Joint Medical Examination process for legal professionals

The Joint Medical Examination (JME) process follows the November 2013 amendments to the Transport Accident Act 1986. This process aims to improve client experience by reducing the number of medical examinations a client needs to attend in addition to expediting the assessment of a client's entitlement.

In accordance with Section 60(2F) of the Transport Accident Act 1986, the TAC is no longer liable for the cost of medico-legal exams unless the examination has been requested jointly by the TAC and the claimant.

Agreement has been reached between the TAC, the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) and the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) on the JME process and its inclusion in the 2016 Protocols to ensure that:

  • the process contemplated in Section 60(2F) of the Transport Accident Act 1986 provides an efficient and expeditious method to assess claimants for the delivery of appropriate damages and entitlements as a result of a transport accident;
  • the number of medical examinations that a claimant is required to attend are minimised; and
  • the JME process is incorporated into the No Fault Dispute Resolution Protocols, Impairment Assessment Protocols and Common Law Protocols.

All JME requests, reschedules and notices of intention to dispute a JME decision submitted on or after 1 July 2016 will be pursuant to the Joint Medical Examination Protocols 2016.

The JME Protocols detail the process for:

  • lodgement, reschedules and conversion;
  • approval (including assessment criteria);
  • disputes;
  • examinations; and
  • joint supplementary reports.

The JME Protocols also include information in support of the Impairment, Common Law and No Fault Dispute Resolution Protocols.

JME request form

Effective 1 July 2014, the JME Request Form can be submitted directly to the TAC online.

The JME Request Form needs to be completed to:

  • convert an existing medico-legal exam to a JME, or
  • request pre approval for a JME not yet arranged. (Must be arranged within 3 months of approval)

Please use the link below to automatically submit your request online. An automated email response will be sent back to you, confirming receipt of your JME request.

Important tips when completing a JME Request Form

To ensure your JME request forms can be processed promptly and easily by the TAC please ensure that:

  • each email to the JME inbox references only one client,
  • a single primary reason for the JME is selected,
  • only business email addresses are provided,
  • the form is submitted with correct orientation,
  • your request is submitted at least 28 days prior to the examination date
  • you are the acting Solicitor on file, and
  • any supporting material is attached to the JME Request Form.

Documents and forms relating to the JME Protocols 2016 

What is the process?

The JME Process document contains all the necessary steps, timelines and additional information to arrange a JME. Please follow this process to ensure your request does not experience any delays.

What the TAC will use in considering a joint request

The TAC will consider whether a request for a JME can be approved based on the following Assessment Criteria

Which medical examiner can I use?

The TAC will consider agreeing to exams with any appropriately accredited medical examiner nominated. You will be notified of updates as they are agreed to between the TAC, LIV and ALA. The following document has been developed in conjunction with the JME Reference Group to assist medical examiners through the JME process.

What if I disagree with the TAC's decision on a JME request?

A dispute process has been agreed to between the TAC, the LIV and the ALA should you disagree with the TAC's initial decision not to approve a JME request.

To seek review of the TAC's decision to refuse a JME request, please use the form below.  The form contains details of the process the TAC will apply when considering a review of a request for JME.

To minimise delays, please ensure you send your completed Notice of Intention to Lodge a Dispute form to:

Review Manager
GPO Box 2751
MELBOURNE VIC 3001

or by email to: Review@tac.vic.gov.au

What are the TAC's invoice requirements?

The TAC will only accept and process invoices for JMEs submitted by joint medical examiners. The TAC will not accept invoices for JMEs submitted by the client or their legal representative.

If a legal representative receives an invoice from a joint medical examiner, the legal representative must advise them that they should invoice the TAC. The legal representative should not pay for the invoice if it is an accepted JME.

For more information access How to invoice the TAC.