Administrative and scheme delivery changes
Impairment Assessment Guidelines
Following an expert-led review process and extensive consultation stakeholders unanimously supported the Third Edition of the Impairment Assessment Guidelines (IAG3). The IAG3 development process carefully balanced medical, regulatory and financial considerations to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Return to Work Scheme.
Among the key improvements, IAG3 introduced a new assessment tool for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) to enhance consistency, reliability, and accessibility. The effectiveness of this tool will be closely monitored to ensure it achieves its intended purpose without unintended financial consequences for the Scheme. These guidelines continue to be based on widely accepted medical assessment principles, largely following AMA5.
For the first time, impairment guidelines will be subject to Parliamentary oversight, making them a disallowable legislative instrument.
The guidelines were implemented on 1 October 2025.