WorkCover & TAC Imaging in Victoria: Who Pays?

If you've been injured at work or in a transport accident in Victoria, imaging - X-rays, ultrasounds, CT or MRI scans - is often part of diagnosing and managing your injury.

The important difference from everyday healthcare is who pays. Instead of Medicare and your own pocket, the cost of reasonable, injury-related imaging is generally covered by:

• WorkCover (managed by WorkSafe Victoria and its insurance agents) for workplace injuries • The TAC (Transport Accident Commission) for injuries from transport accidents involving cars, motorbikes, trams, trains, or as a pedestrian or cyclist

In both cases, you still need a doctor's referral for the scan, and the imaging must relate to your accepted injury. This guide covers the practical basics - your GP, employer, or the scheme itself can advise on your specific claim.

For a workplace injury in Victoria, the usual steps are:

• Report the injury to your employer as soon as possible and record it in the injury register. • See a doctor, who can assess you, provide a Certificate of Capacity, and refer you for any imaging needed. • Lodge a WorkCover claim through your employer or WorkSafe's agent.

Once your claim is accepted, reasonable medical costs related to the injury - including imaging - are covered by the WorkCover insurer. Before your claim is accepted, you may need to pay upfront and seek reimbursement, or the clinic may agree to bill the insurer directly and wait; policies vary, so ask the clinic when booking.

Keep every receipt and document if you do pay anything yourself.

The TAC covers people injured in transport accidents in Victoria, regardless of who was at fault. To make a claim, report the accident to police where required, then lodge a claim with the TAC by phone or online - ideally as soon as possible after the accident.

Once you have a TAC claim number, the TAC pays for reasonable treatment for your accident injuries, including medical imaging your doctor refers you for. Most radiology clinics in Victoria can bill the TAC directly, so you typically pay nothing at the time of your scan.

As with WorkCover, imaging must be for the injuries covered by your claim. If you need scans for an unrelated condition, those go through the normal Medicare process instead.

The single most important practical detail: make sure your claim number is on your imaging referral, and give it to the clinic when you book.

A WorkCover or TAC referral should ideally include:

• Your claim number • The insurer or scheme name (e.g. the WorkCover agent, or TAC) • The date of injury • The clinical details and body part to be scanned, as with any referral

Without a claim number, the clinic can't bill the insurer directly - which usually means you'll be asked to pay upfront and claim reimbursement later. If your claim hasn't been accepted yet, tell both your doctor and the clinic so everyone knows how billing will be handled in the meantime.

Under both WorkCover and the TAC, you're entitled to choose your own treating health providers - and that includes where you have your imaging done. Your referral is valid at any radiology clinic; you're not locked into the provider your doctor, employer, or insurer suggests.

That means you can pick a clinic based on what matters to you: how soon they can fit you in, how close they are to home or work, whether they have the right equipment (for example, a specific MRI machine), and how they handle WorkCover or TAC billing.

You can use Radly to compare imaging clinics across Victoria - checking locations, opening hours, and services - then call your shortlisted clinic to confirm they bill WorkCover or the TAC directly for your scan type.

Compensation claims can run for months or years, so good records protect you:

• Keep copies of every referral, certificate, and clinic invoice. • Note your claim number, your case manager's name, and key phone calls (date, who you spoke to, what was agreed). • Ask the clinic for confirmation when a scan has been billed to the insurer. • Keep receipts for anything you pay out of pocket, including travel to appointments where relevant - some expenses can be reimbursed.

Your scan images and reports are part of your claim evidence, so ask the clinic how to access them (many offer online patient portals). If you run into disputes about what's covered, WorkSafe Victoria, the TAC, or a union or legal advisor can help. For medical decisions about which scans you need, your GP remains the best starting point.