for public transport,
- receipts taxi or rideshare (If you are certified unfit to drive)
- complete and submit expense reimbursement form accessible from the relevant workers' compensation insurer.
Wage compensation
If you are unable to work because of your injury, you may be entitled to compensation for lost wages. This compensation is based on a percentage of your Pre-Injury Average Weekly Earnings (PIAWE). PIAWE is usually calculated as the average of your gross earnings over the 52 weeks prior to your reported date of injury.
Hireup will provide your payslips from the past 52 weeks (or as many as you have if you've been employed for less time) to the insurer for your PIAWE calculation.
If you have another job and are unable to work there either due to your injury, you can provide payslips from that job to be included in the compensation calculation. Each state has different calculations for weekly benefits . Your Return to Work Coordinator and insurance claim manager will be able to provide you information about your compensation entitlement rate in your state.
If you do not agree with the calculation of your PIAWE, you should first raise it with your case manager. If you are still not satisfied that your complaint or enquiry has been resolved you can refer to Hireup’s Statement on Complaints for the Formal dispute mechanisms available through the workers compensation system.
Hireup will make the relevant entitlements to you (where applicable), in the fortnightly pay-cycle. Hireup will pass on other payments to the employee from the insurer as soon as practicable after receiving them from the insurer.
Domestic Assistance
Domestic assistance can include tasks such as household cleaning and laundry, lawn or garden care, and transport not covered as a medical, hospital or rehabilitation expense. You may claim for domestic assistance where:
- a medical practitioner has certified (based on a functional assessment), that you would benefit from the assistance and the assistance is assessed by the insurer as reasonably necessary;
- you completed these domestic tasks prior to the injury; or
- your injury has resulted in a permanent impairment of at least 15 per cent or the assistance is temporary (up to six hours per week for a total period of three months).
If you think you need domestic assistance, talk to the insurer about how they can support you.
Certificate of Capacity
The Certificate of Capacity, completed by your Nominated Treating Doctor (NTD), is crucial for official communication between your NTD, the insurers and Hireup and serves several important purposes:
- Communicating Information: It details your illness or injury, how it happened, your diagnosis, and prognosis for returning to work.
- Facilitating Management: It helps tailor injury management and return-to-work plans, including referrals for diagnostic tests and treatments.
- Defining Work Capacity: It specifies your ability to recover at work, detailing the physical activities and hours you can manage on a weekly basis. This should align with your work requirements.
- Focus on Abilities: Emphasises what you can do rather than what you can't.
- Continued Eligibility: Required throughout your claim period for receiving weekly payments, typically valid for up to 28 days unless supported by medical reasoning.
Fit for Suitable Duties
After sustaining a work-related injury, your doctor may state on your Certificate of Capacity that you cannot immediately return to your regular job duties. Hireup will arrange temporary alternative duties to aid your return to your pre-injury tasks. These can include home-based computer work, buddy shifts, or lighter duties with the clients you support. Specific duties may involve:
- Providing light support such as supervision, social support, or transport.
- Completing online training courses, research and development, and giving feedback on Hireup resources.
- Performing administrative tasks on computers and phones.
- Training and mentoring other support workers.
- Engaging with the community either remotely or in person.
Completing these duties is an important component in your recovery at work. Suitable duties shifts should be treated like any normal support shift. They should be completed and submitted after every shift for approval. Please reach out to your Return to Work Coordinator if you are unable to complete the suitable duties on time or require any reasonable adjustments.
Fit for Pre-Injury Duties
Before you can return to pre-injury duties you must obtain a valid Certificate of Capacity from your nominated treating doctor outlining your capacity for unrestricted work and present it to your Return to Work Coordinator before returning to work.
If further medical treatment is required after you have received clearance to return to pre-injury duties, your Return to Work Coordinator will discuss this with you to ensure you get the appropriate support.
Permanently Unfit for Normal Duties
Our main aim is for you to resume your pre-injury duties with Hireup. However, depending on your injury, ongoing limitations, or changes at work, this might not always be possible. If that's the case, Hireup will work with you, your insurer, NTD, and rehab team to find other suitable roles within or outside our company. You will be given assistance in seeking alternative employment by a Rehabilitation Provider.
Your Recovery at Work Plan
If you are unable to perform your pre-injury role, Hireup, or a rehabilitation provider, will work with you to create a ‘Recovery at Work Plan’. This document will outline the gradual stages in your return to pre-injury duties. The goal of each stage will be to increase your duties gradually, in line with guidance by your treating doctor, until you have made a full recovery. This plan will be regularly monitored and reviewed, and should be signed off by your and your doctor to confirm agreement of the proposed stages of recovery. Notify your treating doctor if you encounter difficulties with the plan's duties or experience worsened injury symptoms and let your Return to Work Coordinator know as soon as possible.
Rights and Obligations
Your rights
- Nominate your own treating doctor
- Employment that is both suitable and, so far as reasonably practicable, the same as or equivalent to your pre-injury employment
- Be consulted and involved in identifying suitable work and developing your recover at work plan
- Privacy and confidentiality
- Access mechanisms for resolving complaints and disputes.
Your obligations
- Notify Hireup as soon as possible after a work-related injury occurs
- Get a Certificate of Capacity detailing diagnosis and capacity to work
- Nominate and give consent to your treating doctor to provide information to Hireup for the purposes of injury management
- Participate and cooperate in Hireup’s Injury Management Program and the Recovery at Work Planning
- Have a valid certificate of capacity at all times and submit to Hireup
- Participate in treatment as directed by your nominated treating doctor.
- Make all reasonable efforts to recover at work and return to work
Hireup’s obligations
- Notify the insurer of your injury or claim
- Notify SafeWork Australia (and the relevant state based body) of reportable incidents
- Assign a Return to Work Coordinator and create a Recovery at Work Plan.
- Provide suitable (alternative) duties to you and pay you on receipt of valid Certificates of Capacity
- Coordinate with you, the insurer, rehabilitation provider and treating doctors to implement the Recovery at Work plan
- Seek medical endorsement of the Recovery at Work Plan from the insurer, rehab provider and treating doctors
- Check in regularly with you
Nominated Treating Doctor Obligations:
- To support the employee to return to, and where possible to recover at work, through appropriate clinical intervention and management
- To contribute to return to work and recover at work planning, in collaboration with the employee and other members of the support team
- to issue a Certificate of Fitness, outlining diagnosis, any functional restrictions a employee may have, and the treatment required
Insurer Obligations
- Coordinates all parts of your claim including payments, treatment, rehabilitation and return to work. This includes liability of the claim and the calculation of your PIAWE
- Explains the claim and return to work process to you and Hireup
- Explains your entitlements, responsibilities, and decisions about your claim
- Helps Hireup to support your recovery at work arranges assessments or services to help determine your capacity / fitness for work
Union Obligations
- Represent the interests of workers
- Advise on and resolve workplace issues
Rehabilitation Provider
A rehabilitation provider may be engaged for any employee participating in the Injury Management Program. Hireup's preferred rehab provider is Recovery Partners, but you also have the right to choose your own provider to work with.
A rehabilitation provider helps with your recovery and return to work. Responsibilities include:
- Advocate for your treatment and recovery
- May do a workplace assessments with Hireup to define your job activities
- Develop and monitor your Recover at Work Plans
- Attend regular meetings with your doctor and treating specialists
- Update the insurer and Hireup to ensure everyone is working together for your safe and durable recovery at work
Forms to be completed
Authority to release medical information form: This form gives authority to Hireup to contact your treating medical professionals about your work related injury. This information may be shared with Hireup’s workers compensation insurer, and where applicable, your rehabilitation provider, for the purpose of managing your injury and return to work.
Certificate of Capacity: This form is completed by your GP or Nominated Treating Doctor (NTD).
No claim letter: This form only needs to be completed if you do not wish to make a workers compensation claim. Even if you decide not to make a claim, you do have a right to make a claim at a later stage within the limits of legislation.
Claim closure
After you've fully recovered from your injury or illness and can resume your pre-injury duties, your treating doctor will give you a final Certificate of Capacity, also known as a 'pre-injury certificate'. This certificate confirms that you have no more restrictions and can go back to work as usual.
Hireup will follow up with you four weeks after you're cleared to return to your pre-injury duties to ensure your transition back to work is going well. The insurer or rehabilitation provider will check in with you again after 13 weeks to finalise your claim.