A letter refusing your CTP claim can feel final. It usually isn't. Most insurer decisions can be challenged, first by internal review and then at the Personal Injury Commission. If you live in Berowra and the insurer has said no, our free claim check looks at the decision and its deadlines, and connects you with an independent CTP lawyer if a dispute is worth pursuing. Some aren't, and we'll tell you.
Upper North Shore & Hornsby · CTP claim denied
CTP claim rejected? Review options for Berowra
Calm, clear steps for a refused claim, stopped payments or a threshold decision you disagree with.
Postcode: 2081
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Berowra & Berowra Heights
Berowra: reviews without the travel
Riders on the Old Pacific Highway and drivers on Pennant Hills Road who disagree with a fault finding can generally seek an internal review. Records from Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital may help your case. At around 27 km from the Sydney CBD, living in Berowra is no disadvantage in a dispute. Review requests generally go in writing, many Personal Injury Commission steps can happen by phone or online, and our claim check works the same way. People in Berowra, within Hornsby Shire Council, follow the same dispute path as everyone else in NSW: internal review first, generally within 28 days, then the Personal Injury Commission. Where you live doesn't change the deadlines.
- Region
- Upper North Shore & Hornsby
- Postcode
- 2081
- Distance to Hornsby
- ~9 km
- Local government area
- Hornsby Shire Council
Most decisions can be challenged
Insurers make decisions under the scheme rules: whether to accept a claim, how much to pay, what treatment to fund, whether an injury is threshold. Most of them can be challenged. The first step is an internal review, which you generally need to request within 28 days of the decision reaching you. If that doesn't resolve it, the Personal Injury Commission can decide.
Read next:CTP claim denied?
When the argument is about your injury
A threshold decision about a psychological injury can be disputed like any other. If the insurer has classified yours as threshold and your treating practitioner disagrees, their written opinion is the starting point for an internal review. If the review doesn't resolve it, the dispute can go on to medical assessment at the Personal Injury Commission, where the 28-day window for a certificate review applies.
Read next:Threshold injury disputesWhen the insurer says “threshold injury”
What the Commission does
The Personal Injury Commission, or PIC, is an independent tribunal that started on 1 March 2021. In the CTP scheme it handles merit review, medical assessment, miscellaneous claims assessment and claims assessment of damages claims. It replaced the older dispute bodies, so older material that sends you elsewhere is out of date.
Read next:The Personal Injury CommissionPIC disputes explained
Free claim check
Disagree with a decision? Start here
The claim check is free and carries no obligation. Tell us what the insurer decided, and we'll point you to the right help.
The decisions behind many disputes
Not every decision is a flat refusal. Sometimes the claim is accepted but limited: benefits capped at 52 weeks, weekly payments set lower than you expected, or a particular treatment declined. These partial decisions can matter as much as a refusal over time, and most can be reviewed in the same way.
- The claim was lodged late
- The injury was classed as a threshold injury
- You were found wholly or mostly at fault
- The crash is being treated as a work injury
Read next:Claim denied? Quick check
When your issue is how you were treated
CTP Assist and the IRO are different services with different roles. CTP Assist, on 1300 656 919, gives information and support about claims. The IRO, on 13 94 76, handles complaints about how CTP insurers behave. Neither decides disputes about your entitlements; that's the job of internal review and the Personal Injury Commission.
How to request a review
An internal review is a fresh look at the decision by the insurer. Ask in writing, generally within 28 days of receiving the decision. Say which decision you disagree with, why you think it's wrong and what outcome you want. Attach anything new: a report from your doctor, hospital records, payslips or witness details.
If the review confirms the original decision, that isn't the end. You can generally take most disputes to the Personal Injury Commission. If the review changes the decision, check the new letter carefully to make sure it covers everything you raised, and ask about anything it leaves out.
The 28-day window
The review deadline is short: generally 28 days from receiving the decision. If you're unsure which date counts, work from the earlier one.
Read next:Insurer stopped my weekly payments
Paying for help with a review
Free help is limited once a dispute is under way. The CTP Legal Advisory Service that SIRA funds stops short of matters already at internal review or before the Personal Injury Commission. CTP Assist can still give general information. For advice on the dispute itself, you'll generally need an independent lawyer.
Read next:What does a CTP lawyer cost?
Your review path
Most CTP decisions follow the same review path. The deadlines are short, so it helps to know the order before you start. Complaints about how the insurer behaves are a separate track.
Step 1
Read the decision letter
Note the date you received it, what was decided and the reasons given. The date matters, because the time to ask for a review generally runs from when you receive the decision.
Within 28 days
Ask for an internal review
For most decisions, you can ask the insurer for an internal review, generally within 28 days of receiving the decision. Say what you disagree with and include any new evidence.
14 to 28 days
The insurer decides
Expect a review decision in about 14 days in most cases, 21 days for some medical and miscellaneous matters, and up to 28 days where the insurer needs more information.
If you still disagree
Apply to the Personal Injury Commission
If the internal review doesn't resolve things, you can generally apply to the Personal Injury Commission. It's independent of the insurer and decides disputes under the scheme rules.
28 days from a certificate
Medical assessment review
If your dispute goes to medical assessment and you think the certificate is wrong, a review must generally be sought within 28 days of the certificate being issued.
Any time
Conduct complaints go to the IRO
If your concern is how the insurer has treated you, such as delays or poor communication, that's a complaint, not a dispute. The Independent Review Office handles those complaints on 13 94 76.
General information, not legal advice. Timeframes are general, and some decisions follow different rules. Check your decision letter and get advice quickly.
When a dispute calls for legal help
Some reviews are simple: supply the missing evidence and ask again. Others turn on legal questions or high stakes. Here's a general guide to which is which.
Often worth talking to a lawyer
- Your injury was classed as threshold and it affects a damages claim
- The whole claim has been refused
- You've been found mostly at fault
- A medical assessment certificate seems wrong
You may not need one
- You mainly want to complain about delays or communication
- The decision was about a small, one-off expense
- A treatment request was declined for lack of information you can supply
Many disputes turn on medical evidence. If you need a clear report on your diagnosis, or an up-to-date Certificate of Fitness, we can point you to doctors and allied health familiar with CTP claims.
Not quite your situation?
- For the wider question of whether a lawyer is worth it on a CTP claim at all, the CTP lawyer page for Berowra is the better fit. CTP lawyer in Berowra
- If the dispute turns on whether your injury is more than threshold, the injury compensation page explains what the medical evidence needs to show. Injury compensation lawyer in Berowra
- If you haven't had a decision yet and are still getting the claim in, start with the CTP claims page for Berowra. CTP claims in Berowra
Frequently asked questions
Generally 28 days from receiving the decision. Ask in writing, say which decision you disagree with and why, and include any new evidence. Because the window is short, don't wait for every document before you lodge the request. If you're close to the deadline or past it, get advice quickly.
Yes. You can generally ask for an internal review, then take the dispute to the Personal Injury Commission. The label generally covers soft tissue injuries and threshold psychological injuries; nerve damage, and a full or partial tear of a tendon, ligament, meniscus or cartilage, fall outside it. Evidence from your treating doctor or specialist is usually central to the outcome.
Not necessarily, but act now. Some decisions may still be open to challenge, and the rules can depend on the type of decision and your circumstances. Speak to a lawyer as soon as you can, and gather anything that explains the delay, such as a hospital stay or not receiving the letter. Don't assume the door is closed without checking.
Generally yes. If your dispute went to medical assessment at the Personal Injury Commission and you think the certificate is wrong, you can seek a review, but it must generally be sought within 28 days of the certificate being issued. The grounds for a review are generally limited, so it's worth getting advice quickly about whether a review is likely to be accepted.
Not in the usual sense. If you were driving for work, or the crash otherwise happened in the course of your work, workers compensation through your employer's insurer is generally the claim to make first, and CTP statutory benefits are generally not payable where workers compensation is available. That's a question of which scheme applies, not a finding about your injury. A CTP damages claim against the at-fault driver's insurer may still be possible, so get advice. The work quick check is a sensible first step.
Usually 14 days from your request. Some medical and miscellaneous matters give the insurer 21 days, and it can take up to 28 days where it needs more information from you. If you haven't heard within those times, follow up in writing. If the delay itself is the problem, you can also complain to the Independent Review Office.
CTP claim denied: suburbs near Berowra
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CTP Lawyer is not a law firm. This page is general information, not legal advice; the independent lawyer you speak with can advise on your own situation.