Latest news with #PsychiatricImpairmentRatingScale
Sydney Morning Herald
29-04-2025
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
NSW workers' comp scheme only sustainable for ‘another two years'
NSW Premier Chris Minns has declared the state's workers' compensation scheme is breaking under the level of psychological injury claims and only sustainable for 'another two years'. Minns refused to rule out excluding a major cohort of workers, despite warnings that the government's existing proposal to lift the threshold for whole person impairment (WPI) needed to claim lump sum damages for psychological injuries from 15 to 30 per cent was tantamount to ending the scheme for these workers. The NSW government is facing a showdown with the state's union s over proposed changes to severely limit employees who suffer psychological injuries on the job from claiming benefits. Treasurer Daniel Mookhey flagged the changes after the number of psychological injury claims doubled over the past six years, while return-to-work rates have sunk. Retired Sydney psychiatrist Dr Julian Parmegiani, who led the design of the Psychiatric Impairment Rating Scale for the Carr government in the late 1990s, said the government's proposal to increase the WPI level to 30 per cent would effectively end the scheme. But Minns left the door ajar, underscoring what he claimed was an unsustainable system with only 'another two years' left, saying without change 'the scheme will be done'. 'I'm not going to rule it out,' Minns responded. 'We haven't finalised the package yet ... we're not doing it because we want to do it for any other reason that we want the system to be sustainable … we want to make sure that we've got a scheme that exists not just for the next 10 years, but 20 or 30 years beyond that.' State insurer icare has warned its bottom line is being 'adversely impacted' because psychological claims more regularly reach a 15 per cent impairment. However, experts have said the 30 per cent threshold would be near impossible to reach. Parmegiani said the existing level was 'already very high' and would involve someone 'not functioning in their day-to-day life'.
The Age
28-04-2025
- Health
- The Age
NSW workers comp scheme only sustainable for ‘another two years'
NSW Premier Chris Minns has declared the state's workers' compensation scheme is breaking under the level of psychological injury claims and only sustainable for 'another two years'. Minns refused to rule out excluding a major cohort of workers, despite warnings that the government's existing proposal to lift the threshold for whole person impairment (WPI) needed to claim lump sum damages for psychological injuries from 15 to 30 per cent was tantamount to ending the scheme for these workers. The NSW government is facing a showdown with the state's union s over proposed changes to severely limit employees who suffer psychological injuries on the job from claiming benefits. Treasurer Daniel Mookhey flagged the changes after the number of psychological injury claims doubled over the past six years, while return-to-work rates have sunk. Retired Sydney psychiatrist Dr Julian Parmegiani, who led the design of the Psychiatric Impairment Rating Scale for the Carr government in the late 1990s, said the government's proposal to increase the WPI level to 30 per cent would effectively end the scheme. But Minns left the door ajar, underscoring what he claimed was an unsustainable system with only 'another two years' left, saying without change 'the scheme will be done'. 'I'm not going to rule it out,' Minns responded. 'We haven't finalised the package yet ... we're not doing it because we want to do it for any other reason that we want the system to be sustainable … we want to make sure that we've got a scheme that exists not just for the next 10 years, but 20 or 30 years beyond that.' State insurer icare has warned its bottom line is being 'adversely impacted' because psychological claims more regularly reach a 15 per cent impairment. However, experts have said the 30 per cent threshold would be near impossible to reach. Parmegiani said the existing level was 'already very high' and would involve someone 'not functioning in their day-to-day life'.
Sydney Morning Herald
28-04-2025
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
NSW workers comp scheme only sustainable for ‘another two years'
NSW Premier Chris Minns has declared the state's workers' compensation scheme is breaking under the level of psychological injury claims and only sustainable for 'another two years'. Minns refused to rule out excluding a major cohort of workers, despite warnings that the government's existing proposal to lift the threshold for whole person impairment (WPI) needed to claim lump sum damages for psychological injuries from 15 to 30 per cent was tantamount to ending the scheme for these workers. The NSW government is facing a showdown with the state's union s over proposed changes to severely limit employees who suffer psychological injuries on the job from claiming benefits. Treasurer Daniel Mookhey flagged the changes after the number of psychological injury claims doubled over the past six years, while return-to-work rates have sunk. Retired Sydney psychiatrist Dr Julian Parmegiani, who led the design of the Psychiatric Impairment Rating Scale for the Carr government in the late 1990s, said the government's proposal to increase the WPI level to 30 per cent would effectively end the scheme. But Minns left the door ajar, underscoring what he claimed was an unsustainable system with only 'another two years' left, saying without change 'the scheme will be done'. 'I'm not going to rule it out,' Minns responded. 'We haven't finalised the package yet ... we're not doing it because we want to do it for any other reason that we want the system to be sustainable … we want to make sure that we've got a scheme that exists not just for the next 10 years, but 20 or 30 years beyond that.' State insurer icare has warned its bottom line is being 'adversely impacted' because psychological claims more regularly reach a 15 per cent impairment. However, experts have said the 30 per cent threshold would be near impossible to reach. Parmegiani said the existing level was 'already very high' and would involve someone 'not functioning in their day-to-day life'.
Sydney Morning Herald
27-04-2025
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Experts say mental health payouts may become impossible
The architect of a globally recognised scale designed to measure psychological injuries in worker compensation cases says changes proposed by the Minns government will effectively kill the scheme by making it next to impossible for injured workers to claim damages from employers. Retired Sydney psychiatrist Dr Julian Parmegiani, who led the design of the Psychiatric Impairment Rating Scale for the Carr government in the late 1990s, said NSW Labor's proposal to lift the level of Whole Person Impairment needed to claim lump sum damages from employers for psychological injuries from 15 to 30 per cent was tantamount to ending the scheme. 'If you're going to take that step and say 'we're increasing it to 30 per cent impairment', you might as well euthanise the entire scheme and just say: 'We're not paying out any claims for any psychological injury', because that is the effect,' he said. 'They might as well come clean and say that is what they are going to do.' The government's proposals – which it says are still subject to consultation and yet to be finalised – also include plans to require injured workers to take claims to the Industrial Relations Commission before seeking workers compensation. The government says the changes are necessary due to the rising number of psychological injury claims and falling return-to-work rates. Mental health compensation claims have doubled over the past six years, a rise that is placing financial pressure on the state's nominal insurer, icare, and forcing insurance premiums up by 36 per cent over the three years from 2026, the government says. NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey has said the laws are not about curbing workers' rights; creating a bullying and harassment division of the IRC, he said, would create an avenue for workers to report unsafe workplaces before an injury occurs. 'Far from trying to curb people's rights to take action, this is about expanding them,' he said during an interview last month. But the reforms have drawn the ire of unions, legal professionals and the NSW Greens, who say they will cut workers' rights by severely limiting workers – including nurses or child protection workers – who seek compensation for injuries such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Age
27-04-2025
- Health
- The Age
Experts say mental health payouts may become impossible
The architect of a globally recognised scale designed to measure psychological injuries in worker compensation cases says changes proposed by the Minns government will effectively kill the scheme by making it next to impossible for injured workers to claim damages from employers. Retired Sydney psychiatrist Dr Julian Parmegiani, who led the design of the Psychiatric Impairment Rating Scale for the Carr government in the late 1990s, said NSW Labor's proposal to lift the level of Whole Person Impairment needed to claim lump sum damages from employers for psychological injuries from 15 to 30 per cent was tantamount to ending the scheme. 'If you're going to take that step and say 'we're increasing it to 30 per cent impairment', you might as well euthanise the entire scheme and just say: 'We're not paying out any claims for any psychological injury', because that is the effect,' he said. 'They might as well come clean and say that is what they are going to do.' The government's proposals – which it says are still subject to consultation and yet to be finalised – also include plans to require injured workers to take claims to the Industrial Relations Commission before seeking workers compensation. The government says the changes are necessary due to the rising number of psychological injury claims and falling return-to-work rates. Mental health compensation claims have doubled over the past six years, a rise that is placing financial pressure on the state's nominal insurer, icare, and forcing insurance premiums up by 36 per cent over the three years from 2026, the government says. NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey has said the laws are not about curbing workers' rights; creating a bullying and harassment division of the IRC, he said, would create an avenue for workers to report unsafe workplaces before an injury occurs. 'Far from trying to curb people's rights to take action, this is about expanding them,' he said during an interview last month. But the reforms have drawn the ire of unions, legal professionals and the NSW Greens, who say they will cut workers' rights by severely limiting workers – including nurses or child protection workers – who seek compensation for injuries such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
