Costs for treatment that helps injured workers return can be claimed

We refer to Mr Chua Tiong Guan’s letter (“Focus should be on rehabilitating injured worker, not just on MCs”; 16 May).

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) strongly encourages employers to adopt a mindset that all work-related injuries and cases of ill health are preventable, and strive to eliminate all workplace incidents.

We agree with the writer that when a worker is injured at work, employers should not only pay work-injury compensation, but also ensure that the injured worker has sufficient time to rest and recuperate. Employers should also help injured workers return to work by arranging for their rehabilitation. This will help employers attract and retain talent.

To facilitate the return to work by injured workers, the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) was recently amended to allow treatments that help workers recover and regain their ability to work to be claimed as part of WICA’s medical expenses. These include costs related to case management, functional capacity evaluation, and worksite assessment.