NSW Police workers comp
exempt-worker rules and EPSS

If you're hurt on or off the job in a way connected to your work, NSW workers comp is designed to pay your wages while you can't work and to pay for treatment. For NSW police, three layers stack together: the statutory scheme, the Enhanced Police Support Scheme (EPSS) top-up, and your award pay and leave rules.

NSW police are not on the same rules as most workers in the state. Police, paramedics and firefighters are "exempt workers": the big 2012 reforms that introduced the 95%/80% step-downs and time limits on medical costs were written not to apply to them. Most of the 2026 reforms don't apply to them either.

Those Audit Office figures show how common injury is in NSW policing. If you're dealing with one now, you're far from alone, and the system has more protections for police than for most other workers.

Your start date and your super scheme decide which system covers you. Check this first, because it changes everything else: the forms, who pays and what you're entitled to.

The exclusion of pre-1988 officers is in the definition of "worker" in section 4 of the 1998 Act. It excludes a member of the NSW Police Force who contributes to the Police Superannuation Fund. A note to section 6(3) confirms that fund closed to new members on 1 April 1988, so everyone who joined later is a worker.

As an exempt worker, your weekly payments follow the pre-2012 rules. icare's guidance for exempt workers sets out how they're calculated. For award employees, which includes officers paid under the Crown Employees (Police Officers) Award, the starting point is your current weekly wage rate.

The 95% and 80% PIAWE step-downs you'll see on most NSW workers comp websites do not apply to you. Those come from sections 36 and 37 of the 1987 Act, introduced in 2012, and Schedule 6 Part 19H says the 2012 amendments don't apply to an injury received by a police officer.

Indexation of the statutory rate changed under the 2025 amendments: it used to move twice a year, in April and October, and from 2 July 2026 it moves once a year. That indexation change is one of the few 2025 changes that does apply to police.

The Enhanced Police Support Scheme replaced Police Blue Ribbon Insurance (PBRI) on 1 October 2024 as part of the 2024 pay deal. It is owned by the government rather than run as a private insurance policy, and it changes how long you're supported after an on-duty injury.

1. 1

   Months 0 to 9

   Up to 100%

   Supplementary payments top up your workers compensation to up to 100% of salary.

2. 2

   Up to 7 years

   Up to 75%

   Top-up to up to 75% of salary while you remain on an accepted on-duty claim.

3. 3

   Up to 3 more years (CEEP)

   Up to 75%

   The Catastrophic Exceptional Extension Payment. You apply at the 6.5-year mark. Catastrophic injuries are presumed approved; other cases go to a panel with nominees of the Commissioner, the PANSW President and a chair chosen by the Minister, and the Commissioner decides.

The EPSS hotline is 1800 014 140. If your injury happened before 1 October 2024 and you had a PBRI claim, ask the hotline or PANSW how your claim was transitioned, because the TPD lump sum rules depend on the injury date.

Here's an illustration for a Senior Constable at the top of the scale. Your own figures will depend on your pay point, allowances, capacity and how EML calculates your wage rate, so treat this as a guide to the shape of the payments, not a quote.

In the first 26 weeks off work completely, workers comp pays 100% of the current weekly wage rate, and EPSS can top up to 100% of salary for 9 months. After 9 months, EPSS tops up to 75% of salary, so total income would be up to about $2,008 a week, calculated by us. For a first-year constable on $92,576, 75% is about $1,331 a week.

Yes. Reasonable medical, hospital, rehabilitation and related travel costs for an accepted claim are paid by the scheme. Because you're an exempt worker, the 2012 time limits on medical costs (section 59A) don't apply to you.

One change does apply to police: from 1 October 2026, medical and related costs must be "reasonable and necessary". icare's reform FAQs call this the primary change for police, paramedics and firefighters. In practice, expect more questions about whether a proposed treatment is needed, and ask your treating doctor to explain the clinical reason in referrals.

Psychological injury is the largest part of NSW police workers comp. NSW has no PTSD presumption, so your claim needs medical evidence linking the injury to your work. That doesn't make it unlikely to succeed; it means records matter.

The good news is that most of the 2025 and 2026 psychological injury reforms don't reach police. The 2026 reform Act raised the impairment thresholds for psychological injury for most workers, with claims notified from 1 July 2026, 2027 and 2029 facing higher bars. Its transitional provisions say none of its changes apply to exempt workers, and police are named.

NSW police are carved out of most of the 2026 psychological injury reforms. If someone tells you the new thresholds apply to you, ask them to check Part 19Q of Schedule 6.

The Audit Office found psychological injury notifications have fallen since October 2024. Whatever the trend, if you're struggling after a job or a run of jobs, see your GP early, tell them about your work, and make a record. An early report protects your rights even if you hope you'll be fine.

If your injury leaves a permanent impairment, you may get a lump sum under section 66 of the 1987 Act, plus damages in some cases. For psychological injury, section 65A requires at least 15% whole person impairment before a lump sum is payable.

For physical injuries, the 10% threshold that applies to most workers came in with the 2012 reforms. A law firm summary says exempt workers can claim from 1% impairment and can also claim up to $50,000 for pain and suffering under section 67. We couldn't confirm those points in the legislation itself, so check them with the IRO or your association's lawyer.

Work injury damages, a claim against your employer for negligence, need 15% impairment. The 2025 increase to the psychological threshold for work injury damages is not in the list of changes applied to police.

Start early. Even a minor injury can become serious later, and an early report makes the claim much easier to prove.

1. 1

   Report the injury

   Same shift if possible

   Tell your supervisor and record the injury through your command's reporting process. Note the date, time, incident and witnesses.

2. 2

   See your doctor

   Within days

   Get a certificate of capacity stating your diagnosis and what you can do. Tell the doctor the injury is work-related.

3. 3

   Lodge the claim

   Don't delay

   Lodge through the force's workers comp process. Claims are managed by EML, which will contact you. Lodge as soon as possible; time limits apply.

4. 4

   Call EPSS and PANSW

   Same week

   Ask the EPSS hotline (1800 014 140) about top-ups, and PANSW about your claim and any legal help.

5. 5

   Use sick leave if you must

   While you wait

   Your award says sick leave used while a claim is pending is re-credited if the claim is accepted (cl 20.7.2).

Keep copies of everything you send and receive. If EML asks you to attend an independent medical examination, you can ask your association what to expect and whether you can bring a support person.

If you contribute to the Police Superannuation Scheme, you are not a "worker" under the NSW workers comp Acts. Your injury support comes from the Police Regulation (Superannuation) Act 1906 instead.

Pre-1988 officers are also not covered by EPSS. Because these officers are now the longest-serving in the force, the decisions often overlap with retirement planning. Talk to State Super and PANSW before making any decision.

If your injury means you can't return, medical retirement, super and insurance come into play. Since 1 October 2024, officers on EPSS have no TPD lump sum through the police scheme, so any TPD cover in your own super fund matters more.

Read our NSW Police medical retirement guide for the process, and the NSW Police super guide for your fund's insurance. Don't resign while you have an open claim without advice: resigning can affect your entitlements.

You can challenge almost any decision about your claim: liability, weekly payments, treatment or impairment. The process is free, and NSW has an independent body to help.

Always ask EML for written reasons if they weren't given, and keep the decision letter. Time limits apply to disputes, so don't sit on a decision you disagree with.

You don't have to manage this alone. The force's own services, your association and independent first responder services can all help, and many are confidential.