“I was overwhelmed when I was told, I just couldn’t believe it!,” said EML Victoria’s Sofia Kamboukos upon learning that she was a finalist in this year’s Excellence in Personal Injury and Disability Management Awards.
Sofia (pictured) is a finalist in the Excellence in Injury & Disability Management (Serious Injury/Significant Disability) Award.
The awards are run by the Personal Injury Education Foundation (PIEF) and Sofia is a finalist in the Excellence in Injury & Disability Management (Serious Injury/Significant Disability) Award.
After a career with Victoria Police, Sofia joined EML in early 2021 through our Case Manager in Training program.
In her role, Sofia managed some of the most complex claims. She takes a person-centered approach to claims management, viewing each worker as unique and taking the time to understand their needs and goals.
“The claims that I managed were workers with complex injuries,” explains Sofia. “You are aware that what’s happened has affected their whole lives – their emotions, their family – the injury has had a ripple effect. These people have been in the system for a long time, and they feel like a number.
“I look beyond their injury – I take that out of my mind and focus on the person and what I can do to help. People want to be treated with respect, honesty and dignity – they want to be seen as individuals – and this is how I approach my role.”
Sofia proves every day that having a case manager who truly supports a worker and their recovery leads to greater engagement, satisfaction and even return to work outcomes.
“One of my workers had a physical injury which then became a secondary psychological injury, and that became their main injury,” says Sofia.
“I started to work on building a relationship with him. I was honest about what I can and can’t do, to manage expectations but also give assurances about how I will manage his claim and keep him updated.
“It helps to pick up the phone and just talk to people,” says Sofia. Over time, I built a relationship with the worker’s wife and kept her updated too. I delivered on my promises and slowly started to build trust with both the worker and his wife, focussing on their quality of life not just about returning to work.
“By going a little bit above and beyond I was able to make some changes which really made a positive difference in their lives. They both thanked me and it meant a lot.”
The Excellence in Injury and Disability Management Awards celebrate and showcase the outstanding achievements of the industry. Award winners will be announced in the coming weeks.
Visit the PIEF 2022 website Awards page for more information on finalists across all categories. Discover all the EML finalists in the PIEF 2022 Awards in our Latest News.