InBrief

The State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) has approved changes to the Motor Accident Permanent Impairment Guidelines 2018 (2018 Guidelines). It is intended that the 2018 Guidelines will be gazetted on Friday, 25 May 2018 and will commence on 1 June 2018.

These guidelines apply for injuries caused by a motor accident that occurred between 5 October 1999 to 30 November 2017 inclusive for claims made under the Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999. They replace the Permanent Impairment Guidelines 1 October 2007 and are to be used for assessments of the degree of permanent impairment undertaken from 1 June 2018.

Please note that the method of assessment of the degree of permanent impairment of injured persons is the same for both schemes and there are no technical differences between the Motor Accident Permanent Impairment Guidelines 2018 and the Part 6 of the Motor Accidents Guidelines 2017 (MAG 2017). The two guidelines issued comply with the relevant Acts (the Motor Accident Compensation Act 1999 and the Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017).

Changes include:

• inclusion of existing published guidance notes developed to supplement the Permanent Impairment Guidelines 1 October 2007 and
• changes to style and format
• changes to clause numbering
• changes to reflect the Nguyen judgment at 1.17.

View a copy of the 2018 Guidelines here. A copy of the 2018 Guidelines which includes highlighted changes and explanatory comments can be viewed here. To view the explanatory comments, hover the cursor over the highlighted text.

Further information on the assessment of permanent impairment can be found on the SIRA website.