WorkCover is a government-run workers’ compensation scheme that provides benefits and support to workers who are injured or become ill as a result of their work.

Who is eligible to make a WorkCover claim?

Any employee in NSW who suffers a work-related injury or illness may be eligible to claim.

What benefits can I receive under WorkCover?

You may receive wage support, medical care, rehabilitation, and lump sum payments for permanent impairment.

Are WorkCover benefits limited or capped?

Yes, benefits are capped and depend on your earnings, injury type, and level of impairment.

How is compensation calculated?

Compensation is based on your pre-injury income, medical assessments, and work capacity.

Can I claim lump sum compensation?

Only workers with a permanent impairment above a set threshold may claim this compensation.

Will I receive weekly payments while I’m unable to work?

Yes, weekly payments cover a percentage of the income you lose while unable to work.

Workers Comp · Northern Rivers

Workers Comp in Lismore — Where to Start

Injured at work? Here’s exactly what to do next.

For a midwife on a delivery shift in Lismore now nursing a back injury from awkward birthing positions or an aggression incident, the question is what to do first. The first signed doctor's letter, written by someone who handles workers comp daily, is the moment the claim stops being an idea. Once it is filed, scans, allied-health visits and review dates each have somewhere to attach.

Book a WorkCover Doctor (02) 7238 7379

Workers Comp Help in Lismore

The first 3 steps

Workers Comp in Lismore — How It Starts

See a WorkCover doctor

For nursing manual-handling injuries, aggression claims, or shift-work-related strain, your first stop is a WorkCover-trained doctor.

Book a doctor in Lismore

Get your Certificate of Capacity

Your doctor issues this on the first visit. It’s the legal document that proves you have a work injury and tells the insurer how much you can work and what treatment you need. No paperwork on your end — the doctor handles it.

Notify your employer

You’re legally required to tell your employer about a work injury — a text or email is enough. Once they get your Certificate of Capacity, they pass it to their workers comp insurer. The claim opens, and wages and treatment get covered from that point.

Common workers comp claims in Lismore

Workers comp claims in Lismore most often come from the local healthcare and education workforces, alongside the back, shoulder, and stress injuries common across every industry.

Lismore is the civic and healthcare hub of the Northern Rivers, home to Lismore Base Hospital and Southern Cross University's Lismore campus. The 2022 flood and the rebuild that followed left a long tail of construction, restoration, and psychological-injury claims across the CBD and surrounding suburbs, layered over a steady agricultural and allied-health workforce.

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