Obtaining a medical certificate

Obtaining a medical certificate

Section 6(1)(b)(vii)(A) and (viii) extends SRC Act coverage where a member is travelling to, or is at, a place for the purpose of “obtaining a medical certificate for the purposes of this Act”.  This covers two situations:

• A client with an already accepted claim for compensation attends a medical practitioner or other qualified professional to obtain a further medical certificate for the purposes of the claim; or
• A member who intends to lodge a claim for compensation attends a medical practitioner to obtain a medical certificate for the purpose of lodging a claim - s 54(2).

It is important to establish that the attendance at the medical practitioner's rooms was for the relevant purpose.

In the first case, this will be relatively easy to establish.  In the second case, however, there is a potential for misrepresentation and an attempt should be made to obtain independent verification of the purpose, eg. by:

• obtaining information from the doctor as to the reasons for the attendance stated by the client prior to the injury; and
• verifying that a claim has been lodged in relation to the original condition and that the claim is supported by a medical certificate issued at the relevant time.

Note that it is irrelevant whether liability actually exists in relation to the original claim.  If a member is injured in these circumstances, the member only needs to establish that he or she was attending the medical practitioner's rooms for the purpose of obtaining a medical certificate under the Act.