The NSW State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) has launched its new digital portal for motor accident claims disputes. The new platform allows online lodgement, gives all parties to a dispute access to real-time status updates, and is designed to enhance communication and efficiency.
Motor accidents in NSW which occurred after 1 December 2017 are covered by the Motor Accidents Injuries Act 2017 (MAIA). Under the MAIA disputes scheme there is a SIRA Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) established by sections 7.2 and 7.3 to consider and determine a wide range of disputes as set out in Schedule 2 of the MAIA.
The types of disputes fall into three broad categories:
- Merit Review;
- Medical Assessment issues;
- Claims Assessment matters;
- Miscellaneous disputes.
Essentially, the DRS is the ‘one-stop shop’ for disputes under the scheme.
Application for resolution of motor accident claims disputes can now be lodged online via the SIRA DRS portal.
The portal can also be used to check the progress of applications, receive notification of the outcome of the dispute and to lodge any review if required.
To use the portal practitioners need to register an account with Service NSW and link the account with SIRA.
The By Lawyers Motor Vehicle Accidents (NSW) – Accidents from 1 December 2017 guide has been updated accordingly.