Complaints and Enquiries

You can contact IRO if you have a complaint about an insurer that affects your entitlements, rights or obligations under NSW workers’ compensation legislation or the NSW motor accidents compensation legislation.

This includes complaints about weekly benefits, medical treatment, denials of liability and delays in determining claims.

IRO helps injured persons resolve disputes with insurers by contacting the insurer directly. We can identify issues that are able to be resolved before they escalate and the worker requires legal representation.

This means the cost and delay of taking the claim through a formal process may be avoided and workers receive entitlements sooner.

We can also provide general advice about entitlements and insurers’ obligations as well as general information about the workers compensation scheme and any changes to it.

IRO is unable to assist with enquiries relating to lodging or existing NSW motor accidents (CTP) claims.

If you have an enquiry or would like general advice about your CTP claim or lodging a CTP claim, CTP Assist – which is run by the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) – provides information and support. They can assist you with general enquiries and enquiries about finding the correct insurer, lodging a claim, accessing injury recovery information and online resources, or accessing legal services and local community services. They can be contacted on 1300 656 919 or ctpassist@sira.nsw.gov.au.

If you would like to lodge a complaint about your insurer relating to your CTP claim, you can lodge your complaint with us online via our online form or contact us on 139 476.

IRO is unable to assist with complaints and enquiries relating to comprehensive car insurance claims or claims for vehicle damage.

If your complaint or enquiry is about a comprehensive car insurance claim for damage to a motor vehicle, please visit the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).

IRO is unable to assist Commonwealth Public Servants or injured workers in the Comcare system.

If you have a complaint or enquiry relating to a commonwealth workers compensation claim, please contact Comcare on 1300 366 979.

IRO is unable to assist with complaints and enquiries relating to the Personal Injury Commission.

If your complaint or enquiry is in relation to the Personal Injury Commission, please contact the Personal Injury Commission on 1800 742 679 or via their website.

Please note that IRO does not field anonymous complaints and enquiries.

To deal with your issue promptly please provide:

        •     your claim number
        •     your contact details
        •     detailed information about your concerns about how the insurer is handling your claim
        •     any steps you have taken to raise your concerns with the insurer.

IRO investigates complaints fairly by listening to both sides of the story and reviewing the facts and circumstances.

In most cases, we will solve the issue through negotiation or simply clearing up confusion with the interpretation of the legislation.

For further details about the processes IRO employs to deal with complaints, please see our Complaint Handling Protocol.

The IRO may also be able to assist injured workers access independent legal advice at no cost to them. If you need a lawyer, visit our Find an IRO Approved Lawyer page.

Please note that IRO is unable to assist exempt workers or people injured in motor vehicle accidents in accessing legal assistance.