Second look at rejected cases

NST: There is good news for thousands of workers whose applications for various benefits were rejected by Socso.
Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr Fong Chan Onn has ordered that they be reviewed as he felt that there may be genuine cases which were rejected due to incomplete or unclear information in the application forms.
This, he said could be due to the applicants not understanding the procedures.
"I want to know on what grounds the applications were rejected," he told the New Straits Times.
Up till December last year, Socso paid out RM824 million in claims to 255,000 workers from its RM12 billion fund.
Fong said although the annual sum paid out was high, he felt that the rejected cases must be studied as he wanted genuine cases to benefit from Socso.
"I have directed Socso to act with prudence while handling its funds and at the same time adopt a humanitarian approach when dealing with cases."
"When something happens to a worker, his family and children are affected."
Socso has 11 million members of whom 4.7 million are active.
It is learnt that more than 5,000 applications for benefits for commuting accidents, temporary disablement, permanent disablement and invalidity pension were rejected.
For invalidity pension alone, in 2003, the total number of applications received was 6,624 but only 2,481 (or 37.5 per cent) were accepted.
Last year, there were 7,961 applicants but only 2,770 (28.5 per cent) were successful.
Every year, Socso receives about 20,000 commuting accident cases.
Many are rejected because the information and details furnished are incomplete.
The compensation paid out annually for commuting accidents is about RM120 million.
Fong said it was the duty of all Socso officers to help workers fill up application forms.
"There are many workers who still need assistance.
"They need to be told about the procedures and about the documents required.
"Genuine cases should not be rejected."
Fong said he had personally met people whose applications were rejected.
He was puzzled why the medical boards appointed by Socso had rejected the applications.
"I met a woman in Taiping who suffered from severe Parkinson’s disease.
"Because of her illness, her company terminated her service.
"She had applied to Socso for her entitlement a few years ago but her application was rejected."
Fong also cited the case of a 17-year-old stall worker from Ipoh, Lai Jiun Wei, who suffered serious injuries to his right hand after an accident involving a sugarcane machine last Dec 24.
After Fong’s intervention, the youth was paid temporary disablement benefits for 126 days of medical leave totalling RM2,520.
His case was brought to the Socso medical board on July 11 for total loss of the right hand and he was compensated RM24,227, based on his last drawn salary.
He was also given a monthly payment of RM993.60 between May 1 and July 31.
Fong said the youth would be given a life-long payment rated at RM13.50 per day.
Socso is also getting him an artificial hand.
Besides scrutinising the rejected cases, Fong said he had also directed Socso to look into the 700 applications that had been awaiting decisions by the medical boards nationwide for more than six months.
"I want all applications to be heard and processed fast," he said, adding that those who need rehabilitation should be referred so that they can undergo the programmes designed for them to enable them to go back to work upon recovery.
Socso is also in the midst of employing case managers for the return-to-work planning and management of injured workers.
Fong said the case managers would develop and implement return-to-work pro- grammes, educate the workforce, keep injury and return-to-work statistics and develop policies to improve systems.
"We have already drafted the duties of the case managers which, among others, is to maintain contact with affected workers, offer advice, counselling and help them through the rehabilitation programme," he said.
Fong said they would also be engaging health professionals such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists, rehabilitation counsellors, nurses or psychologists with occupational rehabilitation experience as return-to- work co-ordinators.
It is hoped that at least four could be recruited as co-ordinators in all major States, like Federal Territory, Selangor, Johor, Penang and two each in other States.