How does WorkCover work for Victoria Police?
If you're injured at work, Victoria's WorkCover scheme pays a share of your wages while you're off and pays for treatment. As a Victoria Police member you get something on top: accident make-up pay under your enterprise agreement, which fills the gap so you're on full pay for the first year.
The scheme is run by WorkSafe Victoria under the Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013. Victoria Police isn't a self-insurer: it isn't on WorkSafe's list of 33 self-insured employers and pays WorkSafe premiums. Its 2024-25 annual report says the premium rate rose from 8.59% to 9.3%.
WorkSafe weeks 1-13
95%
of PIAWE
WorkSafe weeks 14-130
80%
of PIAWE
Make-up pay
104 wks
100% then 90% of full pay
If you need help now
If you are struggling right now, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24/7) or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. In an emergency, call 000. Fortem Australia supports current and former first responders and their families on 1300 33 95 94 (business hours), and 13YARN is on 13 92 76 (24/7) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Victoria Police Wellbeing Services: 1300 090 995. Employee Assistance Program: 1300 364 273.
Who is covered, and what counts as a work injury?
Police officers, PSOs, Police Reservists and recruits are all Victoria Police employees and covered by WorkCover. An injury is generally covered if it arose out of or in the course of your employment, which for police includes the incidents you attend, training, travel on duty and the cumulative effect of the job.
Usually covered
- ✓ Physical injuries on duty, from assaults to vehicle crashes and training injuries
- ✓ Gradual injuries such as back, joint or hearing damage built up over years
- ✓ Mental injuries where employment was the predominant cause
- ✓ Stress or burnout caused by traumatic events that are a usual part of policing
- ✓ Aggravation of an existing condition by work
- ✓ Injuries on work-related travel
Some mental injuries are excluded for all Victorian workers since 2024, notably stress or burnout from usual or typical work events and injury from reasonable management action. The mental injury section explains what that means for police.
How much does WorkSafe pay each week?
WorkSafe's weekly payments are based on your pre-injury average weekly earnings (PIAWE). Your WorkSafe agent works out PIAWE from your earnings before the injury. Payments step down after 13 weeks and stop at 130 weeks unless strict conditions are met.
Weeks 1-13
- WorkSafe weekly payment
- 95% of PIAWE
- Condition
- Up to the statutory maximum of $3,000 a week (1 July 2026)
Weeks 14-130
- WorkSafe weekly payment
- 80% of PIAWE
- Condition
- Reduced if you have some capacity and earn
After 130 weeks
- WorkSafe weekly payment
- Continues only in limited cases
- Condition
- No capacity for any work likely to continue indefinitely, and 21%+ whole person impairment if your claim reached 130 weeks on or after 31 March 2024
| Period | WorkSafe weekly payment | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-13 | 95% of PIAWE | Up to the statutory maximum of $3,000 a week (1 July 2026) |
| Weeks 14-130 | 80% of PIAWE | Reduced if you have some capacity and earn |
| After 130 weeks | Continues only in limited cases | No capacity for any work likely to continue indefinitely, and 21%+ whole person impairment if your claim reached 130 weeks on or after 31 March 2024 |
WorkSafe Victoria, weekly payments information, read 9 October 2026. The maximum is indexed each year.
The 130-week test tightened in 2024. Before then, a worker with no current work capacity likely to continue indefinitely could stay on payments; now you also need a whole person impairment of 21% or more. That affects officers with long-term psychological injuries in particular.
What does accident make-up pay add?
Clause 77 of the Victoria Police Enterprise Agreement 2025 is where Victoria Police members are much better off than most Victorian workers. When your claim is accepted, Victoria Police pays the difference between WorkSafe's payment and your full pay.
- 1
First 52 weeks
100%Make-up to full pay, meaning ordinary pay plus allowances ordinarily payable. Measured as 52 weeks or an aggregate of 261 days (cl 77.2(a)).
- 2
Weeks 53 to 104
90%Make-up to 90% of full pay, or an aggregate of 522 working days. Not for recruits, whose make-up stops at 52 weeks (cl 77.2(b)).
- 3
When it stops
EndAt 104 weeks (52 for recruits), when you're fit for your pre-injury hours and duties and these are provided, or when an ESS or State Superannuation disability benefit starts (cl 77.3).
Refund rule
If you later receive a civil settlement that specifically compensates for the same lost earnings, make-up pay must be refunded (cl 77.4). Get advice before settling any common law claim.
What could this look like in dollars?
Here's an illustration for a Senior Constable at the top of the scale, whose ordinary rate is $118,945 a year including the 13% commuted penalty, or about $2,280 a week. For simplicity we've assumed PIAWE equals the ordinary weekly rate. Your real PIAWE may differ, and allowances you usually get can lift full pay.
Weeks 1-13
- WorkSafe pays
- 95% of PIAWE: $2,166
- Victoria Police make-up
- Up to full pay: $114
- Total a week
- $2,280
Weeks 14-52
- WorkSafe pays
- 80% of PIAWE: $1,824
- Victoria Police make-up
- Up to full pay: $456
- Total a week
- $2,280
Weeks 53-104
- WorkSafe pays
- 80% of PIAWE: $1,824
- Victoria Police make-up
- Up to 90% of full pay: $228
- Total a week
- $2,052
Weeks 105-130
- WorkSafe pays
- 80% of PIAWE: $1,824
- Victoria Police make-up
- None
- Total a week
- $1,824
After 130 weeks
- WorkSafe pays
- Only if no work capacity likely to continue indefinitely and 21%+ impairment
- Victoria Police make-up
- None
- Total a week
- Depends
| Period | WorkSafe pays | Victoria Police make-up | Total a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-13 | 95% of PIAWE: $2,166 | Up to full pay: $114 | $2,280 |
| Weeks 14-52 | 80% of PIAWE: $1,824 | Up to full pay: $456 | $2,280 |
| Weeks 53-104 | 80% of PIAWE: $1,824 | Up to 90% of full pay: $228 | $2,052 |
| Weeks 105-130 | 80% of PIAWE: $1,824 | None | $1,824 |
| After 130 weeks | Only if no work capacity likely to continue indefinitely and 21%+ impairment | None | Depends |
Calculated by us: annual ordinary rate ÷ 52.18. WorkSafe percentages from WorkSafe Victoria; make-up rules from EA 2025 cl 77. Illustration only.
The cliff to watch is week 105. Once make-up pay ends, income drops from 90% to WorkSafe's 80%, and at 130 weeks most payments stop unless you meet the strict test. Plan for those dates early with your WorkSafe agent and TPAV.
What does 80% of your pay look like after tax?
Check your take-home pay on your current Victoria Police pay point, then plan for the step-downs at week 53 and week 105.
Which medical and treatment costs are covered?
WorkSafe pays reasonable medical and like expenses for an accepted claim: doctors, specialists, psychology, physiotherapy, hospital, medication, aids and related travel. Get approval for larger items before you start.
Medical expenses generally stop 52 weeks after your entitlement to weekly payments ends, or 52 weeks after the claim if you only had medical costs. They can continue longer in set cases, such as surgery needed after you return to work, prosthesis changes, a service you need to stay at work, or essential services for daily living.
Provisional payments for mental injury
If your claim form or certificate shows a mental injury, WorkSafe pays reasonable treatment for up to 13 weeks while your claim is decided, and keeps paying for up to 13 weeks even if the claim is rejected. This applies to all workers. Use it: early treatment helps recovery and your claim.
How do the 2024 mental injury rules affect police?
The WorkCover Scheme Modernisation Act 2024 changed mental injury claims for injuries on or after 31 March 2024. They apply to everyone, including police. There's no police exemption, but one carve-out matters a lot for the job.
Still covered
- ✓Stress or burnout caused by traumatic events that are a usual part of the job; WorkSafe uses first responders as the example
- ✓Mental injuries causing significant behavioural, cognitive or psychological dysfunction, diagnosed under the DSM
- ✓Provisional treatment for 13 weeks while you wait
Now excluded or harder
- ✕Stress or burnout from usual or typical work events that aren't traumatic
- ✕Injuries from reasonable management action
- ✕Employment must be the predominant cause
- ✕21% impairment needed to stay on payments after 130 weeks
Victoria has no PTSD presumption. WorkSafe's only presumptive rights scheme covers specified cancers in firefighters. So when you claim, help your doctor document the traumatic incidents and how they link to your symptoms. A log of significant jobs you've attended, even a rough one, is useful evidence.
Trauma that's part of the job is still covered. The 2024 changes target routine workplace stress, not the incidents police attend.
Support numbers
If you are struggling right now, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24/7) or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. In an emergency, call 000. Fortem Australia supports current and former first responders and their families on 1300 33 95 94 (business hours), and 13YARN is on 13 92 76 (24/7) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Victoria Police Wellbeing Services and Police Chaplaincy: 1300 090 995. EAP: 1300 364 273. More in our PTSD and mental health support guide.
Can you get an impairment benefit or common law damages?
An impairment benefit is a lump sum for permanent impairment, assessed once the injury has stabilised, usually at least 12 months after it happened. Thresholds differ for physical and psychiatric injuries.
Physical threshold
10%
whole person impairment (s 211)
Psychiatric threshold
30%
whole person impairment (s 212)
Minimum payment
$26,530
2026-27 table
Maximum payment
$783,000
2026-27 table
Common law damages are a separate claim for a serious injury caused by someone's negligence. A combined whole person impairment of 30% or more is deemed serious. For 2026-27, pain and suffering damages have a threshold of $77,130 and a maximum of $783,000, and lost earnings a threshold of $79,890 and a maximum of $1,798,500. These claims are complex; get legal advice through TPAV.
How do you claim, step by step?
Lodge early. The sooner your claim is in, the sooner make-up pay and treatment can start.
- 1
Report the injury
As soon as possibleTell your supervisor and record it in Victoria Police's injury reporting system. Note incidents, dates and witnesses.
- 2
Get a certificate of capacity
Within daysSee your doctor for a WorkSafe certificate of capacity if you can't work or need modified duties.
- 3
Complete Part A of the claim form
LodgeFill in questions 1-6 of WorkSafe's Worker's injury claim form and submit it to Victoria Police through myWorkSafe (a paper form is available). Upload your certificate.
- 4
Your employer sends it on
EmployerVictoria Police completes Part B and sends the claim to its WorkSafe agent, which decides liability.
- 5
Call TPAV's WorkCover team
Same weekOn (03) 9468 2600 or 1800 800 537 (24/7). They can check your claim and explain make-up pay.
Which WorkSafe agent manages Victoria Police claims isn't published on any official page we found. Your claim acknowledgment will name the agent and your case manager.
What if you can't return: medical discharge and ESS?
If you can't return to policing, medical discharge and your super interact with WorkCover. Operational members disabled before 55 can get an ESSS disability pension. Make-up pay stops when an ESS disability benefit starts, so the timing matters.
The 2025 agreement allows medical discharge on 21 days' notice (cl 125.17). Clause 126 used to let eligible members take remaining make-up pay as a lump sum on medical discharge, but applications closed on 31 December 2025. See our Victoria Police medical retirement guide and the Victoria Police super guide.
How do you dispute a WorkCover decision?
If your claim is rejected or your payments are cut, you can challenge the decision for free. Read the letter carefully and note the date.
TPAV WorkCover team
- What they do
- Advice and representation at conciliation
- Contact
- (03) 9468 2600 or 1800 800 537
Workplace Injury Commission
- What they do
- Free, independent conciliation; apply within 60 days of the decision letter
- Contact
- 1800 635 960
WorkCover Assist
- What they do
- Free help for injured workers in disputes
- Contact
- (03) 9941 0537
WorkSafe advisory
- What they do
- General questions about your claim
- Contact
- 1800 136 089
| Who | What they do | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| TPAV WorkCover team | Advice and representation at conciliation | (03) 9468 2600 or 1800 800 537 |
| Workplace Injury Commission | Free, independent conciliation; apply within 60 days of the decision letter | 1800 635 960 |
| WorkCover Assist | Free help for injured workers in disputes | (03) 9941 0537 |
| WorkSafe advisory | General questions about your claim | 1800 136 089 |
From WorkSafe Victoria and TPAV websites, checked 9 October 2026.
Where can you get support, and what should you ask TPAV?
Victoria Police and TPAV both have dedicated support for injured members, and independent services are available too.
Questions to ask TPAV
- ✓ Is my make-up pay calculated on full pay with all my usual allowances?
- ✓ When will I hit week 53, week 105 and week 130?
- ✓ Does my mental injury fall within the traumatic events carve-out?
- ✓ Should I apply for an impairment benefit, and when?
- ✓ Do I have a common law claim, and how would it affect make-up pay?
- ✓ How would medical discharge affect my ESS benefit?
Support services
If you are struggling right now, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24/7) or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. In an emergency, call 000. Fortem Australia supports current and former first responders and their families on 1300 33 95 94 (business hours), and 13YARN is on 13 92 76 (24/7) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Victoria Police Wellbeing Services 1300 090 995; EAP 1300 364 273; OneLink for workplace harm 1800 598 846. Compare with other forces in the national guide or the NSW Police page, and find TPAV in our associations guide.
Free email alerts
Changes to Victoria Police injury and support schemes
Get an email when WorkSafe indexes its payments each July, when the mental injury rules change, or when the next Victoria Police agreement changes make-up pay.
- ✓New WorkSafe maximums the day they're published
- ✓Agreement changes to make-up pay explained
Frequently asked questions
Is Victoria Police covered by WorkCover?
Yes. Victoria Police employees are covered by the Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013 through WorkSafe Victoria. Victoria Police is not on WorkSafe's list of self-insurers and pays WorkSafe premiums; its 2024-25 annual report says the premium rate rose from 8.59% to 9.3%.
What is accident make-up pay for Victoria Police?
Under clause 77 of the 2025 enterprise agreement, Victoria Police tops up WorkCover payments to full pay (ordinary pay plus allowances ordinarily payable) for the first 52 weeks of an accepted claim, then to 90% of full pay from week 53 to week 104. Recruits get 52 weeks only. It stops when an ESS disability benefit starts.
How much does WorkSafe pay each week?
95% of your pre-injury average weekly earnings (PIAWE) for the first 13 weeks, up to the statutory maximum, which is $3,000 a week from 1 July 2026. From week 14 to week 130 it pays 80% of PIAWE. After 130 weeks, payments continue only if you have no capacity for work likely to continue indefinitely and 21% or more impairment.
Is there a PTSD presumption for Victoria Police?
No. Victoria's only presumptive rights scheme covers specified cancers in firefighters. A police officer making a mental injury claim needs medical evidence that employment was the predominant cause. The 2024 reforms keep claims for stress or burnout caused by traumatic events that are a usual part of the job.
What are provisional payments?
If your claim form or certificate shows a mental injury, WorkSafe pays reasonable treatment and services for up to 13 weeks while your claim is decided. They continue for up to 13 weeks even if the claim is not accepted. They are available to all workers, not just emergency workers.
Can Victoria Police make-up pay be taken as a lump sum?
Clause 126 of the 2025 agreement let an eligible member on medical discharge take their remaining make-up pay, up to 104 weeks, as a lump sum, after getting financial advice. Applications closed at 11.59pm on 31 December 2025, so this option is likely closed now. Ask TPAV whether any extension applies.
How do I dispute a WorkCover decision in Victoria?
Apply for conciliation at the Workplace Injury Commission within 60 days of the decision letter. It is free and independent, on freecall 1800 635 960. The Police Association's WorkCover team represents members at conciliation, so call them first.
Does WorkCover cover me if I'm a PSO or recruit?
PSOs and recruits are Victoria Police employees and covered by WorkCover. Make-up pay under the 2025 agreement applies to recruits for 52 weeks only, not the 104 weeks other members get. Check your classification's rules with TPAV.
Evidence
Sources and how we checked them
Every figure on this page comes from the sources below, read on 9 October 2026. Pay rates and rules change when new agreements are made, so check the source for the date you're reading this. Where we couldn't confirm something from an official source, the page says so instead of guessing. Spotted an error? Read our corrections policy.
- WorkSafe Victoria: weekly payments
- WorkSafe Victoria: Worker's injury claim form
- WorkSafe Victoria: list of current self-insurers
- WorkSafe Victoria: scheme modernisation (2024 reforms)
- WorkSafe Claims Manual 2.1.2: mental injury entitlements and exceptions
- WorkSafe Claims Manual 4.3.5: medical and like expenses
- WorkSafe Victoria: provisional payments
- WorkSafe Victoria: impairment benefits 2026-27 table
- WorkSafe Victoria: common law applications
- WorkSafe Victoria: presumptive rights compensation
- WorkSafe Victoria: get help with a decision about your claim
- Victoria Police Enterprise Agreement 2025 (AE528554), cl 77, 125, 126, 129
- Victoria Police Annual Report 2024-25
- Victoria Police: veteran and wellbeing support
- The Police Association Victoria: injured at work
Related guides
Serving officers
More in this series
General information, not advice. This guide explains published rules and rates. It doesn't consider your personal circumstances and isn't financial, legal, tax or credit advice. Confirm anything you rely on with your force, your police association, the ATO or a licensed professional.