Blue Mountains · CTP claim denied

Denied CTP claim in Blaxland East: the review path

The insurer's decision is rarely the last word. The first deadline is generally 28 days, so start now.

A refused claim is a decision, not a verdict. Under the NSW CTP scheme, most insurer decisions can be reviewed, and there's an independent body, the Personal Injury Commission, if an internal review doesn't resolve things. Our free claim check helps people in Blaxland East understand the decision, the deadlines and whether an independent lawyer would help.

Postcode: 2774

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Challenging a decision from Blaxland East

Fog, ice and visitor traffic on the Great Western Highway can make fault hard to establish. If the insurer's view of fault differs from yours, you can generally ask for an internal review within 28 days. At around 56 km from the Sydney CBD, living in Blaxland East 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. Your review rights don't depend on your council, whether that's Blue Mountains City Council or any other. Internal reviews and the Personal Injury Commission work the same way across NSW.

Region
Blue Mountains
Postcode
2774
Distance to Penrith
~8 km
Local government area
Blue Mountains City Council

Most decisions can be challenged

It's easy to read a refusal as the final word. Under the NSW CTP scheme, it's usually the first. Most decisions carry a right to internal review, and beyond that an independent tribunal, the Personal Injury Commission. What you need is a clear understanding of the decision and enough time to respond, which is why the 28-day window matters.

Read next:CTP claim denied?

Common reasons a claim is refused or limited

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.

  • You were found wholly or mostly at fault
  • The crash is being treated as a work injury
  • A treatment request was declined
  • Your pre-accident earnings were set lower than you expected

Read next:Claim denied? Quick check

Disputing a threshold-injury decision

A threshold decision limits statutory benefits to 52 weeks for accidents from 1 April 2023, and it rules out a damages claim. A threshold injury is generally soft tissue, and it doesn't include nerve damage or a full or partial tear of a tendon, ligament, meniscus or cartilage. If your medical evidence shows one of those, the classification may be wrong.

Read next:Threshold injury disputesWhen the insurer says “threshold injury”

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Taking a dispute further

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

Complaints versus disputes

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.

Making your internal review count

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

What a dispute might cost

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?

How to challenge a CTP decision, step by step

Here's the usual route when you disagree with an insurer's decision. Not every dispute needs every step, and some decisions have their own rules, but this is the general shape.

  1. Step 1

    Read the decision letter

    Read the letter twice: once for what was decided, once for why. Write down the date you received it. If the reasons aren't clear, ask the insurer to explain them in writing.

  2. Within 28 days

    Ask for an internal review

    Request the review in writing, inside the 28-day window that generally applies. The insurer looks at the decision again, so explain clearly why you think it's wrong and attach anything it didn't have.

  3. 14 to 28 days

    The insurer decides

    The insurer usually has 14 days to decide the review. For some medical and miscellaneous matters it's 21 days, and up to 28 days if it needs more information from you.

  4. If you still disagree

    Apply to the Personal Injury Commission

    If internal review leaves the decision in place, the next step is generally an application to the Personal Injury Commission, an independent tribunal. What you're disputing decides which of its paths applies, such as merit review or medical assessment.

  5. 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.

  6. Any time

    Conduct complaints go to the IRO

    Unhappy with the insurer's conduct rather than its decision? Contact the Independent Review Office on 13 94 76, 8:30am to 5:30pm weekdays, or online. It's a separate path from a review.

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

Many people handle an internal review themselves. Disputes that reach the Personal Injury Commission, or that affect a damages claim, are where legal advice more often helps.

Often worth talking to a lawyer

  • Weekly payments were stopped and you can't work
  • The refusal is based on your claim being late
  • Your injury was classed as threshold and it affects a damages claim
  • You were driving for work and the insurer has refused on that basis

You may not need one

  • Your doctor can clearly answer the insurer's question in a report
  • The insurer asked for a document you can easily provide
  • You mainly want to complain about delays or communication

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 Blaxland East is the better fit. CTP lawyer in Blaxland East
  • 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 Blaxland East
  • If nothing has been decided yet and your claim is still being set up, the CTP claims page covers the lodging steps instead. CTP claims in Blaxland East

Frequently asked questions

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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.

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