What can Comcare use my personal information for?
Any information collected by Comcare must only be used for the purposes of the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (the Act) and in particular:
- determining whether compensation is payable under the act for your injury or disease and, if so, the types and amounts of such compensation
- administering a rehabilitation program
- determining whether, as a result of legal action, you are liable to pay back any compensation received
- ascertaining whether any other person may be liable to pay compensation or damages for your injury or disease and whether any action should be taken by Comcare to recover those monies
- ascertaining whether any compensation has been paid as a consequence of any false statement, representation or mistake
- making decisions or determinations under other relevant sections of the Act or collecting information for the purposes of that Part
- conducting or defending any proceedings in a court or tribunal in relation to your compensation claim or any rehabilitation program provided to you
- defending actions for non-economic loss pursuant to an election under the Act
- reporting to the Commission and Comcare, in accordance with Commission indicators, on scheme trends and performance, including for the purposes of the National Return to Work Monitor.
Any information collected may be discussed with, or provided to, your employer, your case manager or your rehabilitation provider, as long as this is done for the purposes outlined above.
Similarly, information about your compensation entitlements or payments may be provided to the Australian Taxation Office, Centrelink, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, Medicare, Comsuper and any other authorised agency.
Comcare may request that you complete an Authority and Consent form. This form enables Comcare to collect information relevant to your claim. You are not obliged to complete this form. If you decide that you do not want to give Comcare this authority, then you should discuss this with your Comcare Claims Manager.
To find out more about how Comcare protects your privacy, please phone Comcare on 1300 366 979.