Permanent impairment assessments after July 2026: organising your claim history

If you already have an impairment report, start by finding out how it was used. The report date is only one part of the story.

The interim assessment arrangements

Schedule 6 Part 19S of the Workers Compensation Act 1987 defines the interim period from 1 July 2026 until Part 6 Divisions 2 and 3 commence. SIRA expects the new principal assessment framework in mid-2027; this is an expected implementation period, not a fixed calendar date in the current provision.

Clauses 7–10 and 18 address recognition of earlier assessments, interim agreements and limits on further assessments. Not every old report automatically meets the statutory definition of a pre-reform impairment assessment. SIRA’s guidance lists excluded categories including exempt workers, coal miners, volunteers, dust disease claims and injuries before 1 January 2002.

Workers Compensation Act 1987, Schedule 6 Part 19S, cls 1, 5, 7–10, 18, 22 · SIRA — Interim permanent impairment assessment guidance for insurers

Build a document timeline

Gather each impairment report, any agreement about the percentage, insurer decisions, and correspondence showing which entitlement was being considered. Keep earlier versions rather than replacing them with the latest report. Add the date beside each document so your adviser can follow the sequence.

A deadline to check early

Clause 5 requires a worker with a qualifying pre-reform impairment assessment to make a section 66 compensation claim before 1 July 2028. This is not a general deadline for every workers compensation claim: check the statutory definition and applicable exceptions.

Keep the legal questions separate

At a consultation, ask which assessment rules apply to you, whether an earlier assessment has continuing significance, and what further evidence is needed. Avoid assuming that the existence of a new report automatically settles those questions.

This article deliberately does not reproduce the separate psychological-injury damages threshold timetable. That requires the applicable legislation, notification history and exceptions to be considered together. Stephen Young Lawyers can review your documents and explain which questions need to be resolved before the next step.