This guide provides general education and does not diagnose a condition or replace individual medical or physiotherapy assessment.
Automatic approval is limited
Treatment is not automatically approved simply because the injury happened at work. Under SIRA's Allied Health Treatment Request rules, a request can be automatically approved if the insurer does not respond within five working days only when a SIRA-approved practitioner requests treatment within three months of injury and the injury has not already been treated by the same allied-health profession.
Other pre-approval exemptions may apply to specified early services, but eligibility for medical expenses should still be checked with the insurer.
What the AHTR does
The Allied Health Treatment Request outlines the injury presentation, current function, measurable goals, treatment proposed, expected outcomes and barriers to recovery. It gives the insurer information needed to decide whether further treatment is reasonably necessary.
When it may be required
SIRA-approved allied health practitioners commonly complete an AHTR when more treatment is needed beyond an applicable early-treatment allowance, or after the first consultation when treatment begins later in the claim. Exact requirements should be checked against current SIRA rules and the insurer’s instructions.
Insurer response
For a request that meets the limited automatic-approval conditions, the response period is five working days. Other WorkCover treatment requests that require pre-approval generally have a 21-day decision period. The insurer may approve, partly approve or decline the request and should explain its decision. Contact the insurer if the status is unclear rather than assuming every unanswered request is funded.
What the patient can do
- Keep the claim and case-manager details current
- Ask which sessions are approved
- Tell the physiotherapist about changes in work or function
- Keep copies of written insurer decisions
- Contact the insurer if approval is unclear
Official links
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Each link below opens the specific government or scheme page used for this guide.
Raby & Gledswood Hills