What are the Compensation Benefits?
Under the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA), an injured employee is entitled to claim medical leave wages, medical expenses and compensation for permanent incapacity or death, if applicable. He remains eligible to claim even if his employment or work pass has been terminated.
Employers are liable to pay work injury compensation as follows:
Medical Leave Wages
Employers are required to pay medical leave wages to their injured employees not later than the same day as earnings would have been payable. This includes:
- full pay up to 14 days for outpatient medical leave;
- full pay up to 60 days for hospitalisation leave; and thereafter
- two-thirds of salary is payable up to a maximum period of one year following the date of accident.
Public holidays, rest days and non-working days should be excluded from the number of days of medical leave granted to the employee. For public holidays, while these are not granted as paid medical leave under WICA, the injured employee may be paid for the public holidays as his entitlement under the Employment Act.
Employers remain liable to pay medical leave wages to the employees even if their employment or work passes have been terminated.
Medical Expenses
Employers are responsible for all the medical expenses incurred by employees for treatment by any Singapore-registered medical practitioner or in any approved hospital.
Medical expenses include:
- the cost of medical consultation fees, treatment and expenses,
- medical report fees (for the initial assessment of the extent of injury suffered by the employee),
- the costs of medicines,
- artificial limbs and surgical appliances as certified by the medical practitioner.
Employees may claim for all medical expenses incurred within one year from the date of the accident, up to a cap of $25,000. He has to bear the cost of medical expenses beyond such in excess of these limits.
Alternatively, employees may seek damages from his employer at the civil courts, in order to recover the full medical expenses incurred. If he decides to file a civil claim, however, the injured employee should not file a work injury compensation claim with the Ministry of Manpower.
Permanent Incapacity Compensation
Compensation payable = [employee's monthly earnings] x [age multiplying factor] x [% loss of earning capacity]
- The compensation amount payable is subjected to a maximum and minimum limit as follows:
- Maximum limit = $180,000 x [% loss of earning capacity]
- Minimum limit = $60,000 x [% loss of earning capacity]
- An additional 25% of the compensation amount is awarded if an injured employee suffered permanent total incapacity (i.e. 100% loss of earning capacity).
Compensation for Death
Compensation payable = [employee's monthly earnings] x [age multiplying factor]
The compensation amount payable to the dependents of a deceased employee is subjected to a maximum and minimum limit as follows:
- Maximum limit = $140,000
- Minimum limit = $ 47,000
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