How to become an approved permanent impairment assessor

The following criteria are applied by WorkCover WA when deciding whether a medical practitioner is suitable for designation as an approved permanent impairment assessor.

To be designated as an approved permanent impairment assessor under section 193 of the Workers Compensation and Injury Management Act 2023, a person must satisfy all the criteria:

1. Be registered as a medical practitioner with no current notations, conditions or reprimands for disciplinary purposes recorded against their registration for medical practice.
2. Have at least five years post-graduate experience as a medical practitioner.
3. Provide evidence of current clinical practice and/or expertise in assessment.
4. Have undertaken and completed training in the WorkCover WA Education Module, which includes training in the WorkCover WA Guidelines for the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (WorkCover WA Guidelines).
5. (a) Have undertaken and completed training in the use of the American Medical Association Guidelines to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment upon which the current edition of WorkCover WA Guidelines are based, or
   (b) Have current accreditation as a ‘Certified Independent Medical Examiner’ with the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners (ABIME), or
   (c) Have undertaken other training in impairment assessment approved by WorkCover WA.
6. Have qualifications as an Australian medical specialist.

Other (non-specialist) medical practitioners

Despite eligibility criteria 6, a non-specialist medical practitioner may be approved as an APIA and the criteria requirement to be a medical specialist waved. Upon application, WorkCover WA will consider the applicant’s relevant skills, experience, and qualifications to determine if the applicant’s competency levels meet WorkCover WA’s requirements. As a guide, WorkCover WA will review the extent to which a medical practitioner can demonstrate:

• significant work in a medical practice with consistent management and assessment of injured workers
• experience in undertaking medical assessments of injured workers
• relevant qualifications, for example, ABIME exam certification or other similar qualifications.

Applications in this category will be considered on a case-by-case basis and decisions will be at the sole discretion of WorkCover WA.

Only registered medical practitioners can apply to become an approved permanent impairment assessor (APIA) with WorkCover WA and must satisfy WorkCover WA’s eligibility criteria.

Different criteria apply depending on whether you are a specialist or non-specialist medical practitioner.

The APIA application form and further information regarding the APIA application process is available in the Approved Permanent Impairment Assessor Application packs below.