When your personal injury claim settles certain refunds to Government departments may be required. These refunds will be made from your total settlement amount so it is important that your lawyer fully advises you on the refunds, the amount of the refunds and how much money you will receive in the hand.
The three main Government departments that statutory refunds are made to are Medicare, Centrelink and WorkCover. Any money that is bulk billed to Medicare as a result of your injuries will be refunded and any monies paid by WorkCover will be refunded. However, these refunds should be included as part of your overall claim so you will not really be out of pocket.
Centrelink is somewhat different. If you have been receiving Centrelink benefits after the injury Centrelink generally requires a refund of most or all of the money paid and sometimes you may be cut off from receiving Centrelink into the future, known as the preclusion period.
Centrelink will not provide your lawyer with an estimate of the refund but your lawyer should seek information from you to determine if there will be a Centrelink refund and if so the approximate amount of the refund and whether there will be a Centrelink preclusion period. It is important that you are fully aware of the Centrelink refund and preclusion period.
There are other statutory refunds that sometimes occur such as Child Support and Veteran Affairs. Again, your lawyer will ascertain all the refunds and advise you.
Statutory refunds are just one of the many issues why you need a specialist personal injury lawyer acting for you in your claim. If your lawyer misses one of the refunds or underestimates a refund it can be a disaster.
Specialist Personal Injury Lawyer
Your Claim Lawyers have the specialisation and experience to act for you in your personal injury claim and will ensure all of your interest are protected. Call Your Claim Lawyers on 1800 968 725 or 0400 839314 for a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer.