Guides for injured workers in NSW

The NSW workers compensation system has its own language, and it is easy to feel lost in it just when you have the least energy to decode it. These guides explain the parts that matter to you, in plain English, and link back to the SIRA and icare sources so you can check anything yourself.

Two ideas run through all of them. First, there is a difference between the people who treat your injury (allied health treaters like physiotherapists, exercise physiologists and osteopaths) and the workplace rehabilitation provider who coordinates your return to work. Second, you usually have more choice than you might think, over who your providers are and how your recovery is managed. Start with whichever question is on your mind right now.

What a workplace rehabilitation provider does

A WRP is a SIRA approved organisation that coordinates your return to work. Here is what they actually do, and how they differ from your treating clinician.

How to choose or change your provider

You usually have a say in who treats you and who manages your return to work. Here is how to choose well, and how to change providers if the fit is wrong.

The return to work process in NSW

From your certificate of capacity to suitable duties and a recover-at-work plan, here is the sequence most NSW work injury claims follow.

Your rights under NSW workers compensation

A plain-English overview of what you are entitled to as an injured worker in NSW, including treatment, choice of provider and support to return to work.

Treater or workplace rehab provider: who does what, and who pays

The two provider types are easy to confuse. Here is the difference in one page, and how each is funded under the scheme.

The workers compensation claims process, step by step

From reporting the injury to your first approved treatment, here is the sequence most NSW workers compensation claims follow, and the timeframes insurers are expected to meet.

Certificate of Capacity explained

Your nominated treating doctor issues this document early in your claim, and the insurer relies on it throughout. Here is what it actually says, who can issue one, and how often it needs renewing.

What happens if my workers comp claim is denied in NSW?

A declined claim, a declined treatment request or a cut to your weekly payments are not the end of the road. Here is the real dispute and review process, and the free help available along the way.

IPAR, APM, Kairros, Konekt, Recovre and Rehab Management compared: finding your nearest NSW office

Six organisations come up often as workplace rehabilitation providers in NSW workers comp claims. Here is exactly what each one's own website published about its NSW offices on 9 August 2026, in one table, so you can find the branch nearest you.