Don’t let your injury at work become a financial loss
25 September 2020
By Laura du Preez
If your claim is ignored, you can complain to the Pension Funds Adjudicator
Think very carefully about resigning to get your hands on a lump sum withdrawal benefit from your retirement, instead of applying for a disability benefit.
Your health and how it affects your ability to work may feel like something personal, but if you have been off work with a disability, making your own decisions about when to return could have severe financial implications.
A Sowetan reader who worked for a steel manufacturer was injured at work last year and spent more than a year recovering from a pelvic fracture at home.
During this time, he enjoyed disability benefits of 75% of his income from Rand Mutual Assurance, which administers claims to the Compensation Fund. The fund covers employees injured or taken ill at work.
But in July this year, his treating doctor urged him to return to work saying his disability was not permanent and he would not qualify for further payments, he told Sowetan. He was treated until August.
The man, however, did not feel fit enough to return to his job which involved heavy labour.
He has since been dismissed and now feels aggrieved because the injury at work has robbed him of his “good, healthy status” and disadvantaged him from getting another job. “Who must I cry to if I get no job over this? Do I really not qualify for compensation,” he asked.
Rand Mutual Assurance did not respond to a request for comment, but its website sets out details on where to lodge a complaint and how complaints can be escalated to an independent tribunal of adjudicators approved by the Compensation Commissioner.
Employees have the right to appear in person at the tribunal or be represented by a union or lawyer.
Elna van Wyk, the national head of disability management and technical underwriting at Momentum Corporate, a company that provides disability cover through private insurance, says the reader should go back to his doctor or consult a new doctor about his inability to work.
She says the huge focus on Covid-19 cases has resulted in some doctors spending little time on other cases, especially injury on duty cases.
If you are injured on duty, your employer is obliged to claim from the Compensation Fund, but if your disability or illness is not work-related you may be covered by a private insurer by way of life and disability benefits through your retirement fund or a standalone disability benefit set up for employees.
Introducing our valued Country Coordinator 𝐍𝐳𝐨 𝐙𝐮𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐰𝐚, 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 & 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫, 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 for “The 09th World Disability and Rehabilitation Conference 2024”, taking place in Bali, Indonesia On 02nd – 03rd of September 2024.
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Introducing our valued Country Coordinator 𝐍𝐳𝐨 𝐙𝐮𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐰𝐚, 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 & 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫, 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 for “The 09th World Disability and Rehabilitation Conference 2024”, taking place in Bali, Indonesia On 02nd – 03rd of September 2024.
Register through your country coordinator and get a special scholarship for your registration fee as a presenter or as an attendee.
Dedicated Promocode – 𝐖𝐃𝐑𝐂#𝟐𝟕
📑Submit Your Abstract Now – https://disabilityconference.co/abstract-submission/
🌎Visit Official Conference Website for More Details- https://disabilityconference.co/
#WDRC2024 #disability #Conference #publication #Networking #Workshops #promocode #abstractsubmissions #southafrican
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Introducing our valued Country Coordinator 𝐍𝐳𝐨 𝐙𝐮𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐰𝐚, 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 & 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫, 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 for “The 09th World Disability and Rehabilitation Conference 2024”, taking place in Bali, Indonesia On 02nd – 03rd of September 2024.
Register through your country coordinator and get a special scholarship for your registration fee as a presenter or as an attendee.
Dedicated Promocode – 𝐖𝐃𝐑𝐂#𝟐𝟕
📑Submit Your Abstract Now – https://disabilityconference.co/abstract-submission/
🌎Visit Official Conference Website for More Details- https://disabilityconference.co/
#WDRC2024 #disability #Conference #publication #Networking #Workshops #promocode #abstractsubmissions #southafrican