All about TAC medical assessments

During a TAC claim, you may have a medical assessment organised by the TAC that you need to attend.

You may have more than one assessment organised for you.

This page will explore TAC medical assessments further.

When are TAC medical assessments likely?

There are a number of instances during a TAC claim when TAC may want to have you medically assessed.

These are;

For the purposes of an impairment claim.

An impairment claim is a lump sum claim that a person is able to pursue once their injuries have stabilised after a motor vehicle accident.

You can read about impairment claims here.

In order to pursue an impairment claim, you need to be medically assessed by doctors that have undergone specialised training.

You will see a doctor that specialises in each of the injuries or conditions related to the motor vehicle accident.

So if you suffered an injury to your shoulder, you may see an orthopaedic surgeon.

If you suffered a mental type injury you may be asked to see a psychiatrist and so on.

These doctors are required to put a percentage figure on the injuries and conditions that they are assessing.

The figures then get combined into one overall figure, called your whole person impairment rating.

If you do not have legal representation, the TAC will organise appointments for you to see doctors of their choosing.

If you do have legal representation, your lawyer will organise the doctors appointments with, usually, doctors of their choosing.

The TAC will in most cases be responsible for the cost of these medical assessments.

The cost of each of these assessments can range from several hundred dollars up to several thousand dollars per assessment.

To determine a medical question

During a TAC claim a medical question may need to be determined and an opinion may be required from a doctor and the TAC may organise an appointment for you to be assessed.

This is not common but is a possibility.

During a common law lump sum claim

If you elect to pursue a common law lump sum claim after an accident, it is quite possible that the TAC may organise for you to be medically assessed.

As with an impairment claim, they will send you to appropriate specialists to provide a medical opinion.

Unlike with an impairment claim however, the doctors will in most cases not be asked to perform an impairment assessment.

That is, they will not be asked to put percentage figures on each of your injuries or conditions.

Instead, they will be asked to comment on a number of specific questions.

Typical questions that these medical assessor’s are asked, are;

• A diagnosis of your injuries
• A prognosis of your injuries
• Comment on the connection between your injury in the motor vehicle accident
• If you have a pre-existing condition that is relevant to the injury or injuries that you say you suffered in the motor vehicle accident, to what extent is the pre-existing injury responsible for your current symptoms and restrictions
• Comment on your ability to work.

Medical assessments not required in most cases to determine a claim

 In most cases once a person lodges a TAC claim, they will not be required to undergo a TAC medical assessment.

It is the opinion of the persons treating doctors and other health practitioners that is considered.

Medical assessment process

When the TAC wants you to be medically assessed, they will contact you in writing and confirm the appointment.

If you have a lawyer they should also let your lawyer know.

Some assessments will be performed via telehealth (video) while others will require in person assessments.

Currently, psychological or psychiatric assessments are more likely to be conducted via tele health compared to if you are having a physical injury assessed obviously because physical injuries usually need to be assessed in person.

How long an assessment will take depends upon what needs to be assessed

Some assessments can take as little as 20 minutes whereas others (usually psychiatric assessments) can take a number of hours.

The doctor that you see generally speaking will provide a report to the TAC within a few weeks.

Some doctors are quicker than others and get their reports back to the TAC within a few days of the assessment whereas other doctors can take weeks and sometimes months to provide their reports to the TAC.

Can’t see a doctor if they have treated you

Many of the doctors that perform assessments in TAC matters are retired however some are still in active medical practice.

If you’re asked to see a doctor that you have seen before for medical treatment, you should let the TAC or your lawyer if you have one know because you should not be seeing this doctor again for the purposes of a TAC assessment.

You are entitled to a copy of the report

You’re usually not be provided with a copy of the medical assessors report by the TAC.

However, you are entitled to a copy of the report if you want one.

You can obtain a copy of the report by contacting the TAC and asking them for a copy or you can ask your lawyer to provide you with a copy.