Injury on Duty FAQs

We have been treating work-related injuries for over 20 years and have much experience in this field. Our practice can supply digital copies of all the required doctor’s reports, including the First, Progress and Final Medical Reports, as per the Act.

Our COID Administration Department is well organised and queries are dealt with promptly. We appreciate the economic impact of prolonged worker absence and therefore attempt to get injured workers back to the workplace as soon as possible.

Each employer is classified into a specific class according to criteria set out by the Department of Labour.

The following quick guidelines exist:

1. If you are a construction company you are probably registered with the Federated Employer’s Mutual Assurance Company (FEM)
2. Class XIII employers and the mines are registered with Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA)
3. All other employer’s apart from government departments, City of Johannesburg and SAPS are registered with the Department of Labour or Compensation Fund.

Due to companies often being reclassified, the company’s valid Letter of Good Standing is the only document that can be used to determine with which payor the company is registered for COID.

There are two basic requirements:

1. Employers’ Report of an Accident
2. An ID copy / Passport and Valid Work Permit / Asylum Permit

Depending on the payor the company is registered with the following Employer’s Report of an Accident will apply:

• Compensation Fund / Department of Labour
• The Federated Employer’s Mutual Assurance Company
• Rand Mutual Assurance

There might be some additional documentation required which will depend on the cause of the injury.

• Travel Report – motor vehicle accidents
• Assault Report
• Motivation for Shooting
• Delayed Report – in cases where medical attention was only sought 7 days after the injury occurred
• Hernia Report
• Malaria Report

Please feel free to contact our COID administration department for any assistance with the completion of any documentation.

The registration of the claim with the respective payors remain that of the employer.

The different payors all have different ways of registering claims:

1. Compensation Fund
2. Federated Employer’s Mutual Assurance Company
3. Rand Mutual Assurance

1. Patient supplies the respective fully completed Employer’s Report of an Accident, ID and any additional documentation that may be applicable as listed previously.
2. Following consultation with our Doctor, the patient will receive a First Medical Report in terms of an Accident (W.Cl4)
3. The patient will be scheduled for a follow-up consultation or referred to a specialist for further management should the Doctor deem it necessary.
   • The patient must return for all follow-up consultations unless he/she has been referred to a specialist until a Final Medical Report is issued by our Doctor.
4. We will submit our medical reports and accounts electronically to the respective payor.
5. A liability decision will be made by the payor.
   • Should liability be accepted the payor will cover all reasonable medical expenses on behalf of the patient
   • Should the claim be repudiated (rejected) by the claim the patient will be responsible for any outstanding medical accounts.

The patient will not receive any payout from the respective payor unless the patient has suffered a permanent disability due to the injury.

A claim stays active (open) for two years following the Date of Accident unless a Final Medical Report is issued by a treating Doctor before the two year period lapses. Should the patient require any further medical treatment after the two year period or after a final medical report is issued the patient will have to consult for a re-opening of a claim. The patient is responsible for all costs incurred until a re-opening approval is issued by the respective payor.

No, you will not receive a sick certificate when you are treated as a COID patient unless you are a South African Police Force member. The Dates Fit for Light and Normal Duty serve as the dates on a sick certificate.

Should the employer not be able to provide the employee with light duty the employee is booked off completely at the discretion of the employer.

Light duty refers to any task that will not aggravate the employee’s injury. For example, if a patient performs heavy lifting as part of his normal daily tasks and has suffered a back injury, light duty would be a task that does not require him/her to do any heavy lifting.