What are Work Injury Compensation insurance benefits?
Work injury compensation insurance benefits includes:
- Medical leave –wages for days you were issued with medical leave or light duty, due to the work injury or disease.
- Medical expenses –including your hospital bills, medication and other charges, due to the work injury.
- Lump sum compensation for permanent incapacity, current incapacity or death.
How does Work Injury Compensation insurance work for employers?
Employers obtain work injury compensation insurance policies from insurers, who can help to minimise exposure and optimise premium expenditures. Premium costs can vary widely based on a number of factors:
1
Employee risk level
Inherent dangers differ from job to job, which is reflected in the cost of insurance. For example, a 100-person steel-cutting plant would likely pay higher premiums than a 100-person accounting office.
2
Salaries
Because of the cost to compensate for lost wages, employee salary levels are factored into the premiums.
3
Employer risk rating
Good or bad, the company history of work injury compensation claims will affect the price of insurance.
How does Work Injury Compensation insurance work for employees?
The Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) covers any local or foreign employee who is under a contract of service or contract of apprenticeship, regardless of salary, age or nationality. It doesn’t cover:
- Independent contractors and the self-employed.
- Domestic workers.
- Uniformed personnel – members of the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force, Central Narcotics Bureau and Singapore Prison Service.
You can claim for compensation if you have been injured or contracted a disease as a result of work. You remain eligible to claim for compensation even if:
- You no longer work for the employer or your work pass is cancelled.
- The accident happened while you were on an overseas assignment.
- The accident happened while on a flexi-work arrangement that you agreed with your employer. Dependents of an employee who died because of a workplace accident can also make a claimon behalf of the employee.
If your employer has Work Injury Compensation insurance in place, the insurer will pay on behalf of your employer in the event that you are injured or fall sick on the job.
Visit the Ministry of Manpower’s website for more information.