Recourse for Workers with Work Injury Compensation Claims Taking Longer Than One-year Limit to Process

8 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Manpower what recourse is available to workers whose work injury compensation claims take more than a year to process given the one-year limit for making a claim.

Dr Tan See Leng: Under the Work Injury Compensation Act, workers are no longer required to submit a work injury compensation (WIC) claim since September 2020. The incident report filed by the employer is considered a deemed WIC claim. Workers are eligible for medical expenses and medical leave wages up to one year from the date of the incident, as well as lump sum compensation for permanent incapacity or death. Claims processing time does not affect whether a claim will be admitted.

Workers can approach insurers directly to check on the status of their claims via a hotline and email that designated WIC insurers are required to provide. They can approach the Ministry of Manpower for assistance if the insurer does not provide the necessary updates.