The TAC can protect your WorkCover insurance premium if your employee is injured or re-injured during a TAC return to work program. This means:

• Your WorkCover premium is not affected in the event of a workplace injury during a return to work program
• The TAC will reimburse the WorkCover excess incurred as a result of any WorkCover claim.

The WorkCover insurance premium protection can be provided alone or together with the trial phase or graded wage subsidy.

Some exclusions apply to accessing this incentive. These include:

• Interstate employers (that is, outside Victoria)
• Employers who self-insure for WorkCover
• Employers covered by ComCare
• Where a WorkCover claim has not been accepted by the TAC’s WorkCover agent.

The return to work specialist may recommend a trial phase as part of a return to work plan.

The trial phase is normally up to 4 weeks in duration and is designed to:

• Assist your employee to return to their pre-accident working hours and duties, or
• Trial a new role within the workplace
• Allow the return to work specialist to fine tune their recommendations, if necessary, before a graded return to work commences.

During the trial phase, the TAC will reimburse you 100% for the hours your employee works. The number of hours they work depends on a number of factors including:

• Their capacity for work
• The worksite assessment conducted by the return to work specialist, and
• Your business needs.

The return to work specialist will use the results of the trial phase to plan the next phase of the return to work plan with you and your employee.

The graded wage subsidy is designed to support your business financially, while your employee resumes normal duties or becomes confident in a new role and reaches full productivity.

The graded wage subsidy forms part of an ongoing return to work plan. If it is required, the productivity of your employee is established and the wage subsidy paid to you is based on their productivity while at work.

Productivity is identified by the return to work specialist in collaboration with you and your employee.

For example, if your employee is 70% productive in his/her required duties, the TAC will reimburse you 30% of the wage for the hours worked. The wage subsidy decreases as the employees’ productivity increases.

The TAC can consider paying the cost of reasonable workplace modifications or equipment that will assist your employee to return to work safely.

To consider this, a return to work specialist will conduct a worksite assessment and make recommendations to the TAC for any equipment or modifications that are required.

Employers may be eligible for a one off payment of up to $1,000, to assist with the administrative costs of supporting a TAC client to return to work.

Your TAC coordinator or return to work specialist can advise whether you are eligible for this payment, and how you can access it.