Parramatta & Cumberland · CTP claim denied

CTP claim rejected? Review options for Yennora

Insurers make decisions under the scheme rules. You can challenge them, and an independent lawyer can help.

Denied, cut off or classified as a threshold injury? Start by reading the decision carefully and noting the date you received it. The internal review window is generally 28 days. People in Yennora can handle much of a review in writing, and an independent CTP lawyer can help if the stakes are high. Our free claim check is a quick way to find out where you stand.

Postcode: 2161

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How to challenge a CTP decision, step by step

Insurers make decisions under the scheme rules, and the scheme also sets out how to challenge them. These are the main steps and the timeframes that generally apply.

  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

    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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 28 days from a certificate

    Medical assessment review

    Medical assessment certificates can generally be reviewed, but the window is short: generally 28 days from the date the certificate is issued. Get advice quickly if you're considering it.

  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.

Yennora: reviews without the travel

If the insurer has accepted the other driver's account of a crash on the M4, James Ruse Drive or Woodville Road, you can generally ask for an internal review. A lawyer can help you frame it. Yennora is about 6 km south-west of Parramatta, but challenging a decision doesn't mean travelling there. Internal reviews are generally requested in writing, and our claim check runs by phone and online. Your review rights don't depend on your council, whether that's Cumberland City Council or any other. Internal reviews and the Personal Injury Commission work the same way across NSW.

Region
Parramatta & Cumberland
Postcode
2161
Distance to Parramatta
~6 km
Local government area
Cumberland City Council

Most decisions can be challenged

Before deciding what to do, pin down three things: exactly what was decided, the reasons given, and the date you received the letter. The first two tell you what evidence might change the outcome. The third starts the clock, because an internal review is generally requested within 28 days. With those in hand, choosing between a review on your own and getting advice becomes much clearer.

Read next:CTP claim denied?

When your issue is how you were treated

It helps to keep a dispute and a complaint apart. If the problem is the outcome, use internal review and then the Personal Injury Commission. If the problem is the way the insurer is handling your claim, the Independent Review Office can take a complaint. Sometimes both apply, and it's fine to use each path for a different part of the problem.

Asking for an internal 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

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Do you need a lawyer to challenge a decision?

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
  • A medical assessment certificate seems wrong
  • You were driving for work and the insurer has refused on that basis
  • You've missed the review deadline

You may not need one

  • You mainly want to complain about delays or communication
  • Your doctor can clearly answer the insurer's question in a report
  • 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?

  • If you're not sure a dispute is worth taking on with legal help, the CTP lawyer page explains when a lawyer tends to be worth it. CTP lawyer in Yennora
  • 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 Yennora
  • If you haven't had a decision yet and are still getting the claim in, start with the CTP claims page for Yennora. CTP claims in Yennora

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.

  • The claim was lodged late
  • You were found wholly or mostly at fault
  • Weekly payments were stopped or reduced
  • The insurer says the injury wasn't caused by the crash

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”

Taking a dispute further

Applying to the Commission is more formal than an internal review. There are forms, timeframes and evidence rules, and the insurer will usually have its own representatives. Many people get legal advice at this stage. Keep in mind that SIRA's free CTP Legal Advisory Service doesn't cover matters already at the Commission.

Read next:The Personal Injury CommissionPIC disputes explained

What a dispute might cost

In a dispute about statutory benefits, legal costs work differently from what many people expect. Costs are recoverable only where the Regulation or the Personal Injury Commission allows, the insurer pays whatever is recoverable, and in some disputes nothing can be recovered at all. So before you engage a lawyer for a review, ask how their fees would work for this particular dispute, and get the answer in writing.

Read next:What does a CTP lawyer cost?

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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