The Compensation Fund has promised a bright future for its clients free from glitches of delayed claims that have characterised the institution for decades.
The promise was made by the Fund’s commissioner, Shakes Mkhonto, during the last stage of the roadshows to provinces in Witbank, Mpumalanga on Tuesday.
“Time has come for us to move away from a paper-based institution to one that is automated and therefore quickening claims capturing, assessment and adjudication,’’ he told about 60 stakeholders from employers, organised labour and medical practitioners.
The commissioner said the Fund was going to look at partnerships with medical and pharmaceutical bodies and other specialist organisations to improve its processing of claims.
He said the future would see an organisation staffed with a knowledge worker who is “rounded and who understands the entire value chain of the Fund.” Such a worker should be able to provide first-call resolution and world class customer satisfaction, he said.
Mkhonto said the envisaged Fund would have an Early Return to Work built into the legislation around the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of workers at the core. He said as things stand currently, employers get away with murder by not accepting responsibility for injuries sustained by workers in the workplace. This, the commissioner said, amounts to an Unfair Labour Practice.
Mkhonto said the future Fund would be decentralised in order to bring services closer to the people once agreement with trade unions have been concluded. He said all the processes and case management would be done in provinces rather than Pretoria.
Enquiries:
Tony Mphahlele
Cell: 079 986 9850
Good news in the pipeline at Compensation Fund - Commissioner Mkhonto
