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.

As part of your employee’s return to work plan, we may be able to reimburse you for a trial phase.

This 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.

In some circumstances you may not have any permanent work available, but may be able to offer a TAC client the opportunity to do a short term work trial (e.g. to cover annual leave or sick leave).

This provides a TAC client with an opportunity to build skills and experience in a new workplace.

During a short term work trial, the TAC will reimburse you an agreed wage subsidy. The return to work specialist supervises the program and the TAC client gains invaluable experience and potentially a current reference.

The work trial can also benefit you as an employer. You can:

• Benefit from the services of a suitably qualified worker
• Develop skills in a potential future employee, should longer term employment become available
• Receive wage subsidies from the TAC
• Receive WorkCover insurance premium protection during the trial.

The graded wage subsidy is designed to support your business financially, while your new 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 new 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 new employee.

For example, if your new 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.

New 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.

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

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