Debated in Parliament on 8 May 2024.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the time period when employers are liable and required to submit and update the Ministry on the status of work injury claims under the Work Injury Compensation Act 2019; and (b) what recourse is available to employees (i) if their employers fail to submit such claims or (ii) whose claims take a prolonged period of time to be submitted and updated by employers.
Employers are required by law to submit an injury report to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) within ten days of being notified of the incident. This injury report is then routed to the employer's work injury compensation (WIC) insurer and processed as a WIC claim.
If an employee suspects that a work injury has not been reported, he can report such incidents directly to MOM, who will take action against errant employers. Employees can also approach insurers directly to check the status of their claims via a hotline and email that the insurers are required to provide.
The majority of WIC claims will be resolved when the injury condition has stabilised and the insurer is able to assess that the injury is due to work and the extent of the injury. This would usually be within one to two months of receiving all medical reports and/or legal documents and about six months to a year after the incident happens. If there is undue delay, employees and insurers can approach MOM for assistance.
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