Federal Register of Legislation - Australian Government

Primary content

Rules/Other as made
This instrument prescribes the conditions for when an injury under the Seafarers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1992 will be a 'catastrophic injury' for the purposes of the Act. Compensation for household services and attendant care services obtained as a result of a catastrophic injury is payable under section 43A of the Act.
Administered by: Employment and Workplace Relations
Registered 24 Aug 2018
Tabling HistoryDate
Tabled HR10-Sep-2018
Tabled Senate10-Sep-2018
Table of contents.

 

Seafarers Rehabilitation and Compensation (Catastrophic Injury) Rules 2018

I, CRAIG LAUNDY, Minister for Small and Family Business, the Workplace and Deregulation, make the following rules.

Dated               22/8/18                                               

CRAIG LAUNDY

Minister for Small and Family Business, the Workplace and Deregulation

 


Contents

1  Name........................................................................................................................................ 2

2  Commencement........................................................................................................................ 2

3  Authority.................................................................................................................................. 2

4  Application............................................................................................................................... 2

5  Definitions................................................................................................................................ 2

6  Conditions of a catastrophic injury........................................................................................... 2

7  Catastrophic spinal cord injury................................................................................................. 2

8  Catastrophic brain injury.......................................................................................................... 3

9  Catastrophic amputation injury................................................................................................. 3

10  Catastrophic burn injury......................................................................................................... 4

11  Catastrophic blindness injury................................................................................................. 4

Schedule 1—FIMTM score sheet                                                                                    i

 


1  Name

                   This instrument is the Seafarers Rehabilitation and Compensation (Catastrophic Injury) Rules 2018.

2  Commencement

                   This instrument commences the day after it is registered on the Federal Register of Legislation.

3  Authority

                   This instrument is made under section 144 of the Act.

4  Application

                   This instrument applies to an injury suffered by an employee whether the injury was suffered before, on, or after the commencement of this instrument.

5  Definitions

                   In this instrument:

                   Act means the Seafarers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1992.

                   injury means an injury for which compensation is payable under the Act.

6  Conditions of a catastrophic injury

                   For the purposes of the definition of catastrophic injury in section 3 of the Act, an injury is a catastrophic injury if one or more of the following conditions are satisfied:

                     (a)  the injury is a catastrophic spinal cord injury; or

                     (b)  the injury is a catastrophic brain injury; or

                     (c)  the injury is a catastrophic amputation injury; or

                     (d)  the injury is a catastrophic burn injury; or

                     (e)  the injury is a catastrophic blindness injury.

7  Catastrophic spinal cord injury

                   An injury is a catastrophic spinal cord injury if it is a lesion of the spinal cord or cauda equina which results in one or more of the following:

                     (a)  sensory deficit; or

                     (b)  motor deficit; or

                     (c)  bladder dysfunction; or

                     (d)  bowel dysfunction.

8  Catastrophic brain injury

                   An injury is a catastrophic brain injury if it is a brain injury which results in:

                     (a)  impairment of cognitive, physical or psychosocial functions; and

                     (b)  impairment assessed at a score of 5 or less on any of the items on the FIMTM score sheet at Schedule 1; and

                     (c)  one or both of the following:

                              (i)  a period of post traumatic amnesia of at least 7 days; or

                             (ii)  a significant brain imaging abnormality.

Note:          The FIMTM (Functional Independence Measure) is a basic indicator of severity of functional limitation.

9  Catastrophic amputation injury

Single injury

             (1)  An injury is a catastrophic amputation injury if:

                     (a)  the injury results in at least one of the following:

                              (i)  a forequarter amputation; or

                             (ii)  a shoulder disarticulation; or

                            (iii)  if the injury is a brachial plexus avulsion injury—no residual functioning in the upper extremity; or

                            (iv)  a hindquarter amputation; or

                             (v)  a hip disarticulation; or

                            (vi)  if the injury is a lumbar plexus avulsion injury—no residual functioning in the lower extremity; or

                           (vii)  an amputation involving the loss of 65% or more of the length of the femur; or

                     (b)  the injury results in at least two of the following:

                              (i)  loss of 50% or more of the length of the tibia of the left leg; or

                             (ii)  loss of 50% or more of the length of the tibia of the right leg; or

                            (iii)  loss of the thumb of the left hand at or above the first metacarpophalangeal joint; or

                            (iv)  loss of the thumb of the right hand at or above the first metacarpophalangeal joint.

Multiple injuries

             (2)  An injury is a catastrophic amputation injury if:

                     (a)  the injury results in any one of the losses specified in paragraph (1)(b); and

                     (b)  prior to the employee suffering the injury, the employee suffered an injury to a different limb or limbs (the earlier injury); and

                     (c)  the earlier injury:

                              (i)  satisfies the conditions for a catastrophic amputation injury in subsection (1); or

                             (ii)  results in any one of the losses specified in paragraph (1)(b).

             (3)  For the avoidance of doubt, the earlier injury mentioned in subparagraph (2)(c)(ii) is not a catastrophic amputation injury unless the earlier injury satisfies the conditions for a catastrophic amputation injury in subsection (1) or (2).

10  Catastrophic burn injury

                   An injury is a catastrophic burn injury if it results in impairment assessed at a score of 5 or less on any of the items on the FIMTM score sheet at Schedule 1, and the injury is one or both of the following:

                     (a)  full thickness burns:

                              (i)  for an employee aged 16 years or above at the time of the injury—greater than 40% of the total body surface area; or

                             (ii)  for an employee aged under 16 years at the time of the injury—  greater than 30% of the total body surface area; or

                            (iii)  to the hands, face or genital area; or

                     (b)  inhalation burns resulting in vital capacity or forced expiratory volume in one second which is less than 50% of that predicted for the employee’s age, height and ethnicity.

Note:          The FIMTM (Functional Independence Measure) is a basic indicator of severity of functional limitation.

11  Catastrophic blindness injury

                   An injury is a catastrophic blindness injury if it results in one or more of the following:

                     (a)  visual acuity after correction by suitable lenses of less than 6/60 in both eyes; or

                     (b)  constriction to within 10 degrees of fixation in the better eye irrespective of corrected visual acuity; or

                     (c)  a combination of visual defects resulting in the same degree of visual impairment as that specified in subsection (a) or (b).

Note:          An employee would have visual acuity of 6/60 if the employee is only able to see at a distance of 6 metres a symbol which a person with normal vision could see at a distance of 60 metres.


Schedule 1—FIMTM score sheet

 

Patient’s name:

Date of birth:

Type of injury:  Brain injury    Burn

Date of injury:

Hospital / unit:

Date of assessment:

Method of administration:    Direct observation

                                                    Interview with:

 

 

 

 

Item

Score

Is score due to the injury?

Reasons for score

 

SELF CARE

1.      Eating

 

 Yes    No

 

2.      Grooming

 

 Yes    No

 

3.      Bathing

 

 Yes    No

 

4.      Dressing – upper body

 

 Yes    No

 

5.      Dressing – lower body

 

 Yes    No

 

SPHINCTER CONTROL

6.      Toileting

 

 Yes    No

 

7.      Bladder management

 

 Yes    No

 

8.      Bowel management

 

 Yes    No

 

Self-care subtotal

 

 

TRANSFERS

9.      Bed / Chair / Wheelchair

 

 Yes    No

Mode: W – Walk

C – Wheelchair

B – Both

10.  Toilet

 

 Yes    No

 

11.   Bath / Shower

 

 Yes    No

 

LOCOMOTION

12.  Walk / Wheelchair

 

 Yes    No

Mode: W – Walk

C – Wheelchair

B – Both

13.  Stairs

 

 Yes    No

 

Mobility subtotal

 

 

COMMUNICATION

14.  Comprehension

 

 Yes    No

Mode: A – Auditory

V – Visual

C – Both

15.  Expression

 

 Yes    No

Mode: A – Auditory

V – Visual

C – Both

SOCIAL COGNITION

16.  Social interaction

 

 Yes    No

 

17.  Problem solving

 

 Yes    No

 

18.  Memory

 

 Yes    No

 

Cognition subtotal

 

 

FIM™ TOTAL SCORE

 

 

 

Administered by:

FIM™ credentialed:  Yes    No

Qualification:

 

Date of assessment:

 

 

 

FIM™ LEVELS

 

No helper

7 Complete independence (Timely, Safely)

6 Modified independence (Device)

 

Helper – Modified Dependence

5 Supervision (Subject = 100%)

4 Minimal assistance (Subject = 75% or more)

3 Moderate assistance (Subject = 50% or more)

 

Helper – Complete Dependence

2 Maximal assistance (Subject = 25% or more)

1 Total assistance (Subject less than 25%)

FIM is a trademark of Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation, a division of UB Foundation Activities, Inc. AROC (the Australasian Rehabilitation Outcomes Centre) holds the territory licence for the FIM in Australia.