Compensation fund to speed up claims payments – stakeholders told in the Eastern Cape
The Compensation fund has promised medical service providers in Port Elizabeth that it would pull all stops to ensure improved payments of claims, especially those dating back many years.
This followed complaints by medical service providers at the commissioner’s dinner that the Fund was taking too long to process payments.
“We are working on a lot of legal claims that have not been paid to ensure they are paid as speedily as possible,” Milly Ruiters, Chief Director: Coid Services said.
She said: “As far as medical claims are concerned, we have paid R2.5 billion in the past financial year and under R1-billion in temporary disablement.”
The engagement with medical service providers forms part of the commissioner‘s engagement with stakeholders, with one of the imperatives focussing on restructuring the Coid Act.
Ruiters said the Fund has employed 80 contract workers to expedite the processing of legacy claims.
The purpose of amending COID Act is:
- To extend coverage and benefits to the vulnerable sector of Domestic workers.
- The inclusion into legislation of the clauses on rehabilitation and integration of return to work programme
- To help improve the efficient enforcement of legislation.
Ruiters told the medical service providers that the Compensation Fund had undergone restructuring in the past year to improve service delivery and address challenges faced by the Fund. She said the new focus of the Fund was to:
- Grow social safety net
- Reducing turnaround times - targeting 40 days from 60.
- Case management
- Rehabilitation and return to work programme
- Disability management
Precious Mdlokovana, a Deputy Director in the CF Information Technology Directorate told the delegates that the new e-COID project was launched last week. She said the benefits of the new claims system was that it will provide faster turnaround, correct workflows, and timeous payments and enable the supply of correct data.
Mdlokovana said she expects the CF to provide a reliable service by 2020 using the e-COID.
The Compensation Fund is a public entity under the administration of Department of Labour. The Fund’s mandate is to administer the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act. The main objective of the Act is to provide compensation for workers injured at work or who contract diseases.
Enquiries:
Teboho Thejane
Cell: 082 697 0694
