Most injured workers think they need to call iCare directly to start a claim.
They don't.
And that misunderstanding costs them time — sometimes weeks — when they should be getting provisional support and treatment.
Here's how the process actually works in NSW, and where most people go wrong.
This is the critical first move that gets skipped far too often.
If you're injured at work, your first priority is medical attention. Your second is notifying your employer. Not iCare. Not the insurer. Your employer.
Under the Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998, the employer is the gateway to the entire claim process. They're legally obligated to notify their Claims Service Provider (CSP) within 48 hours of becoming aware of your injury.
Skip this step, and you're already behind.
Your employer contacts their allocated CSP — one of EML, Allianz, GIO, Gallagher Bassett, or QBE. They can do this via iCare's online form, phone, email, or post.
Once lodged, they receive an injury notification number. This is your claim number.
Your employer should pass this number on to you. If they don't, ask for it. You'll need it to upload documents and track your claim.
Within three business days of the notification, the CSP's case manager will reach out to you, your employer, and your Nominated Treating Doctor.
By day seven, they must make an initial liability decision based on the information available.
This is where it gets important for treating doctors: the Certificate of Capacity is the main communication channel between the doctor, employer, and CSP. It determines work capacity, treatment needs, and entitlements.
Lodging the notification doesn't automatically confirm liability. But provisional support may kick in while it's being assessed — up to 12 weeks of weekly compensation and $10,000 in medical treatment.
That's meaningful coverage while you wait.
This happens more than it should.
If your employer hasn't notified the CSP, you can lodge directly with them yourself. You can also use iCare's online injury notification form, or call iCare on 13 77 22 for help.
The system is designed so that a non-cooperative employer doesn't block an injured worker's access to support. Even workers whose employer has no valid policy can notify through iCare's uninsured liability scheme.
Claims must be made within 6 months of the injury. Extensions up to 3 years are possible with reasonable cause — ignorance, mistake, or absence from the state.
Beyond three years, you'll need SIRA approval.
The workers comp claim process in NSW isn't complicated. But the sequence matters.
Worker tells employer. Employer notifies CSP. CSP contacts all parties within three days. Liability decision by day seven.
Most delays happen because someone in that chain didn't know it was their turn to act.
Now you do.
Dr Robert Laidlaw is a medical practitioner based in Sydney with 15+ years of clinical experience across telehealth, medicinal cannabis prescribing, and WorkCover medical assessments.