Make a claim

Guiding you through the claims process

Supporting your employee through a workplace injury or illness starts here. We’ve helped thousands of employers across South Australia to manage claims smoothly while ensuring their workers get the care they need. This page outlines lodging a claim and accessing the right support. If you need help, we’re just a call away.

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Quick access contact information

Contact for all new claims

You can lodge a claim by calling us on 1800 688 825 to speak with a customer service representative. Click here to request a call back.

Online claim lodgement and management

If you are an employer in South Australia, you can report an injury or make a claim online through the ReturnToWorkSA website. 

Step by step guide​

Process of making a claim​

Has your worker incurred an injury or illness?

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Whether it is physical or psychological, your worker’s wellbeing is everyone’s responsibility, and care and support is crucial.

This is your priority. Urge or organise your worker to make a visit to a practitioner or hospital as required for treatment as soon as possible.

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We suggest you offer to support the injured worker at the appointment, with their approval or ask if there is a suitable person they would like to take or contact.

Have you notified SafeWork SA of the injury or illness?

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It is an offence to fail to report a notifiable incident to SafeWork SA, including serious injuries or illnesses, dangerous incidents, fatalities or COVID-19 cases that occur at work as a result of the conduct of the business or undertaking.

You must report serious injuries or illnesses to SafeWork SA.

Does your workers injury qualify under SafeWork SA's definition of a serious injuries or illnesses?

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It is an offence to fail to report a notifiable incident to SafeWork SA, including serious injuries or illnesses that occur at work as a result of the conduct of the business or undertaking.

You can notify SafeWork SA via phone, incident form or email depending on the urgency or life-threatening nature of the injury or illness. See here for more information.

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It is an offence to fail to report a notifiable incident to SafeWork SA, including serious injuries or illnesses that occur at work as a result of the conduct of the business or undertaking.

If there is no injury or illness to a worker, you do not need to enter the EML claims process, though SafeWork SA may need to be notified for workplace fatalities, and health and safety incidents.

Head to the SafeWork SA website to understand more.

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EML supports SafeWork SA in the identification of near misses and other incidents to improve the workplace and prevent future injuries and incidents.

Once you have notified SafeWork SA, you should receive confirmation of the notification. Retain record of this notification.

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You must keep a record of this incident notification form for five years.

Has the injury, illness or incident been assessed within your organisation to minimise future risks?

You should assess the incident and identify opportunities to minimise risks within your workplace.

Reporting and reviewing injuries minimises workplace incidents and can reduce your insurance premiums.

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More importantly, developing a safety culture demonstrates care for your workers health and wellbeing and makes your organisation a good place to work.

If your worker has sought medical treatment, they have the right to lodge a workers compensation claim.

Has a claim already been lodged for this injury or illness?

Has your worker notified you that they want to lodge a claim for compensation of either medical expenses, or for weekly income support payments?

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There are incentives in place for employers who lodge the claim within five business days of being notified by their worker. See the ReturnToWorkSA website for more information.

While you may encourage and help your worker understand their right to claim, the choice is theirs.

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If you lodged a claim for your worker and later found that they did not want to claim, do not be concerned.

EML will contact your worker for their consent before progressing any claim lodgement.

You can choose from two lodgement options:

Go to the ReturnToWorkSA online lodgement portal to lodge the claim for your worker (preferred).

Contact EML directly over the phone on 1800 688 825 (Callback available).

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Using the ReturnToWorkSA online lodgement portal is the easiest, most convenient and efficient way to lodge a claim.

This is to ensure early support is provided to your employee, regardless of whether the claim is accepted or not.

Lodgement will be quick and easy if you have some information handy when you begin the claims process.

1
Personal info about your employee (e.g., name, contact, DOB)
2
Injury details (e.g., date of injury, how the injury occurred)
3
An incident report
4
Other information to support (e.g., scans, medical bills, medical reports, job descriptions and return to work plans)

If your worker is claiming for weekly payments (money paid for time off work), or cannot do their pre-injury work, a signed certificate of capacity is required, as well as 13 months of pay information prior to the date of the injury.

Is your worker claiming for this?

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A signed certificate of capacity must be obtained from your workers treating health practitioner.

A claim can be submitted without it, but for timely determination of the claim, it is preferable to have as soon as available.

Ensure your worker has provided a signed certificate of capacity for you to send with the claim lodgement.

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A signed certificate of capacity must be obtained from your workers treating health practitioner.

A claim can be submitted without it, but for timely determination of the claim, it is preferable to have as soon as available.

Complete your lodgement of the claim via the ReturnToWorkSA online lodgement portal or over the phone.

EML will acknowledge receipt of the paperwork via email.

Talk to your worker regularly and check in on their recovery and their readiness to return to work.

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Your employee may be going through a difficult time.

Communication breakdown is a major reason that return to work is delayed or doesn’t happen at all.

After the claim has been lodged, EML will contact both the worker and employer within two business days and may ask for more information from you.

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Your claim is assessed by our dedicated team at EML as to whether it is eligible for workers compensation in line with the legislation.

Wherever possible, EML will aim to determine claims within ten business days.

If there are no further queries, EML will let you know that the claim has been determined.

If further queries or investigation is required beyond the ten business day expectation, your worker will be offered interim benefits whilst the claims decision is made.

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If the worker requires further support with their recovery and return to work, a claims specialist will be assigned within two business days.

News

News and community

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Leading with purpose: Matthew Vickers PIEF 2025 Finalist for Outstanding Leadership

The Excellence in Personal Injury and Disability Management Awards recognises the contribution...

PIEF 2025 Awards: the team making a difference across NSW

One of EML’s five finalists in the highly competitive PIEF 2025 Excellence...

Resources

Free tools to support recovery and provide a safer workplace

Training

Customised and flexible learning for workplace peace of mind

Upcoming sessions

Browse our training across workers compensation, health and safety, return to work and mental health.

Workers compensation: National updates and insights

This course is designed to provide employers with an update on current issues impacting workers compensation schemes, the latest trends, external factors and legal implications, and the expected implications of these issues for employers across the jurisdictional Workers Compensation schemes of SA, NSW and VIC.
Host : Internal

Introduction to workers compensation and injury management

Employers have an obligation to support injured people in the workplace. This session will provide the basic requirements and best-practice principles for supporting injured employees to recover and return to work.
Host : PHSA

Upcoming sessions

Browse our training across workers compensation, health and safety, return to work and mental health.

Upcoming sessions

Browse our training across workers compensation, health and safety, return to work and mental health.

Role of the return to work coordinator – VIC

This 2-day training workshop, conducted in Melbourne Victoria and endorsed by WorkSafe Victoria, empowers RTW Coordinators with vital tools to effectively manage return to work processes in accordance with legislation and injury management principles. Participants will engage with content to learn how to facilitate safe and sustainable return to work plans under the WIRC Act 2013. A WorkSafe VIC endorsed Certificate will be provided upon full participation in the RTWC training.
Host : Recovre

Role of the return to work coordinator – VIC

This 2-day training workshop, conducted in Melbourne Victoria and endorsed by WorkSafe Victoria, empowers RTW Coordinators with vital tools to effectively manage return to work processes in accordance with legislation and injury management principles. Participants will engage with content to learn how to facilitate safe and sustainable return to work plans under the WIRC Act 2013. A WorkSafe VIC endorsed Certificate will be provided upon full participation in the RTWC training.
Host : Workplace Interventions

Addressing common recovery and return to work barriers

This workshop has been designed to help identify and address the key common recovery and return to work barriers experienced through the lens of each party active in a RTW process, including the worker, employer, claims agent and providers.
Host : IPAR

Upcoming sessions

Browse our training across workers compensation, health and safety, return to work and mental health.

Engaging leaders: Mental health training for managers

This workshop by Mental Health First Aid equips leaders with an understanding of mental health conditions, enabling them to promote awareness, enhance communication, and foster a supportive workplace that values mental health. By gaining insights into early intervention, empathy, and active listening, leaders can reduce stigma, boost productivity, and contribute to healthier, more engaged teams, ultimately driving organisational success.
Host : Wellbeing Campus

Mutual Benefits Masterclass – Inside the minds of Australia’s workplaces

Join Dr Michael Di Donato, Luke Sheehan, and Keith Govias as they unpack the Mental Health white paper, developed by EML in partnership with Monash University. Using national datasets, the paper highlights the rise in psychological injury claims, identifies systemic risks, and explores industry-specific challenges. The speakers will examine key findings, discuss emerging trends, and share practical, data-driven strategies to strengthen trust and support between employers and employees. This session provides valuable insights to help organisations create safer, more mentally healthy workplaces.
Host : Internal

New rules, better outcomes, integrating psychosocial care in the workplace

This session provides an overview of the “It Pays To Care” policy, and how psychosocial care can be applied in the workplace to enhance health and safety programs, strengthen workplace culture and employee wellbeing, and improve health and recovery outcomes for people who experience a workplace injury.
Host : IPTC
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