When the System Goes Quiet: A Public Explainer for Injured Workers

If you are an injured worker and the workers compensation system has gone silent — you are not imagining it, and you are not alone.

Silence is one of the most common ways injured workers are harmed after the injury itself.

This explainer is for people who are waiting, chasing, being redirected, or slowly worn down by a system that no longer responds.

What Is Supposed to Happen

When you lodge a workers compensation claim, the insurer and employer have legal obligations to:

• communicate clearly and in a timely way

• cooperate with you and your treating health professionals

• support recovery and a safe return to work

• ensure you are not exposed to further harm

• assign a case manager to coordinate your claim

You should not be left guessing who is responsible, what the next step is, or whether decisions are being made without you.

What Often Happens Instead

Many injured workers experience a different reality:

• emails go unanswered

• responses arrive late, vague, or incomplete

• phone calls replace written answers

• responsibility is passed between insurer, employer, and regulator

• no case manager is assigned — or they quietly disappear

• you are asked the same questions again and again

• medical evidence is ignored while further IMEs are scheduled

• return-to-work planning never materialises

This silence is often framed as:

• an “oversight”

• a “delay”

• a “process issue”

• a “miscommunication”

But when it continues for weeks, months or years, it is no longer administrative.

It is harmful.

Why Silence Is So Dangerous

Silence places the burden back on the injured worker — at the exact moment they are least able to carry it.

When the system goes quiet:

• injuries worsen

• distress increases

• financial pressure escalates

• isolation deepens

• power imbalances grow

You may start doubting yourself; feel like the problem; be told — directly or indirectly — that you are being “difficult” for asking questions.

You are not.

Silence is not neutral. Silence protects institutions, not people.

The Red Flag: No Case Manager

One of the clearest warning signs is not having an active case manager.

A case manager is supposed to:

• coordinate communication

• ensure legal compliance

• liaise with your health professionals

• keep your claim moving

If you do not know who your case manager is — or you had one and they disappeared without replacement — this is not minor.

A claim without a case manager is a claim without accountability.

When Oversight Bodies Also Go Quiet

Oversight bodies exist to intervene when insurers fail to comply.

But many injured workers discover that:

• complaints are acknowledged but not resolved

• responses avoid answering key questions

• phone calls replace written explanations (IRO public servants initially attempted this)

• time passes while harm continues

When oversight becomes procedural rather than protective, injured workers are left exposed.

This is known as secondary harm — injury caused not by the workplace incident itself, but by the system meant to address it.

What You Can Do (Without Burning Yourself Out)

If you are navigating this silence:

1. Ask for everything in writing

Written answers matter. Silence is harder to deny when documented.

2. Name the absence

If there is no case manager, say so clearly. Repeatedly, if necessary.

3. Keep your own record

Dates, emails, calls, missed responses — your timeline matters.

4. Trust your distress

If the process is making you worse, that is relevant. The system has duties not to cause further harm.

5. Seek support outside the insurer

Advocacy or trusted professionals can help you hold ground.

Most Important: This Is Not a Personal Failure

The silence you are experiencing is not because you are:

• weak

• unclear

• unreasonable

• asking too much

It is a systemic pattern.

Many injured workers only realise this years later — after their health, finances, and careers have been deeply affected.

Speaking about it is not complaining. Documenting it is not being difficult. Asking for accountability is not hostility. 

It is self-protection.

Why Sharing These Stories Matters

Systems change only when patterns are visible.

Silence thrives in isolation.

Accountability begins with naming what is happening.

If this explainer reflects your experience, know this:

You are not alone.

You are not the problem.

And your voice matters — even when the system pretends not to hear it.

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Red Flags Checklist

Early Warning Signs in a Workers Compensation Claim

If you notice more than one of these early on, pause.

They are not normal delays — they are signals.

1. Communication Red Flags

☐ Emails go unanswered for weeks

☐ Responses arrive vague, partial, or off-point

☐ You are told “we’ll explain this over the phone” instead of receiving written answers

☐ Different people give you different explanations

☐ You are repeatedly asked for information already provided

What it means: accountability is being diluted.

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2. Case Manager Red Flags

☐ You don’t know who your case manager is

☐ Your case manager leaves and no replacement is assigned

☐ Messages are redirected endlessly

☐ You are told “anyone can help you”

☐ No one appears responsible for next steps

Key warning: a claim without a case manager is a claim without ownership.

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3. Process & Transparency Red Flags

☐ Decisions are implied but not confirmed in writing

☐ Timeframes are unclear or keep shifting

☐ You are told “the process hasn’t started yet” months into a claim

☐ You discover forms or steps you should have been told about earlier

☐ Important actions occur without your involvement

What it means: process is being used to obscure responsibility.

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4. Medical & Recovery Red Flags

☐ Treating doctors’ reports are ignored

☐ Further IMEs are scheduled without clear reasons

☐ Return-to-work planning never begins

☐ No rehabilitation provider is engaged

☐ Your health worsens while the system delays

Critical: the system has a duty not to cause further harm.

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5. Oversight & Complaint Red Flags

☐ Complaints are acknowledged but not resolved

☐ Responses avoid answering direct questions

☐ You receive phone calls instead of written explanations

☐ Oversight bodies defer repeatedly to the insurer

☐ Time passes while nothing changes

This is secondary harm — injury caused by the system itself.

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6. Psychological Red Flags (Often Dismissed — But Vital)

☐ You feel confused after interactions

☐ You start doubting your memory or judgement

☐ You feel anxious every time you check email

☐ You’re told you’re “difficult” for asking questions

☐ The process itself is worsening your symptoms

Trust this signal. Distress is data.

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What to Do Early

• Ask for responses in writing
• Name gaps clearly (e.g. “I do not have an assigned case manager”)
• Keep your own simple timeline
• Follow verbal conversations with a summary email
• Seek independent support early (advocacy, trusted professionals)

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Most Important Reminder

These red flags are systemic patterns, not personal failures.

You are not:

• unreasonable

• impatient

• overreacting

• asking for too much

You are noticing what many injured workers only see later — after the damage deepens.

Early recognition is self-protection.

Tomorrow I continue with my insurer complaint to the Independent Review Office on 13 January 2021. 

To be continued…