Compensation Fund to introduce electronic submission of claims

Department of Labour: Media Release: 21 February 2012

A make or break meeting set to revolutionise the submission of documents by the Compensation Fund (CF) is to take place tomorrow (Wednesday) between the fund and the South African Medical Association (Sama) in Pretoria.

For decades, claims documents have been captured manually at the fund – leading to tons and tons of files. The meeting intends introducing the electronic capturing of documents.

This was disclosed by CF Commissioner, Shakes Mkhonto, at a meeting with stakeholders from government, business, trade unions as well as medical providers during a roadshow in Klerksdorp, in the North West on Tuesday.

“The only way we can solve the CF problem is to do away with paper and do things electronically. There is no doubt that embarking on this road will enable us to improve the turnaround payment of claims,” the Commissioner told a gathering of 60 people

.

He said the meeting was the product of a meeting the CF Board had with labour Minister, Mildred Oliphant last year. Following that meeting, the Board decided to embark on a roadshow to learn more about the challenges citizens were facing.

In a day filled with good news, Mkhonto said the Minister would soon announce the date for the electronic submission of return of earnings on-line. This is a form required to be completed by employers, thus enabling the fund to assess them.

Mkhonto said among the new ways of doing business at the Fund was to decentralise services and bring them closer to the people.

He said the Fund had embarked on a process of upgrading its call centre with an aim of improving the image of the organisation.

“We want a knowledge worker who under stands the full value chain of the organisation,” he said.

Mkhonto said the Rehabilitation and Reintegration policy represented a fundamental policy change in the Fund and would change the way “we do business in the future”.

“Underlying this will be the Early Return to Work that will ensure that the injured worker receives a holistic treatment and regains his dignity. This is driven by the idea that if you maim me at work, you must keep my job, otherwise it constitutes an unfair labour practice by the employer,” the Commissioner said.

Meanwhile, the Fund said more roadshows would take place in the Free State, Gauteng, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Media Release: Department of labour 21 February 2012